Robot Programming and Design Resources

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge allows the LEGO Education SPIKE PRIME, Mindstorms EV3 and NXT robot kits to be used in their competition. 

LEGO Education's guide on cleaning lego pieces and robots can be found here.

 
 

The following information provides guidance on getting started with the robot kits.

ACADIA ROBOTICS YouTube Channel - video playlists of online EV3 tutorials and more

STEMcentric website has tutorials for the EV3 Robot Kits, the NXT and the RCXs.

EV3 Lessons is a site started as a FIRST LEGO League Project Solution for the World Class Challenge year.  Great programming tutorials, robot build help, team building activities and more. You can even share something to be posted on the site.

The LEGO Education software for:

EV3 FIRMWARE Update video from LEGO on how to update your firmware.

  • NXT (LEGO Education has retired the NXT robot kits - you can still find the software available for download)

FOR FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge teams/coaches this is a great place for FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge Resources and Worksheets!! TECHBRICK

FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge website has a great resource page for teams GO HERE and scroll down page.

For NXT Kits

LEGO Education has retired the NXT robot kits - you can still find the software available for download here.

https://education.lego.com/en-us/downloads/retiredproducts

The Mindstorm construction details are provided with the NXT kits as well as software for rapidly programming the TriBot robot. The TriBot robot will be used in all NXT workshops at Acadia so we encourage teams to start with this robot and have it constructed before arriving at the workshop.

Once installed, start the LEGO Mindstorm Education NXT software by clicking the icon on the desktop. Before you start to use the program it is a good idea to look at the "Getting Started" and the "Software Overview" tabs that pop up, you can do so by clicking which one you wish to view. It is also important to go through all the aspects of the Robot Educator which is on the right hand side of the window. This will give you a complete overview of what to expect from the various buttons, and components used to write your NXT program.

You should then go to NXT Tutorial website, and run through the "Essentials" tab which is on the left side of the screen. This will run you through all the various components that the NXT has. It is strongly recommend you go through these before you start the challenges for this year's competition. There are some great features with the NXT that were not available in the RCX.

Once you have completed the Training Missions move onto the Challenges. Explore the remainder of the sections on the NXT Tutorial website. There is an "advanced" tab that is worth looking at, and could be beneficial if you are looking for a challenge. For further information on the NXT you can go to Mindstorms website for some neat information.

After completing these sessions your team should be ready to design and develop your own programs to compete in the Acadia Robot Programming Competitions.

 In April 2019 LEGO Education introduced a new robot platform called SPIKE Prime. Please see the message sent to teams regarding the new robot. It is unclear at this time if this robot will be allowed in competition or just as a programming learning tool. When we have more information on SPIKE Prime's inclusion or exclusion as a competition robot we will update our content.

 

This communication was sent to current FIRST® LEGO® League Challenge coaches in April 2019. 

 Welcome, SPIKE™ Prime!
This week, LEGO® Education announced a new product called SPIKE Prime. Specially designed to engage students in the engineering design process, thinking critically, analyzing data and solving complex problems with real-world relevance, SPIKE Prime is the first LEGO Education product to include a Competitions Unit featuring FIRSTLEGO League as part of the lesson plans. It also boasts Scratch-based block-coding, a classroom-friendly app, innovative new pieces which bridge both the Technic and LEGO brick system building platforms and detailed support materials. With this quick-start solution, whole classes of students can create SMART inventions and program them to move within 15 – 20 minutes keeping young people engaged and developing their skills rapidly.

Mindstorms EV3, NXT, and RCX will continue to be allowed in FIRST LEGO League Challenge with SPIKE Prime sitting alongside these products – not replacing them. Check out SPIKE Prime in action here. The product is available to pre-order and will be ready for delivery in time to use in the 2019-2020 FIRST LEGO League Challenge season.