Coaching a FIRST LEGO League Challenge Team on the Innovation Project

From ORTOP Wiki

Video of Workshop Held on September 14, 2020

Outline of Workshop

Famous FIRST LEGO League Innovative Solutions

  • 3D printed hands for children
  • Washable barcodes for produce to make sure food is fresh
  • Baby temperature monitor for car seats
  • Smart cane for visually impaired, using an ultrasonic sensor
  • Easy grip spoon for seniors and individuals with diseases like Parkinson’s
  • Cigarette butt legislation in Washington state

Importance of Innovation Project

  • Scientific process vs Engineering process
  • Science asks questions, and looks for answers
  • Engineering identifies problems and develops solutions
  • Engineering process is often more practical in everyday life
  • Project provides opportunity to engage in the engineering process
  • Choose a problem
  • Research what has already be done
  • Develop a new or improved solution
  • Present the solution
  • It counts 25% towards overall tournament awards

Scientific Method versus Engineering Method

Scientific method can be Engineering method can be
State a hypothesis Identify a real-world problem
Research what is already known Research and analyze existing solutions
Design an experiment Identify possible improvements or new solutions
Collect data Develop prototype(s)
Analyze data Pick a solution
Make a conclusion Get feedback
Identify future research Refine the solution
Publish Communicate and deploy

Engineering Design Process

This Workshop

  • Presents a process that your team can use.
  • Shares more ideas than they’ll actually be able use.
  • Allows you to customize to age and experience of team.
  • Provides starting points for their creativity.

It’s the kids’ project!

  • Don’t get so attached to working the project that it becomes more your project than the team’s project.
  • Judges will ask how the team came up with their idea.
  • Kids need to do the work; not the adults!
  • Parents can play a supporting role.

Additional Things To Keep in Mind

  • Important to have an accurate and correct understanding of the challenge.
  • Make sure team understands what kinds of problems are allowed by the challenge.
  • Kids may initially think of problems they have been studying in school and solve something outside the scope of the challenge.
  • Kids (like many adults) have a tendency to jump to solution space, without a clear and understood problem statement.

The Innovative Project Rubric

  • Identify: Clearly define a problem and research it well.
  • Design: Generate innovative ideas independently before selecting and planning which to to develop.
  • Create: Develop an original idea or build on an existing one with a prototype model or drawing to represent a solution.
  • Iterate: Share ideas, collecting feedback and including improvements in the solution.
  • Communicate: Share a creative and effective presentation of current solution and its impact on users.

Identify a Problem

  • Consider annual theme regarding types of problems and the constraints it imposes.
  • Watch the annual videos
  • Answer the sample questions from the challenge materials.
  • Encourage personal interactions with the theme.
  • If you already know an expert or a professional in the field, what are they working on that relates?
  • What are local universities doing in the area of the theme?
  • Consider anything your team already knows, or is already interested in with regards to the theme.

Brainstorming to Choose a Problem

  • Round 1: Each team member suggests a “crazy” idea
  • Round 2: Build on the initial suggestions
  • Assign a team member to be the recorder
  • high-tech or low-tech options, make sure the record is shared afterwards
  • Team members vote to select the top 2 - 4 ideas
  • Make sure the final ideas are clearly stated
  • Begin research on the final ideas
  • Reconvene
  • Review the research
  • Choose one problem to pursue

Example from a previous season

Trash Trek: reduce, reuse, recycle Dive Deep: Research the possible problem statements

  • What is already being done to address the problem – why aren’t they working or working well?
  • Has someone solved a similar problem, will that work for your team’s problem?
  • Are there other possible solutions, but they aren’t being used? Why or why not? How could your team change that?

Dive Deep

  • What is already being done to address the problem – why aren’t they working or working well?
  • Has someone solved a similar problem, will that work for your team’s problem?
  • Are there other possible solutions, but they aren’t being used? Why or why not?
  • How could your team change that?
  • What is being developed, but isn’t finished yet? Can you help or suggest changes based on your research?
  • Is there a group that is excluded by existing solutions, can your team help them to be included?
  • Keep track of sources and give credit.
  • Teams can interview experts during this step and later.

Contacting professionals

  • Opportunity for kids to interact with adults
  • Kids realize the impact and importance and relevance of local engineering.
  • Opportunity to introduce FLL to the professional community
  • On site visits are best
  • seeing where engineers work
  • probably not feasible during pandemic
  • Remember to thank everyone the team works with.

Brainstorm Possible Solutions

  • Brainstorm possible solutions
  • Solutions can be
  • physical
  • social
  • legislative
  • virtual
  • What technologies are needed?
  • Are they currently available?
  • Star Trek style solutions are still welcome, but they are a tough sell with Oregon judges.
  • Know your stuff!
  • Select finalists for further research

What is Innovative?

