What is the FIRST LEGOâ League International

On November 24th, 2007, the Province's first all-girls Robotics Team (from St Francis School) won 3rd Place at the Skills Canada Lego League Robotics Competition. This was followed by another win by the Senior Team at the Provincial Competition, for the fifth year in a row! Pictures from these events will be coming soon, so please stay tuned.

On April 12-14, 2007 we represented Newfoundland/Labrador at the FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) World Festival Robotics Competition, in Atlanta, Georgia, for the fourth year in a row!. This competition was be the biggest yet, hosting 94 teams from 38 countries around the world, only 3 from Canada! Our team had a remarkable performance last year in Atlanta! We came home with a second place finish in the Alliance Expo. This was a feature of the competition where alliances of 4 teams competed against each other on the mat. We were allied with Alaska, India and Maryland, USA. Our final score was 373 points out of a possible 400! The trophy below is unique in that there are only 4 like it in the World, and we have the only one in Canada! We also received honorable mention (4th place in the World!) in the Innovative Solution Award. This involved the team's performance in a presentation that they prepared on Nanotechnology, and how it can be used to cure allergic reactions. The judges were very impressed with the solutions our team came up with. Since coming home, we received our judging score sheets from Atlanta, and they show how impressed the judges were with our team. We also received an Honorable Mention certificate for Gracious Professionalism. This is a major theme at the World Festival and one that shows professionalism and overall sportsmanship throughout the competition. We're very proud to have been selected for that award as well. This was a great showing for a team from Newfoundland!

2002-2003	2003-2004

This robot was a first for St Francis. Its main feature was speed. It was the fastest robot in the competition. The design pictured above was changed after the first heat of competition to one that was simpler in design and even faster.	This robot had 2 chassis, one with wheels for speed, another with tracks for turning. It also used a pneumatic lift to deliver objects. We called it "The Newfie Bullet". It was the first robot from Newfoundland to make the trip to Atlanta for the FLL International Competition!
2004-2005	2005-2006

The robot used here used a light sensor to detect objects that were either black or white. It also used a combination of tracks and wheels to help it climb stairs. Upon the completion of missions, it played a variety of sounds to allow a blind person to know when the mission was complete.	This robot used a rotational sensor to measure precise distances. It also used a combination of arms and completed 3 missions using the same program. Due to a late change in the playing surface, this design was changed to use front wheel drive to compensate for the sticky surface and allow it to turn easily.
2006-2007	2007-2008

This year's robot was designed using the new Mindstorms NXT kit. The tool on the front of the robot is used to complete all missions with very little modification. Its motors have built in rotational sensors, making its movement very precise. Although not included in this design, it has an ultrasonic sensor which give the robot the ability to "see" where it's going. The NXT Robot performed very well in Atlanta, giving a score of 316 points! It was also used in the Alliance Expo, where we scored 373 and came home with Second Place!	This robot is a combination of many designs. It has numerous attachments and uses light, touch and rotation sensors to travel around the competition table. It performed very well at the competition again this year, and scored a top score of 375, the highest in competition to date. It has the capability to score 385, completing all but one mission. The girls' robot is very similar in design, but with less attachments. It also performed very well this year, scoring 275, and excellent showing for a first-time team. It helped the girls team win a bronze medal at the Skills Canada Competition!