FLL World Class Question:

This year’s FIRST LEGO League challenge

is about education.

FLL teams will be looking for ways to improve the learning process.

The Optibotz started out researching 3 areas: 
     What is the latest technology in education? 
     What alternatives are there to conventional learning? 
     What special needs are there in the learning population?

After extensive research we decided to focus on something that would actually address something in all three areas. We formulated our FLL World Class Question.

How could we improve the way a student who is absent, or cannot be in the classroom, learn in school?

      Our team’s research is about a robot that could sit in, “substitute” for a student, if he or she is absent for a long period of time.  The robot might also allow home-schooled students who wish to take particular courses at a public or private school, or allow special needs students to sit in on classes from their own classroom. There have been robots that can possibly do this such as, Telbotics - PEBBLES  (Providing Education By Bringing Learning Environments to Students) by IBM back in 2006 and currently the Double by Double Robotics and the VGo by VGo Communications.

Basically, the PEBBLES robot was designed to allow students to participate in class,  keep socially interacted with classmates and teachers, and keep up with the classwork and homework. Two PEBBLES robots are needed; one with the student, one at his/her school. With the PEBBLES robot, the student can turn the robot’s head so it faces the board or a student, and raise the robot’s “hand.” The PEBBLES robot is generally used in England and Canada. 

 The Double, from Double Robotics, is a telepresence robot with an iPad mount (for your iPad) on a telescoping stand on balancing wheels. It is controlled with an App used on an iPad or iPhone. The cost is  $2,499, with  a charging dock $299. Audio Kit $99, and Case $69 sold separately.

       VGo, from VGo Communications, is like Skype® on a moving platform. However, they have their own technology for online communication; it is based on XMPP (Extensible Messaging and Presence Protocol.) It can hear, talk, and move as if the user was actually standing there. The picture quality and HD Screen along with the HD Sound system allows the user to experience actually being in a place while somewhere else. Originally developed for the business and medical community it is now being used in schools for students who cannot attend school for a long period of time or not at all due to medical reasons. In a school situation it can run for a full school day, up to 12 hours, before needing to be charged, and now has a computer or tablet device app that can control the VGo through Wi-Fi. This allows the user to control the robot’s movements and eve take pictures of the environment it is in. The robot costs $5,995, with additional subscriptions of about $100 a month. 

Optibotz: Team Profile

2014-2015

We are FIRST LEGO League team # 1082, The Optibotz. We are a private team of 4 members - 2 of us are brothers, we attend different schools, we have a few different interests, but we all share our love for LEGO building. Let us introduce ourselves:

Hi, my name is Corban, and I am an 8th grader currently attending Hunter College High School. I am 13 years old and my favorite subjects are math and Latin. I am a five-year veteran of FLL (FIRST LEGO League) and I continue to love this robotics competition.  Each year it gives me a new challenge to work on. I aspire to enroll in MIT and perhaps become a researcher for big companies.  
     Sports that I enjoy playing are basketball and badminton, and my hobbies are hiking, reading, and making stuff. I enjoy nature and outdoor activities. I also play the drums when I have free time. I decided to join FLL this year so that I could finish my FLL “career” so to speak to the very end. FLL is also a new learning experience each year, and always helps me build up my social and teamwork skills. After this robotic season, I will be eligible for FRC (First Robotics Competition) and I will probably try out for it.. 

     My name is Joshua age 13. I go to M.S. 67Q and am in 8th grade. Some of my favorite subjects in school are Science Olympiad, Math, and Science. I like these subjects because I am either good at them or I like the teacher. When I grow up, I am aiming to either be an aerospace engineer, because I like to design and build flying machines. 

     Some of the sports I play are basketball, swimming, and biking. I also run for fun, but not with a team or anything. Some of the things I like to do in my spare time are sewing, playing Beyblade, basically battling spinning tops, and play pranks or jokes on other people. Some of my favorite things to do are playing video games, and playing expansion and word board games. I like those things because they are constantly changing, and often, no 2 games are ever the same. 

     I decided to join the FLL robotics team because I thought it would be fun. I also thought it would be a good idea to learn to work well with other people. So then, if I ever had to work with others, the skill wouldn’t be foreign to me. I joined the team because I wanted to learn to work as a team, and to experience something new. I had a lot of fun the last two years on the team, so this is my third year on the team. 

     Overall, I think that joining the team was a good idea. I have lots of fun working with my teammates on the robots and the innovation for our Research project.

     My name is Matthew and I am 14 years old. This is my second year being on a FIRST LEGO League team, and I love every minute of it. I am in ninth grade and I attend New Hyde Park Memorial High School. My favorite subjects in school are English, Orchestra, and Art. I play the cello in the orchestra. When I grow up, I want to be an author and/or a comic artist for DC Comics. I also would like to be a LEGO Designer; I practice at home with the downloadable software on my computer. 

At school, I run on the Junior High track team and occasionally take drawing requests from my friends. My favorite things are comics, LEGO, and books. My favorite author is Rick Riordan, and my favorite book series is his Heroes Of Olympus series. I also enjoy watching T.V. My favorite shows are Young Justice and the new show on CW, The Flash. 

     My name is Gabriel and I am 12 years old. I attend seventh grade at New Hyde Park Memorial High School. My favorite subjects in school are social studies, World Language, and orchestra. I am first cello in the Intermediate Orchestra, and I also play in the String Ensemble. The sports I like and play are play basketball, volleyball, and hacky sack in school and at home.
     I've made and played with LEGO elements before, but this is the first time I have built a LEGO Mindstorms robot. I was invited to join the team by Coach Greene. I accepted the offer because I love to experiment with LEGO and try new things. I also wanted to join, because the LEGO Mindstorms robot intrigued me. I am looking forward to participating in the FIRST LEGO League tournament this year.

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