Sue Sitter/PCT Members of Ely Elementary School’s LEGO League team show how its robot solves shipping problems. From left are Helen Medalen, Ian Wurgler, Callan Azure and Tucker Filler. In the background on the left is Andee Mattson, the team’s coach. Not pictured are team members Parker Wright and Abby Ratts.

Members of Ely Elementary School’s LEGO League say they’re excited about going to the North Dakota State Championship at the University of North Dakota in Grand Forks on Feb. 12.

The six-member team of fourth through sixth graders advanced to state after winning first place with its innovation project at regionals, held at Minot State University on Jan. 15.

“We competed against nine schools,” Coach Andee Mattson said. “Our innovation project received first place.”

Mattson explained, “The competition is made up of three parts. The innovation project is the first part. That is where we designed the shipment box. The second part we’re graded on is a robot challenge. There are 16 different challenges on a mat that we can choose for our robot to complete. We choose as many as possible to complete in two and a half minutes.

“The third part is scored on our core values,” Mattson added. “Our core values are discovery, innovation, impact, inclusion, teamwork and fun. Really, the judges are looking for how our team works together, how what we’re doing makes an impact on our community and the world because these kids are solving real-world problems, such as the shipping issues we’re having right now. So, each year has a different theme. This year’s theme is called ‘Cargo Connect.'”

Fourth grader Helen Medalen described her team’s innovation project.

“Our innovation project is a security box for packages so they don’t get stolen,” Medalen said. “The box is supposed to be made of metal. We haven’t gotten our prototype back from Rugby Manufacturing. But it will look like that,” Medalen said, pointing to a black cardboard model of the security box.

“What happens is the mailman will hold a package over the box,” Medalen explained. “It has a camera on it with a QR code on the bottom of the box. The camera scans the box and the box will open. (The box) stays open for 15 seconds to make sure the packages are all in. Then, the box will automatically close.”

Medalen said the battery-operated security box is powered by solar energy.

“We attach the solar panels to your house (to charge the battery),” she said. “Then, you’ll get a message on your phone from the shipping company that you get your packages from. You just scan the (information) over the top of your box, and you’ll be able to get your packages out.”

Teammate Parker Wright, also a fourth grader, said, “I mostly helped with the innovation project. I helped with a whole bunch of stuff. I helped with the robot if they needed it and if it was something specific, like putting stuff up on our billboard we made, I did that. We have a poster that I made, too.”

Fifth grader Tucker Filler said he also helped “wherever I was needed. I helped sometimes with the innovation project and sometimes, if they needed a certain thing done, I would directly do that whether with my coach, or I would help with the robot if they needed measurements or if they needed something like that.”

Filler explained the “robot” portion of the competition.

“The robot will complete a series of missions. We can earn points from that, which will improve our (overall) score and will get us to state,” Filler said.

Mattson said team members write instructions for the robot by coding it on a computer “and they have to code each specific challenge to run through.”

Robot challenges

Ian Wurgler, a sixth grader who codes instructions for the robot, showed how it moves on a large mat resembling a game board with sections marked out for several missions to perform.

“This is like an obstacle course for the robot,” Wurgler said of the mat. “There are different missions like unloading a cargo plane. You have to go from the white area on the course and pull on a lever to drop a door for unloading a package,” he said, pushing a small lever on the door of a miniature cargo plane built from LEGO blocks. “If the package goes down to the (bottom of the door), we get 10 points. If it’s completely not touching the airplane, we get 30 points. Then, there’s a part where you flip a (fueling device) from diesel to electric and help the airplane and the truck and the truck has to pass the blue line for points,” he added, pointing to another area on the mat. “We have to come up with different attachments to use with each mission.”

Mattson moved to another part of the mat, flipping two flat, rectangular plastic blocks. “This is like a drawbridge that goes up to let ships go through,” he said.

Other tasks the robot can perform for points include lifting and balancing a wind turbine. The course on the mat also includes a miniature drawbridge made of small, rectangular plastic blocks that open to allow miniature ships to pass through a channel.

“We have a crane in the shipyard that goes over (to move objects),” Wurgler said.

Wurgler also said operating the robot “usually works out. Sometimes, it’s hard to figure out the code.”

“It’s a lot of trial and error. Our robot’s also getting a little old. So, he’s getting slower and slower on us,” Mattson noted, smiling.

“You don’t have to do all of them,” Mattson said of the missions. “You can pick and choose based on points or ease of mission. For us, we chose easier missions because then our robot can do more. We kind of stick to half of the board because you only have two and a half minutes.”

Teamwork makes presentation work

Sixth grader Callan Azure said he also wrote code. “Then, towards regionals, I did the innovation board,” he said, pointing to a black poster board displaying photos of the team’s work on the project.

Azure said he and two teammates presented the project to judges at the regional contest. Three team members were unable to attend.

Mattson said having each team member contribute hard work to the project made presenting it at regionals more difficult for the three who were able to participate.

“So, we were kind of improvising a little bit. But that just shows how really well they performed,” Mattson said, adding, “I’m super proud of our team.

“Teams are supposed to be about 10 in size and we only have six, but we have three veteran members who brought a lot of experience to the table and were able to help our new ones,” Mattson said.

Rugby High math teacher Sharon Walker and science teacher Levi Lemer are also coaching the team this year, according to Mattson. “So, I’m very optimistic and excited for state.”