Mostly Vex and Mindstorms.
It rarely happens, but Amazon has the latest LEGO Mindstorms NXT 2.0 (8547) set
A great item to buy along with it is our Version 2 to Version 1 Retrograde Kit. It lets you build just about any model from books written for the original Retail NXT set.
05.13.11
Playa Vista, CA (May 9, 2011) – The X PRIZE Foundation and the LEGO Group today announced MoonBots 2.0: A Google Lunar X PRIZE LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Challenge. This second annual contest will challenge teams of youth to design, program, and construct robots that perform simulated lunar missions similar to those required to win the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, a private race to the Moon designed to enable commercial exploration of space while engaging the global public. To further this purpose, the X PRIZE Foundation and the LEGO Group have partnered with WIRED magazine and FIRST robotics to offer a competition that will excite students and their families about the Moon, robotics, and team building.
“In the MoonBots 2.0 Challenge, students get to produce videos, gain computer programming skills, and learn the latest in technological advances at it relates to space exploration. It is important to inspire this generation with the Google Lunar X PRIZE and help kids understand that Moon exploration is still relevant and exciting,” said Chanda Gonzales, Google Lunar X PRIZE Education Manager.
Teams will be asked to submit fun, scientific video clips that talk about space exploration. In addition to the video, each team will be asked to write a proposal explaining why their robot should be funded to go to the moon, similar to the proposals authored by actual Google Lunar X PRIZE teams.
From these submissions, a select group will be chosen as finalists and provided with free LEGO components to construct a large Moonscape that will serve as the competition’s ‘playing field.’ Finalists will then design their robot using CAD software, program it, and demonstrate their robot to be judged. Finalist teams will be asked to complete a STEM outreach project to mentor kids to get excited about the MoonBots 2.0 Challenge, a requirement unique to this year’s contest.
For more than a decade, the LEGO MINDSTORMS robotics toolkits have given children of all ages the best of both the physical and virtual worlds, combining LEGO bricks with state-of-the-art hardware and easy-to-use programming software. LEGO MINDSTORMS empowers users to conceive, build, and program robotic inventions for both play and learning purposes. In just 30 minutes, young robot creators can build and program their first working LEGO robot.
“Our mission is to inspire and develop the builders of tomorrow. It is the youth of today that will form the future society, solving the big issues of today and face the challenges ahead of us. We want to prepare them by encouraging them to pursue science, technology, engineering, and math and combine their imagination and creativity with hard skills to, for example, work on space exploration challenges for the common good of us all,” said Steven Canvin of the LEGO Group. “This is where the MoonBots 2.0 Challenge is perfect for getting the 9-17 year olds thinking about the problems associated with lunar exploration, by emulating landing on the Moon by building LEGO MINDSTORMS robots.”
Free registration and Phase One of the contest will be open from May 9th through June 13. Phase Two of the contest begins June 27th through August 15th. To learn more about the MoonBots 2.0 Challenge and to find out how to register a team visit http://www.moonbots.org.?
For more information about the Google Lunar X PRIZE and the teams currently registered in the competition, please visit http://www.googlelunarxprize.org.
ABOUT THE X PRIZE FOUNDATION
Founded in 1995, the X PRIZE Foundation is the leading non-profit organization solving the world’s greatest challenges through creating and managing large-scale, high-profile, incentivized prize competitions that stimulate investment in research and development worth far more than the prize itself. The organization motivates and inspires brilliant innovators from all disciplines and socio-economic sectors to endow their intellectual and financial capital for the benefit of humanity. The X PRIZE Foundation conducts competitions in four Prize Groups: Education & Global Development; Energy & Environment; Life Sciences; and Exploration. Past prizes include the $10 million Ansari X PRIZE for sending the world’s first private vehicle into space and back; and the $10 million Progressive Insurance Automotive X PRIZE for creating safe, affordable, production-capable vehicles that exceed 100 MPG or energy equivalent (MPGe). Active prizes include the $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE, the $10 million Archon Genomics X PRIZE, and the $1.4 million Wendy Schmidt Oil Cleanup X CHALLENGE. For more information, visit www.xprize.org.
ABOUT THE GOOGLE LUNAR X PRIZE
The $30 million Google Lunar X PRIZE is an unprecedented international competition that challenges and inspires engineers and entrepreneurs from around the world to develop low-cost methods of robotic space exploration. The $30 million prize purse is segmented into a $20 million Grand Prize, a $5 million Second Prize and $5 million in bonus prizes. To win the Grand Prize, a team must successfully soft land a privately funded spacecraft on the Moon, rove on the lunar surface for a minimum of 500 meters, and transmit a specific set of video, images and data back to the Earth. The Grand Prize is $20 million until December 31st 2012; thereafter it will drop to $15 million until December 31st 2014 at which point the competition will be terminated unless extended by Google and the X PRIZE Foundation. For more information about the Google Lunar X PRIZE, please visit www.googlelunarxprize.org.
