Meeting Summary: Sunday, October 20

Hey BrickBusters,
Today was a productive meeting during which we focused on the missions. However, we did some additional work relating to the project aspect, including beginning a script for our skit and finalizing the notes.

The girls' group continued to work on moving the truck and ambulance, and they were able to finish the first part of their program for that. However, no missions were completed.

Shane, Srikar and Shaun added an attachment for their mission, and they added a part. Instead of doing just the Tree Branch mission, they will hopefully be able to pick up the two animals in the region as well as knock down the tree branch. However, the success of this aspect is pending.

Samarth and I began programming our mission today, which were Construction Relocation, Evacuation Sign, Base Isolation and finishing in the red region. We were able to successfully complete the Construction Relocation and the Evacuation Sign.

Overall, two missions have been completed in their entirety, while there is one close to being finished and one that is halfway done.

While other sub-groups were using the robot, to maximize time, the other group would work on the project. The girls were able to work on typing up the whole "story" of the Dalles wildfire, while Shane, Srikar and Shaun worked on finishing the facts. Samarth and I have made strong headway into a script for our skit.

Homework:
Girls- Continue to work on the story of the Dalles fire.
Shane, Srikar and Shaun- Finish the fact sheet, should be done or very close by next class.
Samarth and I- Continue to work on script.

Overall, this was a productive class with lots of good work on the missions as well as the project. In future meetings, the distribution of project and mission work will vary depending on the day, but will all add up so both are worked on equally.

Thanks, and Go BrickBusters!

Mukund Madhusudan

Fire Retardant Link

Hey BrickBusters,
Here are the links I was talking about today:
http://www.hubermaterials.com/products/alumina-trihydrate-ath-magnesium-hydroxide-mdh/flame-retardants-smoke-suppressants.aspx
AND
http://www.hubermaterials.com/products/alumina-trihydrate-ath-magnesium-hydroxide-mdh/flame-retardants-smoke-suppressants/how-flame-retardants-smoke-suppressants-work.aspx

Thanks, and Go BrickBusters!

Lego Team Meeting: September 6th, 2013

In this meeting, we had to accomplish 2 things:

1. We had to program the robot to sense a back line and come back (Samarth, Srikar, Shaun, etc.)
2. We had to build a moderately strong chassis with the EV3 for testing on the Robot Game Board (Mukund and Shane)

Building the chassis was fairly easy because of a new part in the EV3. It looks like a square with a bunch of holes in various locations for the pins. We were able to connect both motors perfectly placed 1  

stud apart. After that we added plenty of exterior and interior supports and braces to make sure that, in the occasion the EV3 got stepped on, dropped or tripped over, it would suffer no major damage except  

for a couple of loose pins. After placing the brick, we put on the wheels (with much difficulty).

For programming Srikar, Shaun and Samarth created a program that worked in theory, but malfunctioned due to the distance between the floor and the color sensors. The NXT brick might have been switched with the older version, and compatibility may have been a problem.

To wrap up the meeting, coach showed the team the stuck on parts and pieces on the lard, complete after 3 meetings worth of preperation and building. For next meeting, remember to bring a lot of research in on wildfires.

Thanks, and Go Brickbusters!!!

Shane Puthuparambil

2.0 Software Link

Hey BrickBusters!

Here is the site for the NXT 2.0 software download: http://service.lego.com/en-us/helptopics/?questionid=2655

Make sure you read the instructions for Windows and Mac users.

Also, if Samarth could scan a copy of his logo and send it to me, that would be great.

Thanks, and Go BrickBusters!

Gear PowerPoint Presentation

Hey BrickBusters!

First off, I would like to request Samarth to confirm his GMail email with me. Also, thanks to Shane and Srikar for accepting the invitation to become authors on the blog. If there is something you would like to post, make sure you are logged in to Gmail, and in the top right corner of the blog's homepage will be a link that says "New Post". After you click that, in the next screen that pops up, on the right side, there will be a box that says "Labels". Click that box, and the list of labels will pop up. Click one or more of the labels, so that your post gets categorized. If you have any other questions or concerns, email me at mmukund@gmail.com.

Since we were studying gears last class, I found a link that would be useful for our understanding. The link should open in Preview on Mac, if you don't have Powerpoint. On Windows, the link should open in a PDF Viewer. If you have Powerpoint, the link will open in Powerpoint.

The link can be found here.

Thanks, and Go BrickBusters!

Dean Kamen's 2013 Homework Assignment

Hey BrickBusters,
Here is the link for the video assignment that we discussed yesterday:
http://www.usfirst.org/roboticsprograms/dean-homework-assignment

Also, I have invited Samarth, Srikar and Shane to be authors on the blog, so please accept the invitation as soon as you can. If you are confused on how to add labels or post something, email me at mmukund@gmail.com and I will help you out.

Thanks, and Go BrickBusters!

Core Values

Hey BrickBusters!

These are all the Core Values that we are going to use throughout the FLL season. Core Values are the values that you keep whenever you are working on your FLL project, robot or anything else.

FIRST ® LEGO® League

Core Values:

We are a team.

We do the work to find solutions with guidance 

from our coaches and mentors.

We know our coaches and mentors don’t have all 

the answers; we learn together.

We honor the spirit of friendly competition.

What we discover is more important

than what we win.

We share our experiences with others.

We display Gracious Professionalism® and 

Coopertition® in everything we do.

We have fun.

What is Coopertition?

"Coopertition^® produces innovation. At FIRST, Coopertition is displaying unqualified kindness and respect in the face of fierce competition. Coopertition is founded on the concept and a philosophy that teams can and should help and cooperate with each other even as they compete.

 "

"

Coopertition involves learning from teammates. It is teaching teammates. It is learning from Mentors. And it is managing and being managed. Coopertition means competing always, but assisting and enabling others when you can.

 " 

What is Gracious Professionalism? 

"Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community."

"

With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. They avoid treating anyone like losers. No chest thumping tough talk, but no sticky-sweet platitudes either. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended.

 "

In the long run, Gracious Professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing one has acted with integrity and sensitivity."

Taken from 

http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/gracious-professionalism

These values are key to our success in FLL this year. Memorize and remember them so we can do well and understand these values.

 

Thanks, and Go BrickBusters!

Good Sites

Hey Brickbusters!

Here are some good websites that Srikar had sent to me:

www.education.rec.ri.cmu.edu

http://www.stemcentric.com/nxt-tutorial/

http://www.nxtprograms.com/projects2.html

http://www.rocwnc.org/Beginning_NXT_Programming_Workshop.pdf

http://firstlegoleague.org/sites/default/files/Challenge/TeamResources/SeniorSolutions/2012Programming.pdf

Thanks, and Go BrickBusters!