Ready, set, LEGO!
That is what the crowd heard before gathering around contestants at the FIRST LEGO League – Ontario Provincial Championship.
Eighty teams, covering technology and science, weaved through the Campus and Recreation Centre of Durham College Oshawa Campus on Jan. 31-Feb. 1.
The annual event, by FIRST Robotics Canada, united kids ages nine to 14 to explore STEM skills through building and maneuvering LEGO robots.
Dave Ellis, president of First Robotics Canada, has been working with the organization since 2005, starting as a coach.
He said there are three components to the competition, starting with a game. Teams put their LEGO robots to the test in two and a half minutes per round.
Teams use ‘mission models’ to guide their pre-programmed LEGO robots. Each mission is worth a different set of points. Each team works together to win them.
“Through that process, they learn design skills, they learn coding skills, and they learn strategy,” said Ellis.
Prior to the event, the teams completed the research component by exploring a STEM problem related to an assigned theme.
This year, the teams found problems related to archaeology, created scientific solutions and modelled them through LEGO robots.
One of the 40 teams was the Emerging Bots, who made a scoop for underwater artifacts.
Through months of research and discussions with archaeologists, they found safety and efficiency problems in that area.
They discovered divers like using remotely operated vehicles (ROVs) because of the dangers associated with diving, but ROVs sometimes crush the artifacts.
Their design allows the scoop to drive up to the artifact and enclose it in a safe space while keeping water and sand in to prevent breaking.
The talked with an underwater archaeologist and he said he really liked the idea, according to the team.
As the model approaches, the colour sensor (represented by the green piece) would detect the artifact and enclose it using the scoop. They have worked on the project since last August.
The third component of the competition is core values.
“Inclusion, gracious professionalism, respect for others, competing at a high level but also helping others along the way,” said Ellis.
Judges evaluate teams on how they incorporate these values throughout the process.
Winners and award recipients will be announced at the Canada Cup of Robotics in June of this year.
The next provincial championship is April 16-19 at the Niagara Falls Convention Centre.