  • Can be something completely new; or
  • Using an existing solution in a new way.
  • Be careful: The judges need to see how this is a new way too!
  • Improving something that already exists.
  • Improving access to or awareness of an existing solution.
  • Making an existing solution easier to use.

Research Candidate Solutions

  • What about team’s solution is new or different?
  • Why is it not already in place?
  • If your solution already exists in some form,
  • Is there a problem with the current version?
  • Can you design a solution to that problem?
  • How much would your solution cost? Who pays for it?

Example: How can the problem of plastic bags be solved?

  • Solution: Turn plastic bags into rope
    • Some technologies to do this already exist.
    • Next steps: Cost analysis, efficiency improvements. Is the process environmentally sound?
  • Solution: Pass legislation to ban the use of single-use plastic bags.
    • Already in place in many municipalities
    • Next steps: Understand what other have done, consider improving and how to make it more widely adopted.
  • Solution: Plastic bag collection bins in parks.
    • Already present in many parks
    • Next steps: Are they being used? What happens to the bags once they are collected?

Research and Consult Experts About Solution

  • Who else is working on this problem?
  • Universities
  • Professionals
  • Businesses
  • Public groups
  • Who is in a position to use your solution?
  • Your experts will have opinions and knowledge.
  • Listen to their criticism.
  • Be prepared to think critically about your solution given their feedback.
  • Does your team need to make changes?
  • How would your team address a similar criticism in the future?
  • Share this information with the judges.

Advisors and Potential Users

  • Advisors can help team consider
    • how their idea could be implemented
    • what the challenges may be
    • how much it would cost
  • Potential users can help refine the idea
    • Who might use the idea?
    • How could the team reach them?
  • Consider surveying advisors or potential users
    • Can be done using a form or by interviewing
    • Use both multiple-choice and open-ended questions

Solution Research Considerations

  • Remember the basics of a journal article:
  • Who, What, Where, Why, and How?
  • You should know all of this for your solution.
  • Nothing in life is free, everything has a cost
  • What would your solution cost.
  • A good solution with a high cost needs to be rationalized as to why it is better than a lower cost solution.

Fact or Fiction?

  • Basics of research
    • There are a lot of ideas out there
    • Especially about problems that impact people directly
  • It is important to be able to tell
    • what is a fact
    • what is opinion
    • what is fiction

Create a Prototype or Drawing

  • When possible create a prototype and test it!
  • Use cardboard, wood or something else.
  • If team can’t build a prototype they can create a drawing.
  • Prototype or drawing should
  • Show solution
  • Show how it will work
  • Identify challenges

Using Prototype or Model

  • Drawing or building focuses the kids attention
  • One type of prototype is a cell phone app
  • For Android phones consider App Inventor
  • appinventor.mit.edu
  • A prototype doesn’t need to be complete or polished
  • A concept prototype or model
  • Illustrates team’s idea without actually implementing it
  • Could be
  • diagrams
  • illustrations
  • storyboard
  • Another alternative: Taking an existing product and modifying it
  • Test the prototype in some way: Function, usefulness, ..

Styrofoam to Glue for School

  • Existing Solution: Orange Oil dissolves Styrofoam and turns it into glue.
  • The team learned this in their online research and tested it in their homes.
  • They even tested the strength of the glue.
  • Possible Innovative Solution: Two-Parts
  • Create a mixing device for making the glue AND
  • An app so that people
  • can find schools that own the mixing devices AND
  • can collect Styrofoam to make their own glue for schools.
  • Additional considerations:
  • Adjusting the proportions or formula to make the glue perform better in certain circumstances.
  • There will often be trade offs.

Developing the Presentation

  • Can be any format that covers all the criteria, including:
    • Formal presentation
    • Skit
    • Anything creative
  • Remember that the medium should not distract from the message
  • If there is a prototype:
    • Show and tell
    • Use a skit to show how it would be used
    • Make it personal and fun
    • Whole team participation
    • Practice with a live audience if possible

Sharing your work

  • Beyond presentations at school
  • Present to experts in the field
  • Share with populations that could be impacted
    • Who uses it?
    • Who benefits?
  • Gather feedback to make improvements this season or later for a future version

Judging

Cover all the criteria on the rubric!

  • Identify: Clearly define a problem and research it well.
  • Design: Generate innovative ideas independently before selecting and planning which to to develop.
  • Create: Develop an original idea or build on an existing one with a prototype model or drawing to represent a solution.
  • Iterate: Share ideas, collecting feedback and including improvements in the solution.
  • Communicate: Share a creative and effective presentation of current solution and its impact on users.

You will have 5 minutes to creatively share all of this in a memorable way!

Videos of Project Presentations