The LigerBots have had a busy week of technical training and preparation for the Eastern MA FLL State Championship, which we are hosting on Dec. 16 at Newton North High School.

Some LigerBots have recently learned to operate a computer numerically controlled (CNC) mill machine, which will allow the team to create more accurate parts that have curves. Our  improved quality of machining has given us the skill to make custom gearboxes.

The team has been focusing on mastering the ability to move a robot forward on the playing field no matter which way it’s facing (called field-centric control.)  We’ve also been able to test our first H-drive chassis, and have learned that we need better side-to-side mobility in our next design.

Team members have been presenting designs for a hypothetical robot game as practice for this coming build-season, and we have been training new team members to drive past years’ robots.

Some of our team members continue to build an electrical test bench that will allow us to check the function of electrical components of our robot, such as motors, sensors, and vision boards, before we use them.

In addition to all of this technical work, the LigerBots have been diligently preparing for the upcoming Eastern MA FLL State Championship, a FIRST LEGO League tournament the LigerBots will host at Newton North High School on December 16 from 9-3. Accompanying the competition will be a maker fair with hands-on activities for the entire family.  The event is free and open to the public.

On November 18 the LigerBots hosted the Newton Qualifier FIRST LEGO League (FLL) tournament, which brought 24 teams of students in grades 4-8 to Newton North High School to compete using LEGO robots they designed, built and programmed to perform 18 separate missions. The event was free and open to the public.

Also on display were student solutions to real world problems related to the water based theme for this year’s FLL game, which is called “Hydro Dynamics.”

Alongside the competition there was a maker fair with many hands-on activities for kids in the fields of science, technology, engineering, art and math (STEAM). Among the exhibitors were Orimagi.io, the Massachusetts National Guard, Empow Studios, the Newton Free Library, the New England Section of the Optical Society of America, the Charles River Museum of Industry and Innovation with the New England Model Engineering Society and Einstein’s Workshop. This year’s event also featured “RoboPalooza,” a hands-on robot exhibit that included the Nutrons, a FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) team from Boston, and three FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) teams from the Needham High School Robotics Club.

The LigerBots’ two previous years of experience running the Newton Qualifier paid off, as the entire team came out to staff the event as judges, referees, guides, queuers, food handlers and DJs.  We were able to set up and bring Newton North back to its original, sparkling state in record time.  We hope our guests had as wonderful a time as we did!

The FLL Eastern MA State Championship will also be hosted by the LigerBots at Newton North High School, on December 16 from 9-3. Like the Newton Qualifier, it will be free and open to the public, with even more teams competing and more hands-on exhibits in the accompanying maker fair.

The LigerBots are hosting a FIRST LEGO League competition, the Newton Qualifier, on the theme of Hydro Dynamics at Newton North High School (457 Walnut St.), Saturday, November 18 from 9am -3pm. About 300 Massachusetts students in grades 4-8 will compete using LEGO robots they designed, built, and programmed to perform complex tasks. Alongside the competition there will be a maker fair with hands-on STEAM activities for all ages and opportunities to see, touch, and drive robots built by high school students! Bring your family and spend the day (free admission)!

The LigerBots had the privilege this week of assisting with Newton Inspires, an annual gathering of Newtonites representing various fields, who share their ideas, insights, and impressions in a series of talks at Newton South High School. Team members helped event sponsor and LigerBots parent organization Newton Schools Foundation by guiding the public to their destinations around the school and did team outreach and a robot demonstration at the pre-talk supper in the cafeteria. Our thanks go to Newton Schools Foundation for this opportunity to meet many members of the public and talk about the LigerBots and FIRST.

While some team members were staffing Newton Inspires, others were hard at work on our new H-drive chassis, which we hope will make our robot more nimble during competitions this year by allowing sideways movement. We finished attaching wires & motors, finished writing chassis software and did our first driving test. More refining and testing is to come!

All hands are now on deck to prepare for the Newton Qualifier FLL tournament the LigerBots are hosting this Saturday, November 18, from 9-3 at Newton North High School. The day will include a maker fair with hands-on activities for children, and RoboPalooza, a gathering of FRC and FTC robots for the public to look at, touch and drive. The event is free and open to the public.

The LigerBots will have a robot demo and outreach table in the Newton South High School cafeteria during Newton Inspires, Monday, Nov. 13., from 6-9 p.m. Team members will also help Newton Inspires guests find their way around Newton South. Newton Inspires is an evening of talks by Newtonians representing a variety of fields and interest areas. It is run by Newton Schools Foundation, the LigerBots parent organization, and is free with registration for Newton residents and open to the public.