FIRST LEGO LEAGUE

Go to this year's Challenge:  Power Puzzle

The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) held it's first competition in 1998.  Maine has been competing
since the 2000 tournament when the challenge was Volcanic Panic.

The FLL is a program aimed at 9 to 14 year olds with an interest in science and technology.  FIRST
even means "For the Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology" and was started by
the famed U.S. inventor Dean Kamen.

For the 2007 season, over 8000 North American teams and thousands more from around the
world will be participating in the Power Puzzle, where teams learn about alternative energy and
energy conservation.

Teams have from 2 to 10 children on them and work throughout the season preparing for the
tournaments.  The best way to describe it is a cross between a robot track meet and a science
fair.  Teams build, test, and program robots made entirely from LEGOs to compete on a 4' x 8'
playing field that has missions devoted to the year's theme.  The team also researches and gives a
presentation on a topic within the theme for the year.  Other areas the teams are evaluated on
include team spirit, teamwork, programming, and design.

Teams are made up from in-school, after-school, homeschool, neighborhood, family, and
community organization backgrounds.  In other words, anyone with the equipment and the desire
can form a team.

For more information:
The national FLL website is www.firstlegoleague.org
The US FIRST website is www.usfirst.org
The Maine Robotics websites for particular years:
2004 No Limits - www.mainerobotics.org/nolimits.html
2005 Ocean Odyssey - www.mainerobotics.org/oceans.html
2006 Nano Quest - www.mainerobotics.org/nanoquest.html
2007 Power Puzzle - www.mainerobotics.org/powerpuzzle.html

General Calendar for the FLL:
December (previous year) - announcement of the upcoming challenge theme
May 1st - Registration opens for the current year
Summer - equipment and table top kits begin shipping
September - Official announcement with all details of the challenge
End of Sept. - National registration closes (or when all team slots are full)
September & October - State registration open
December - Maine State tournaments
April - International tournament in Atlanta Georgia

Cost to run a FIRST LEGO League team: (Check back as these change)
  • National Registration:  $200
  • State Registration: (varies by state, Maine is $100)
  • Field Set-up kit:  $65 (new each year)
  • MindStorms kit (if needed):  $325
  • Shipping around $40

So the cost is either around $700 if you need the MindStorms kit, or $365 if you
already have one.  More INFO here about costs

For more information on knowing what to purchase go here:
Purchasing a MindStorms Kit (Word) (PDF)
Maine Robotics