ABOUT THE LEGO GROUP
The LEGO Group (www.lego.com) is a privately held, family-owned company based in Billund, Denmark. It was founded in 1932, and today, the group is one of the world’s leading manufacturers of play materials for children, employing approximately 5,600 people globally. The LEGO Group is committed to the development of children’s creative and imaginative abilities. LEGO products can be purchased in more than 130 countries.
ABOUT LEGO MINDSTORMS
In 1998, The LEGO Group spearheaded the consumer robotics category the company with the launch of the LEGO® MINDSTORMS® Robotics Invention System, that introduced children to the world of robotics, and offering the ability to create their own intelligent, interactive, autonomous LEGO robots. The LEGO MINDSTORMS NXT robotics toolkits allow children of all ages to design, build, and program their own robots using LEGO building elements, customized hardware, and an easy-to-use icon-based graphical programming language.
ABOUT WIRED / CONDE NAST
Wired.com is your essential daily guide to what’s next, delivering the most original and complete take you’ll find anywhere on innovation’s impact on technology, science, business and culture. Wired.com’s award-winning news reporting, unique commentary, authoritative reviews and practical hands-on tutorials make it the go-to site for thoughtful and comprehensive coverage of innovation’s impact on all aspects of our lives. Join 14 million of the smartest readers on the planet. Wired.com is part of the Condé Nast Digital Business Group, comprised of Wired.com, Arstechnica.com, Newyorker.com, Golfdigest.com and Reddit.com.
ABOUT FIRST®
Accomplished inventor Dean Kamen founded FIRST® (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) in 1989 to inspire an appreciation of science and technology in young people. Based in Manchester, N.H., FIRST designs accessible, innovative programs to build self-confidence, knowledge, and life skills while motivating young people to pursue opportunities in science, technology, and engineering. With support from three out of every five Fortune 500 companies and close to $15 million in college scholarships, the not-for-profit organization hosts the FIRST® Robotics Competition (FRC® ) and FIRST® Tech Challenge (FTC® ) for high-school students, FIRST® LEGO® League (FLL® ) for 9 to 14-year-olds, (9 to 16-year-olds outside the U.S. and Canada) and Junior FIRST® LEGO® League (Jr.FLL™) for 6 to 9-year-olds. Gracious Professionalism™ is a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community. To learn more about FIRST, go to www.usfirst.org. ??
FIRST®, the FIRST® logo, FIRST® Robotics Competition, FRC®, FIRST® Tech Challenge, and FTC® are registered trademarks, and Gracious Professionalism™ is a common law trademark of the United States Foundation for Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology (FIRST®). LEGO® and MINDSTORMS® are registered trademarks of The LEGO Group. FIRST® LEGO® League, Junior FIRST® LEGO® League, FLL®, BODY FORWARD®, and Jr.FLL™ are jointly held trademarks of FIRST and The LEGO Group.
I dropped in on the Middle School STEM Expo this morning. I met some very smart kids with a lot of very interesting ideas and projects! I have to admit it was sheer luck that I was able to attend the event. The school district did a blanket call out to parents alerting them to the event late Thursday. I was driving and missed the details. Googling and searching the school website left me with no information. Fortunately, two of the boys in my daughter’s carpool happened to know of it and clued me in on the details. I’m really glad they did.
The expo took over Middleton High School’s gymnasium and cafeteria. In the gym, they had an entire robotics exhibit setup and three different competitive events. Teams of middle school students designed and built robots to navigate a simple maze, drag race, and push a weighted sled up an inclined plane. I really enjoyed watching them compete. There were also a number of robotics themed research projects on display. My favorite was an endangered species tagging and census station which was explained to me by a student from Marshall Middle School. She had a working model demonstrating how polar bears, upon finding the station after being attracted by food, would be tagged and videotaped. The project was well researched, clearly thought out and seemed very practical. It took second place overall in the research judging.
In the cafeteria, students displayed other STEM related projects ranging from electronic and pneumatically driven models to floor standing ball contraptions. My favorites here were the VEX robotics teams from McLane Middle School. I’ve encountered them in previous years at FIRST LEGO League competitions as Team ViBots. Two of the team members spent about twenty minutes explaining their robotics institute and how they went about preparing for the VEX Robotics Competition. Not only did McLane field three teams in the competition, they qualified for the national tournament and then went on to compete in the World championship held last month in Orlando. They brought home several trophies. I was highly impressed with both their success and how articulate the students were in explaining their work.
The final item I found exceptionally interesting were the aquatic ROVs being driven around a kiddie pool outside. Students from Webb Middle School put these together in less than two weeks from PVC pipe, water noodles, and sundry other supplies. They received an equipment loan from the organization who sponsors the MATE’s Annual Florida Regional ROV Competition. The 7th Annual competition was held April 9th at Brevard Community College. The kids attended but did not compete. These kids demonstrated numerous ROV designs capable of navigating the pool under remote control and diving on command. It was a blast to watch!
