Preparation for FIRST LEGO League Thailand 2016 Robotics Competition

Every year, FIRST® LEGO League releases a Challenge, which is based on a real-world scientific topic. It challenges kids in over 80 countries to think like scientists and engineers. Each Challenge has three parts: the Robot Game, the Project, and the Core Values. Teams of up to ten children, with at least two adult coaches, participate in the Challenge.

Past Challenges have been based on topics such as nanotechnology, climate, quality of life for the handicapped population, and transportation. Students apply science, engineering, and math concepts, plus a big dose of imagination, to develop solutions to real-world challenges. They also design, build, and program LEGO MINDSTORMS®-based robots to perform autonomous “missions” on a playing field. Team members learn valuable life and employment skills which will benefit them no matter which career path they choose. Along the way, they develop critical thinking, team-building, and presentation skills.

ISB has participated in the following FLL Competitions:

• 2012 Senior Solutions Challenge
• 2014 World Class Challenge

Get ready.  Get set.  Roar!  Or you could bark, quack, or squeak, because the 2016 ANIMAL ALLIES season is all about our furry, feathered, and finned friends. When you meet an animal at the zoo, on a farm, or in your home, have you ever thought about whether that interaction helps you, the animal, or both? Who is helping or being helped in each one? For ANIMAL ALLIES, think of people and animals as allies in the quest to make life better for everyone. Sometimes people help animals and sometimes animals help people. Team’s Project mission this season is to make our interactions with animals better – hopefully better for all of us.

Teams will design a solution to the problem. Any solution is a good start. The ultimate goal is to design an innovative solution that adds value to society by improving something that already exists, using something that exists in a new way, or inventing something totally new.

This year, the competition in Bangkok will take place on April 8th and 9th (Saturday and Sunday), 2017 at Dhurakij Pundit University located at 110/1-4 Prachachuen Road, Laksi, Bangkok 10210. This is the official website of GAMMACO, the FIRST LEGO League Partner in Thailand. For more information in English about this competition, click here.

February marks the start of our preparation for the 2 day FLL Thailand 2016 Competition. After our Winter Break, coaches (Mr. Miguel Zambrano and Mr. McGovern) and students reconvene for an amazing time of learning and discovery during the after-school Robotics Club meetings on Mondays and Wednesdays from 2:30 - 3:30 PM. We have exactly 38 days to prepare for this challenge. Our team of 10 students chosen to represent ISB are: Elmo, Leo, Matthew, Noah, Pun, Bora,, Divyansh, Kaito, Tong Nueng, and Rory. We wish them all the best!

 

Preparing for the First Lego League Competition in Thailand

We have recently received the 2014 FLL World Class Challenge playing field. The Middle School Robotics Club is putting the pieces together to set the stage for our preparation for the official tournament, hosted by the FIRST LEGO League Partner in Thailand called GAMMACO.

Each Challenge has three parts: the Robot Game, the Project, and the FLL Core Values. Teams of up to ten children, with one adult coach, participate in the Challenge by programming an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field (Robot Game), developing a solution to a problem they have identified (Project), all guided by the FLL Core Values.

So, what's going to happen this year. You have probably learned so many things in your life that it is hard to count them. You started learning as soon as you were born. You learned to walk, tie your shoes, and how to read this Challenge. You might have learned to dance, paint, or play an instrument. You might even have learned how to kick a soccer ball at the perfect angle to score a goal. To have fun in many core subjects — like history, science, art, and math — you need to develop specific skills. In fact, skills are your tools to learn at any age. They might include: critical thinking, teamwork, creativity, problem solving, communication, information literacy (knowing how to find and use the information you need), and understanding technology.

There is so much to learn, but people do not all learn the same way. Just like there is more than one way to build your robot, there is more than one way to learn most things. We call these different ways of learning “learning styles.” Most people learn through some combination of watching, listening, reading, writing, moving, and even playing. Do you have a favorite way to learn new knowledge or skills?

No matter what learning style you use most, there are many surprising tricks that might help a person learn. For example:

• Some video games help you understand how the three-dimensional world fits together. This skill is called “spatial reasoning.” It could help you engineer and innovate.
• Singing the rules of a new game might help you remember them more easily than reading them.
• Building with LEGO bricks could help you learn math and engineering concepts. (You probably 
• knew that already – you're in FLL!)

