Building a Robot

The base of an FLL robot should be robust (no loose parts), be able to turn easily using 2 drive motors, have a 3rd motor for picking up objects, and possibly a light sensor for navigation. Plus, it should be easy to add and remove various attachments to accomplish Smart Move missions. Building a robot and its attachments, together with programming, planning missions, etc. will take lots of time and work all the way to the competition. Here are some starting points:

• View youtube movies of FLL teams who competed in the past years to pick up some ideas on how to approach building a robot. Search for the words: FLL, first lego league, climate connections 2008, power puzzle 2007. Here are a few examples of the teams scoring well last year: a team scoring maximum (400 pts), a team scoring 360 points, our team Global Coolers scoring 230 pts


• Look at robot building instructions: the basic Tribot could a good design to start with. More good examples can be found at nxtprograms: look at Castor Bot, Bumper Car, Explorer, Puppy, 4x4 Car with Joystick Control, Ball Hunter, Spinner Bot, Mini Sumo Bot, Modular Test Vehicle, Hammer Car, 3-Motor Chassis, Claw Striker, Line Follower, and think about how these could be used or modified to accomplish the Smart Move FLL missions.