Sadly, none of the pictures I took came out. I found a nice one by Scott Iskowitz at tbo.com. If anyone would like to contribute their own, I’d love to see them!
I came away from the event very enthusiastic about the state of STEM education in our area. I’m really hoping to see some of these kids at camp this summer!
I just ordered a LEGO Renewable Energy Kit to see if it’s suitable for use as a camp activity for this summer. It looks like a very engaging kit with a dynamo, a solar panel, a rechargeable battery pack, a power meter and a very impressive windmill to generate power.
From LEGO:
Students will explore renewable energy sources; investigate energy supply, transfer, accumulation, conversion, and consumption; and use measurements and data analysis to describe and explain outcomes through hands-on activities and exciting, real-life models.
I’ll post more when I get a chance to look at it in detail.
The kids in my after school program at MacFarLane Park IB Elementary have been hard at work building their Battlebots! We’ve had weekly competitions and the kids have come a long way. They started the project with plans for the Five Minute Bot and took it from there to make formidable competitors. They’ve designed offensive weapons, defensive strategies, and integrated a number of MINDSTORMS sensors into their bots to help them find and defeat opponents.
The competition field is our FLL table with last season’s vinyl mat but no mission models to get in the way. The last robot in one piece or not overpowered by another bot is the winner.
Here are the competitors!
We’ve confirmed all of our dates and locations for this summer’s fun! We are now accepting enrollment for camps in the following locations:
TNT Academy of Quality Martial Arts, Riverview, June 13-17
Messiah Lutheran Church, Carrollwood, June 20-24
Messiah Lutheran Church, Carrollwood, July 11-15
Florida Museum of Photographic Arts, Downtown, July 18-22
TNT Academy of Quality Martial Arts, Riverview, July 25-29
Messiah Lutheran Church, Carrollwood, (Competition Boot Camp), Aug 1-5
TNT Academy of Quality Martial Arts, Riverview, (Competition Boot Camp), Aug 8-12
I am very excited about the program this year. Kids will be working in groups of four. Each group will have access to a robot kit and laptop and they’ll have a generous list of fun and exciting activities and challenges they can work on. In addition, I’ll have a whole bunch of extra and specialty parts for the more advanced students. Not only will they have access to really unique items, I will also have custom and third party elements that they’ll be able to incorporate into their robots and gadgets. We will have a number of special sensors from Mindsensors and Hitechnic including accelerometers, compass sensors, and more!
The competition boot camps will be focused around the upcoming FLL theme, Food Factor.
Your children will be engaged and challenged with activities suitable for his or her age and prior experience. I look forward to meeting them at camp!
Things are starting to move quickly! I have confirmed our first camp location for the week of July 18th – 22nd at the Florida Museum of Photographic Arts in downtown Tampa!
We will have morning and afternoon sessions available. If you wish for your child to stay for the full day, we will have supervised activities over the lunch break. Kids who register for the full day also get a free camp T-shirt!
I’m very close to confirming our North Tampa (Carrollwood area) and Brandon area locations. As promised, you will be among the first to know. If you sign up for these camps before we confirm the location, you get a discount on the camp fee. See the registration form for details. If the area or date changes for these unconfirmed camps, your deposit is 100% refundable.
Registration Forms and more details are available on our camp page.
This is the kind of thing I envisioned as one activity for the kids at camp! Granted, this is a slightly larger scale than I imagined, but with each group of kids working on one section so we can chain them together, lets dare to dream!
It’s best watched full screen. I promise you will be amazed!
VEX Robotics World Championship
Starts: 7:30 AM, Thu, Apr 14th 2011
Ends: 6:30 PM, Sat, Apr 16th 2011
Dedicated to inspiring today’s youth to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education through robotics, the non-profit Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, in conjunction with VEX Robotics, will host the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship on April 14-16, 2011. Coinciding with National Robotics Week, the three-day tournament unites top middle school, high school and college robotics teams from around the world to celebrate their accomplishments and further inspire students to pursue careers in robotics and other STEM related fields.
Thursday and Friday are qualifying rounds and Saturday holds the final rounds. Looks like fun to me!
Event Location:
ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex
700 Victory Way
Kissimmee, FL 34747
This event is intended for all ages.
For more information on this event, visit Vex Robotics or check out the schedule of events.
Oh, and Happy Robotics Week!
We’re in the process of scheduling day camps featuring LEGO® MINDSTORMS®! Camps will be open to children ages 8 to 14. We are currently scouting locations in North Tampa, South Tampa, and the Brandon area. If you know if a facility that can host up to twenty children in a classroom environment, please let me know! I’m planning a variety of activities to appeal to beginners and experienced FLL team members. I think it will be an exciting and rewarding time for everyone!
In the meantime, you can find out more by checking out the camp home page and signing up to our email list (you’ll see the link on the right once you get there). You will be the first to know when we announce dates and locations around Tampa Bay.