Some learning tools or techniques might make learning more exciting, while others help you remember the information for a longer time.

This season's project mission is to find a better or more innovative way to help someone learn.

Robot Game at the FLL 2012 Thailand

Senior Partner for FLL Competition

I recorded this interview of Mr. Jerry Hochberg by the students in the Robotics Club as part of their Project for the FIRST LEGO League 2012 Thailand Competition.

Mentor Award Winners

Today, I received the visit of Khun Kamol Assawamankongcharoen from Gammaco (Thailand) Co., Ltd. He had something for us. To my surprise, he took out a LEGO cup and told me that our team had been awarded the "Mentor Award" at the 2012 FIRST LEGO League Senior Solutions Challenge in Thailand. He also handed me a certificate for the award.

Many teams reach significant milestones thanks to their close relationship with an adult mentor. This Special Recognition Award, called the Mentor Award, goes to the coach or mentor whose wisdom, guidance, and devotion are most clearly evident in the team’s discussion with the judges.

I truly want to thank all of my students in the Panthro team that represented the International School Bangkok for doing such a fantastic work. Panthro would not have been considered for this award if our relationship had not been founded in the FLL Core Values. This is a team award that not only involves me as a coach or mentor but also the team of students that work in the MS-MPR with me every Monday and Friday after school. We will certainly continue to strive for higher achievements next year.

Last but not least, I want to give special thanks to my wife and daughter who had to put up with me for so many hours away from them. I love you all.

Set, Ready, LEGO!: Information and Experiences at the FLL 2012 Thailand Robotics Competition

Kids Solving Real-World Problems

The Robotics Club at ISB (International School Bangkok) participated for the first time in the FIRST LEGO League 2012 Thailand Senior Solution Challenge organized by GAMMACO. The competition took place on February 22, 2013 at the Panyapiwat Institute of Management in Nonthaburi. Our team of ten children, with me as their adult coach (Miguel Zambrano), participated in the Challenge by programming an autonomous robot to score points on a themed playing field in 2-1/2 minutes (Robot Game), developing a solution to a problem they have identified (Project), all guided by the FLL Core Values. The Robot Game and Project are what teams do. The FLL Core Values are how they do it.

The following students were chosen to represent ISB's PANTHRO team. Each of them contributed with their strengths and were given specific roles in the team:

1. Alessio Amaolo - Project Manager
2. Jonathan Vithoontien - Project Manager
3. Daiki Shinomiya - Hardware and Software Specialist
4. Paul Limsuwannarot - Hardware and Software Specialist
5. Taha Sarfraz - Hardware & Information Specialist
6. Chin Chao Huang - Hardware & Information Specialist
7. Aman Arora - Software & Information Specialist
8. Karan Arora - Software & Information Specialist
9. Ghazy Aziz - Information Specialist
10. Sora Kanasue - Information Specialist

Throughout the competition, the team was supported by the following students:

1. Grayson Heath - Hardware Specialist
2. Shion Ota - Information Specialist
3. Jack Ducharme - Information Specialist

They were not only there to gain the valuable experience but were also in charge of documenting the entire event using photo and flip video cameras. Most of the images and footage of what you see is thanks to their work. They also provided invaluable technical assistance in crucial moments of the competition.

As you will see in the photos and videos below, each one of the team members knew their roles and worked collectively as a team to complete various robot game missions, overcoming numerous design and programming problems and making critical decisions during the game as well as the presentations. A lot of learning took place during the day as students spent time at the practice tables refining their programs and making design changes from new ideas. It was interesting to see how all competitors shared some "table time" with kindness, respect and professionalism.

