Resistance
The
We are the future.
Second Place for Surprise Challenge at So Cal Showdown 2024
We are a group of young engineers, coders, and dreamers working together to learn about the advancing technological world we live in and how we can be apart of its improvement.
Guided by core values like discovery, teamwork, innovation, and inclusion each year we embark on a new thematic challenge. Themes are chosen to instruct us in important technologies, world wide impactful topics, and help us reason through how they play a role in the future.
Energy sources, transfers, and practicality was the theme in 2022 for our Explorer level season. In 2023, we leveled up to Challenge and tackled Masterpiece. It was designed to showcase how technology integrated with art and individual expression. Submerged in 2024 delved into new technology used to explore and restore our oceans.
In addition, we participated in the So Cal Showdown Competition in 2024 themed Overboard. Using the basic Masterpiece season board it reworks the robots mission forcing each team to look at their robot and code from a new perspective.
Explore 2022
Super Powered
The Resistance team was created in 2022 in the First Lego League Explore Division for a team of 2nd graders. In Explore, teams focus on the fundamentals of engineering as learn to design, code, and create solutions made with LEGO bricks and powered by LEGO® Education SPIKETM Essential program.
Super Powered focused on looking at different power sources from wind turbines to electrical grids. Teams completed challenging builds learning how to work with the hub (robot brain), motors, and sensors. Using blocked based coding in a Java script program kids created code to bring motion to their creations. And got creative, like learning how to code a Ferris wheel to make music in response to a color sensor while the motor turned the wheel really bringing it to life.
Challenge 2022-23
Masterpiece
The Resistance moved up a level to the Challenge division in their second year. Friendly competition is at the heart of Challenge, as teams engage in research, problem-solving, coding, and engineering - building and programming a LEGO® Education SPIKE™ Prime robot that navigates the missions of a robot game.
Masterpiece combined technology and art. Missions incorporated classical arts such as composition and ballet to modern day rock concerts and the film industry. Teams looked at how technology from pulleys to drone cameras help make art.
The team built a box frame robot. It relied on 2 motors to control the main wheels, and a 3rd motor to power various attachments for mission completion. Attachments were built light, multifunctional, and narrow for optimal robot movement and objective completion. The robot ran off 8 programs that were download on the hub unit for competitions. Two members of the team were at each end of the board to exchange attachments and switch programs.
Programs were built using a more complex version of the Spike software. Team members graduated from programing a1 or 2 functions for a stationary creation to program a team created robot with attachments. Success meant learning how to move an object through a 3D obstacle course while performing tasks. Physics began to enter the picture as degrees were measure, force calculated, and robot maps held vectors.
So Cal Spring Show Down Overboard! 2023
Teams competed in 3 rounds of competition. Robot R2D2 ran through 8 programs designed for 11 missions and relocation of objects, using 4 different attachments in time limit of 02:30!
So Cal Show Down is a tournament that reconfigures the Masterpiece season pieces into a new mission set called Overboard. Teams reconfigure robotic builds and create new programs to execute each mission. Team Leader and primary programmer Lucas showcased the robot design and his programing choices to the lead referee before matches. Lead engineer Liam made alterations to the robot to complete all new missions along with any on the spot tournament challenges. The Resistance worked together with respect and creativity showcasing their technical and sportsmanship skills.
Surprise challenge! Over 50 teams are randomly combined into groups to solve new challenges on the board in 60 min! Team leader Lucas and teammate Liam are shown here competing with two other teams as all 3 robots prepare to launch in partnership.