On Saturday, Dec. 11, 2021, hundreds of students from across the state of Indiana participated in the FIRST LEGO League state championship at the R.B. Annis School of Engineering on the campus of the University of Indianapolis.
Thirty-six teams made up of students in grades four through eight received three matches during which their robot solved a series of missions autonomously on a 4 foot wide, 8 foot long table in two-and-a-half minutes. Teams competed for an invitation to the FIRST World Festival to be held in April 2022 in Detroit, Michigan where they will compete against teams from over 100 countries, including a spot available for a team to be nominated for the Global Innovation Award powered by Star Wars Force for Change.
In addition to creating robots, students also gave a research-based presentation to a panel of judges. This competitive component is known as the Innovation Project. FLL’s Cargo Connect participants have learned how cargo is transported, sorted and delivered to its destinations. Using this information, students have identified real-world problems and completed the Innovation Project by developing innovative solutions to those problems.
Through the 2021-2022 season, FIRST® FORWARD presented by Qualcomm, teams have the power to reimagine a path forward and invent the future of transportation. Each FIRST program centers around the theme of transportation and explores the variety of ways technology and engineering have improved transportation throughout history. Transportation drives progress, impacting economies around the world and advancing globalization.
For information about starting an FLL team at your school, community group, or other organization please email info@indianafirst.org. You can also visit the FIRST website firstinspires.org/robotics/fll/start-a-team to learn how you can start a team today.