There was a team of professionals (professors, engineers, etc.) who were in charge of evaluating the students during the judging sessions. The entire event was well organized and even though it was mostly in Thai, we were able to stay tuned and attend all the judging sessions who had English speaking judges in them. Panthro's Judging sessions and robot game rounds took place at:

09:30 AM: Robot Design (Technical Judging) - venue RJ1
10:50 AM: Round One / Table #A
11:40 AM: Round Two / Table #B
12:50 AM: Presentation Judging - venue PJ1
02:50 PM: Round Three / Table #A

As I walked to try to meet other teams, I managed to ask some groups a few questions about their preparation for the FLL event. The Princes Chulabhorn's College Lopburi team members told me that they practiced for 3 hours every day, from 4 to 7 PM, all week. They did this for a month at their boarding school. They used 2 light sensors in the their robot to detect lines and colors. Another school, Wachirathamsatit School, practiced for a month, every day from Monday to Friday, 4 - 7 PM. There were really good competitors, like the ATOI team, who won last year's competition. For this year's FLL Competition, there were 20 schools/clubs registered and we were assigned team # 19.

At ISB, we started working on the Competition after the Winter Break. In total we had close to 5 weeks of preparation. The first weeks of the second semester we met once or twice per week. Due to the fact that many students were busy with other commitments, it was hard to maintain a consistent group. In addition, we lost a week's worth of work due to the MS Trips. Towards the end, during the last weeks, we began our sessions right after school at 2:20 PM and ended by 5 PM. We even met during the weekends on Saturday from 10 AM to 4 PM. On the last day at the club before the competition, a kind parent donated 2 pizzas for the group of students working until 6 PM. Thanks to the work of Alessio and Paul, we managed to design our t-shirt logos and have them ready for the event.

During the Judging sessions, students were asked to explain their accomplishments based on skill areas.

The Robot Design Technical Judging

Daiki Shinomiya, Alessio Amaolo, and Jonathan Vithoontien gave the judges information about their robots. They told them about their game strategy and the interesting attachments they had designed. Judges addressed all of the questions directly to the team members, as they want to hear that the children did the work and understand what they did.

For the Robot Design they were evaluated on the following skill areas: durability, mechanical efficiency, and mechanization of their robots. This all translates to the efficiency of the robot's structural integrity and ability to withstand rigors of the competition. In addition, they were asked to talk about the economic use of parts and time, as well as how easy their robot was to repair and modify. Finally, they had to demonstrate their robot's mechanisms and ability to move or act with appropriate speed, strength and accuracy for intended tasks (propulsion and execution).

In terms of the programming, students were evaluated on their programming quality. Emphasis was placed on the appropriateness of programs for the intended purpose and its achievement of consistent results, assuming no mechanical faults. A second aspect of programming was efficiency. Students had to demonstrate that their programs were modular, streamlined and understandable. The third programming focus was automation/navigation. This refers to the ability of the robot to move or act as intended using mechanical and/or sensor feedback, with minimal reliance on driver intervention and/or programming timing.

The last skill area for the robot design was Strategy and Innovation. This area evaluates the design process, the mission strategy, and innovation. Students had to demonstrate ability to develop and explain improvement cycles where alternatives are considered and narrowed, selections tested, and designs improved. Students were also tested on their ability to clearly define and describe the team's game strategy. The third aspect of this skill evaluated the creation of new, unique, or unexpected features that are beneficial in performing the specified tasks.

The Robot Game Judging

At a tournament, two robot game fields are joined back to back, and teams are paired opposite to one another to compete in a match. There are three matches and each match lasts 2-1/2 minutes. Here’s the process. A team gets to the competition table and has at least one minute to prepare their equipment.

The match starts and the team starts their robot from Base. Once started, the robot is “active” and is understood to be working “autonomously” on missions, under its own power and programming, allowed to grow to any size and go anywhere. The robot might get a lot done, or a little, but eventually the team is likely to need/want to handle it. For example, it might get stuck, or the team might want to add an attachment or unload some cargo. If the team does decide to touch the robot while it’s active, no matter where it is or what it’s doing, that makes it “inactive,” and it must immediately be carried to Base if it’s not already there. While the inactive robot is in Base, the team prepares it for its next active period, and restart it.

These steps repeat (often with music, an announcer, and cheering in the background!) until the match end signal sounds. The timer never pauses during a match. The team plays three matches a tournament, each one being a fresh chance for you to get your best score. No match has anything to do with another, and only your best score counts specifically toward the Robot Performance Award except when breaking ties. “Playoffs” if held, are just for added fun. If it is known in advance that you will not have another team opposite you, a volunteer or “house” team substitutes. if not, and you compete against an empty table, you get the points for any missions you tried but could not complete because the other team was missing.

After the match, no one is allowed to touch anything on the field until the ref has recorded the condition of the field and come to agreement with the team (kids only) about what points were scored or missed and why. Data is marked on a sheet which the team initials, making the sheet final.

Click here to watch the Official Robot Game

The Project Judging

Our Project challenge this season was to solve a problem faced by seniors as they age. To start, our team needed to find a senior partner. We had to look for an adult who is 60 years of age or older. We decided to invite Mr. Jerry Hochberg and work with him. He was interviewed by Ghazy Aziz, Taha Sarfraz, and Chin Chao Huang. A video is provided below.

The Project presentation at the Competition was given by Alessio Amaolo and Jonathan Vithoontien. They shared the things they learned and the information from experts that they researched. For the Project, the following skill areas were assessed. In terms of the Research, students had to clearly define the problem being studied. They had to use different sources of information like books, magazines, websites, reports, etc. Judges were also evaluating the depth to which the problem was studied and analyzed by the team. In addition, students were required to review existing solutions and analyze them, as well as make an effort to verify the originality of the team's solution.

The Innovative Solution skill was measured by the team's clear explanation of the proposed solution. Innovation was measured by the degree to which the team's solution makes life better by improving existing options, developing a new application of existing ideas, or solving the problem in a completely new way. For the implementation, students were supposed to show consideration of factors for implementation like cost, ease of manufacturing, etc.

Finally, the third skill was Presentation. Judges evaluated the degree to which the team shared their project  before the tournament with others who might benefit from the team's efforts. They also assessed the imagination used to develop and deliver the presentation as well as the message delivery  and organization of the presentation.

The FLL Core Values

Undoubtedly, the third part of the Challenge is one of the most important ones for me. This is related to how students do the Challenge, as mentioned at the beginning of this post. The FLL Core Values are the cornerstones of the FLL program. They are among the fundamental elements that distinguish FLL from other programs of its kind. By embracing the Core Values, participants learn that friendly competition and mutual gain are not separate goals, and that helping one another is the foundation of teamwork.

• We are a team.
• We do the work to find solutions with guidance from our coaches and mentors.
• We know our coaches and mentors don't have all the answers; we learn together.
• We honor the spirit of friendly competition.
• What we discover is more important than what we win.
• We share our experiences with others.
• We display Gracious Professionalism® and Coopertition® in everything we do.
• We have FUN!

During the competition, judges assess the skill of Inspiration which is related to Discovery, Team Spirit, and Integration. Students are assessed in terms of their balanced emphasis on all three aspects (Robot, Project, and Core Values) of FLL. It's not just about winning awards. Their enthusiastic and fun expression of the team identity is a great plus. Students have to be able to show integration and application of FLL values and skills outside FLL demonstrating ability to describe current and potential examples from daily life.

Another skill assessed is Teamwork. They have to demonstrate effectiveness in problem solving and decision making processes that help the team achieve their goals. Students also have to demonstrate all sorts of resources relative to what the team accomplishes (time management, distribution of roles and responsibilities).

Before the FLL competition, the Robotics Club presented their work to the entire Middle School on February 1, 2013. They spoke about the things that they did in the club and gave a demonstration of a robot game challenge. This was a great opportunity to show the strong relationship that they had built amongst themselves in the club.

The third skill is called Kids do the Work. This refers to the appropriate balance between team responsibility and coach guidance. Finally, the fourth skill is Gracious Professionalism. This refers to Inclusion and the consideration and appreciation for the contributions  (ideas and skills) of all team members, with balanced involvement. It also assesses the level of respect in how team members act and speak with integrity so others feel valued, especially when solving problems or resolving conflicts. Finally, judges assessed Coopertition, which refers to how teams compete in the spirit of friendly competition and cooperate with others.

I am sure that all our students have learned many lessons during the FLL Competition. These will remain in their memories as being the first students to participate and represent ISB at a Robotics Competition. Unfortunately, we were not able to stay for the Closing Ceremony, so we don't have any official results yet. All this information will be sent to us next week after the holiday. Next year, we plan to start our preparation for the Nature's Fury Competition before the end of the first semester and involve more people in the community to support and assist our team.

A group of parents came to visit during the competition. Some spent most of the day with us looking after students and teachers (thanks for the coffee and fried rice). They took photos, watched their children in action, cheered them to the sounds of drums, tambourine, maracas while shouting "OLE, OLE, OLE, OLE, Panthro, Panthro."

I also want to thank Mr. Burgess, Mr. Baron-Toaldo, Mr. Tague, and Khun Dalad for all their support providing transportation back home. For this event, we had the company of Mr. Matt McGovern (chaperone) who provided timely guidance for the Project Presentation.

Special thanks to Mr. Jerry Hochberg who collaborated with the team as their Senior Partner. He was very kind to spare some time with the students talking to them about his life and the problems that adults face as they age.

Finally, our Middle School Robotics Club continues until the end of the academic year for all current students. We all look forward to new and exciting experiences with our upcoming "Sumo Competition".

2012 Senior Solutions Challenge - FLL Thailand Competition

The students in the Robotics Club are preparing to compete in the FLL Thailand 2012 Competition. We currently have two groups that will be registered in the event. One team is comprised of Grade 8 and 7 students and the other one mainly by Grade 6 students. We meet every Monday and Friday from 3 to 5 PM. During these last weeks before the competition, we will certainly be meeting additional days. These days will be communicated in advance by email to the students.

For more images, click here

A team consists of 3 to 10 members. The age range is 9 to 16 (maximum age limit) and it should have at least one adult coach. FLL competitions are a team exercise. This is not just about building a robot, it is about learning how to work with others - a key life skill. We always ensure that everyone on the team feels like they're included, so that's why we include everyone in group discussions and decisions. Due to the nature of the work, there may be arguments. This is where the coach fits in to be a mediator and help find a compromise.

Students have already decided the roles that each one will take for the competition. With the help of the coach, team roles are defined by identifying team member's strengths. We have identified the following strengths and play to those strengths or roles: Software Specialist (Programmer), Hardware Specialist (Builder), Information Specialist (Presentation and Rules Expert), and Project Manager.

During our meeting on February 21, 2013, students voted for two team representatives or project managers. We used Google Moderator to allow each student to vote for their candidate. At the end, Alessio and Aman were chosen by the group.

In preparation for the competition, all the building, programming, testing, and problem solving is done by the team members. The team decides where it wants to go. The coach just needs to still keep them on track towards the final deadline. Often students learn much more by failing than by getting it right the first time.

It is very important that all the students read and understand the contest rules. They must review the Game Updates on a regular basis since this will help them better guide their team. For more information about the competition rules, click here to read the Official FLL 2012 Senior Solutions  Challenge.

Another component of the competition is the Project challenge. This season is to solve a problem faced by seniors as they age. To start, the teams needs to find a senior partner. Many people define seniors in different ways. For the Senior Solutions Project, students have to look for an adult who is 60 years of age or older.

As a team, students have to choose one problem that their senior partner identified and learn about it. What causes the problem? What is being done to solve the problem today? Are new solutions being developed by scientists or engineers? Some resources they may use to look for information are: reports, books, magazines, and websites. Students have to check with professionals who work in and around their community. They have to use any research tools they have available.

When the team decides on a problem, their challenge is to create an innovative solution—one that makes life better by improving something that already exists, using something that exists in a new way, or inventing something totally new. Learning about current solutions is just the beginning. How can their solution help seniors feel respected and do the things they love? How will your solution help seniors stay independent, engaged, and connected? They have to all work together and brainstorm.

Students have to share all their ideas. One team member’s “crazy idea” just might inspire the perfect innovative solution. What could be done in a new way? What could be done better? What will it take to make your team’s solution happen? A great solution might take all the imagination and ingenuity the team can muster. It might seem so obvious that they wonder why the problem even exists.

If a team chooses to attend a tournament, they have to prepare a presentation to share their problem and solution with the judges. Their presentation can include posters, slide shows, models, multimedia clips, your research materials – they have to be creative. Remember to leave a lasting impression.

Finally, the event will be held on February 22, 2013. Join us at the Panyapiwat Institute of Management in Nonthaburi. The address is 85/1 Thanon Chaeng Watthana, Khlong Klue, 11120 (close to Central Chaeng Watthana). The day begins with the Team Registration at 8:00 AM, and after the Opening Ceremony, the competition will start at 9:30 AM. The end of the event is set for 3:30 PM.

22 Awards will be granted by the organizers and sponsors of the competition. GAMMACO will support the winning team with 100,000 THB to join a competition in Australia, Germany, or the USA.

For more information about the competition, click here to go to GAMMACO's FLL Thailand 2012 website.

New Cabinets for the Robotics Club

On Saturday Oct 20th, we received four gray cabinets for the Robotics Club. These cabinets will be used to store the 9797 kits as well as the robots that you build in the class. Each cabinet has a key, so if you ever need to get to your robots, make sure you contact me. In addition, I have added battery chargers to enable charging within the cabinets. The other brown cabinets will be used to store the competition challenges. Currently, we have three challenges to work with in the class:

• FLL 2011 Body Forward Challenge


• FLL 2012 Senior Solutions


• Green City

Some photos below:

Class - Monday, October 8th

Today both groups (Mondays and Fridays) met at the MPR. We started the session giving some recognition to the contributions of some students last week. We followed with instructions on building the challenges that had not been completed. I assigned a couple of kits to students that had shown up for the first time. While all this was happening, I took some time making sure that all the students had the following resources in their laptops:

1. NXT Video Trainer


2. Green City


3. 2012 FLL Senior Solutions

I created a folder called Robotics under Applications and copied all these resources in each one of the laptops. We then took a view of the Haiku class: ISB MS Robotics Club and went through the first pages of information. I encourage you to read these in your house, since I will be coming back to them next week. We also opened the CS2N website and made sure that all the new students created an account.

I asked everyone to open the NXT Video Trainer and click on the Basics option at the top of the screen. Then under "NXT Reference" click on "Using the NXT" and go through the instructional videos. For those that had completed this section, they could also click on "Behaviors" at the top and then under "Movement" select "Moving Straight".

At the end of each section, everyone has to open the CS2N website and take the quizzes for each completed section. Please come to see me if you have questions or are not sure how to proceed with the quizzes. You can also follow the resources in the CS2N website if you plan to prepare for the quizzes. Note: I have noticed that some links do not load quickly, in which case we will use the NXT Video Trainer. This is why, if you still don't have these resources, make sure you come to see me tomorrow or Wednesday. If you are new to the class, make sure you go to EdTech to get the NXT programming software.

On a different matter, I found a few cables lying on the floor at the end of the class. I have left them on the cabinet to talk to the owners next class. In addition, I found kit # 8 completely open next to the FLL table. I understand you all have to leave at a certain time, but it is inadmissible to leave everything lying around for others to pick up. This is the last time that I will pick up sets and place them in the cabinet. You are all responsible for your equipment. If you can't handle the kit, what can I expect from you when we move to greater things. I hope this does not happen again.

Anyway, have a great week and see you normally starting from next week. Remember, if you want to practice using the REM Robot and get a better grade in the quizzes, let me know and I can open the class on Wednesday in the afternoon from 2:10 to 4:30 pm. However, you have to contact me to confirm your attendance.

Building the 2012 FLL and Green City Challenges

This week we began to build the challenges for the 2012 FLL Senior Solutions Competition and the Green City Challenge. A number of students volunteered to come during the Parent-Teacher Conferences. They managed to get a lot done. Thanks for your support guys.

Thursday, Oct 04th:

1. Taha Sarfraz


2. Ghazy Aziz


3. Alessio Amaolo


4. Daiki Shinomiya


5. Jack Ducharme

Friday, Oct 05th:

1. Jack Ducharme


2. Paul Limsuwannarot


3. Rodrigo Ferreira


4. Luca Divergilio


5. Aman Arora


6. Karan Arora


7. Taha Sarfraz

For more information about the Green City Challenge click here.

For the 2012 Senior Solutions Challenge click here.

ISB's FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Club

This week marked the start of a new era at ISB. The first ever FLL club in the Middle School. Twenty (28) students have signed up for an exciting experience. More information to come soon.