FAQs

On this page, you will find some of the most frequently asked questions. The replies apply to all FIRST LEGO Challenge League teams in all competitions in Germany, Austria and Switzerland.

If your personal questions have not been answered here yet, please contact us via e-mail!

Attention!: Starting with the 2022/23 season, you will find any official, season-related updated to Robot Game rules and missions in our Season Updates.

 

General

Link co-coaches with a team

How can I become a co-coach and is it possible if I am not 18 yet?

A team can be supervised by several coaches and/or mentors. However, there can only be one "official" coach registering the team and keeping in contact with us. This coach will receive all necessary information regarding the tournament and is regarded by us as the responsible person on tournament day.

The main coach can be supported and counselled by further coaches and/or mentors, who do not have to be over 18 (but at least 16).

Adult co-coaches can set up a coach account and then link with the team.*

Underage co-coaches cannot set up a coach account (due to youth protection guidelines) but may accompany and support the team during meeting and tournaments. However, the head coach can add underage co-coaches manually through "Register Co-Coach" dialog in the the coach account.

Coaching the teams during their process is a crucial task of coaches and/or mentors. Nonetheless, they are not supposed to provide the team with solutions and, generally, should stay out of the team's work processes. We welcome former team members becoming (co-)coaches.

*Register as a co-coach

Step 1: Register as a coach!
- Register as a coach at https://www.first-lego-league.org/en/login.
- After registering you will receive an email with a verification link which you have to confirm.
Step 2: Link yourself to the team/class!
- log in to the Coach login at https://www.first-lego-league.org/en/login
- in the dialog "Register Co-Coach", enter the four-digit team or class number provided to you by the head coach
Step 3: Approval by the head coach
- The head coach will now receive an email with the information that you would like to be linked to the team/class as a co-coach.
- The head coach confirms the request by clicking on a link.
Step 4: Log in and view the data of the team/class!

Changing coach

- Complete steps 1-3 of the co-coach registration.
- Write an email to info@hands-on-technology.org and ask to be registered as the main coach. Also inform us if the other coach should now be registered as a co-coach or if he/she should be deleted from the team/class completely.

Can I participate in another country?

Can I participate in a regional tournament in another country?

Teams can register and participate in a regional tournament in Germany, Austria and Switzerland, regardless of which country they come from. However, further qualification is only possible for teams from the respective country of the regional tournament.
Engineering Notebook at the regional tournament?

Do I have to bring my engineering notebook to the regional tournament?

It is not compulsory to bring your Engineering Notebook to the regional tournament. However, it may be useful to be able to document your work to the judges.

In other words: You may, but you don't have to bring the Engineering Notebook to the regional tournament.

Can a team be disqualified?

Can a team be disqualified?

If a team does not exhibit Core Values at a FIRST LEGO League tournament, they may be disqualified from winning any awards – including Robot Game, no matter how well they scored.

Adults are strictly prohibited from directing team members or interfering with the judging process or Robot Game matches in any way.

Do coaches need coding skills?

As coach, do I have to know how to code the LEGO robots myself?

No. It’s not difficult to pick up the basics of the EV3 Classroom or SPIKE software, and it’s up to the team members to find the information they need to complete the challenges.

The latest version of the EV3 Classroom and SPIKE software has a Getting Started section with very useful lessons.

Download the latest version of the software.

Can a team pull out?

My team is new to FIRST LEGO League Challenge and we don’t think we’ll be ready to compete at the tournament. Can we pull out?

As long as your team have made an effort at tackling the project and robot game in the spirit of the Core Values, they will learn a lot from attending the tournament and will enjoy the day. The aim of the tournament is to celebrate the work that the students have done. All tournament staff will be working hard to make sure that there is a positive, encouraging atmosphere, so whether the team win an award or not they should come away feeling good about their work.
 
If they’ve enjoyed working on the challenges and have fun at the tournament then you will have completed a successful first year in FIRST LEGO League, and should be well placed to go again next season!
Missing parts in season set

What if parts of the Explore or Challenge Set are missing?

You can reorder any missing parts or entire packages that are missing for free from LEGO: https://www.lego.com/en-us/service/replacementparts/missing/location.

Once you followed this link and chose your country, enter the set number of the current season (for the Challenge Set: 45820; for the Explore Set: 45821).

You can also easily order missing bags from the LEGO customer service at the following free telephone number:

00800 5346 5555

Die LEGO customer service team speaks various languages.

Qualification Robot Game

At the regional tournament, which team will qualify in Robot Game after the 3 preliminary rounds, if 2 teams have the same score in their best match?

If 2 teams have the same score in their best match in the Robot Game after the 3 preliminary rounds, the scores of the second best preliminary or – if there is also the same number of points – the third best preliminary round of both teams will be compared. The team with the higher score qualifies.

If 2 teams always score the same number of points in the 3 preliminary rounds, a play-off will be run (1 match).

Language at the regional tournament

Does the presentation of the research project have to be presented in the respective local language?

The language at the regional tournament is based upon the respective local language. The background is that the parameters should be the same for all participants.

This applies for all evaluations, presentations, interviews with the judges and for the presentation of the regional tournament.

What happens if a robot was built following buildings instructions?

What happens if a robot was built following buildings instructions?

Teams that build a robot with the aid of building instructions must expect the robot not to be assessed as the team’s own creative achievement for the category Robot Design.

It should also be noted that the circulating building instructions often refer only to basic robots that meet the specific requirements of the actual season only inadequately.

Therefore: no plagiarism! What counts for the category Robot Design is the team’s creative achievement in coding and design!

Research

Obligation to publish

Are we obliged to publish the results ahead of our presentation on the tournament day?

Each team is obliged to publish the results ahead of the tournament. This can happen in several ways: a presentation in front of parents, students, teachers or the interviewed experts, writing an article or creating a website or blog etc. The team should show the form of publishing within their presentation e.g. by a photo.

Analyse problem and present results

What does the presentation include?

Each team should show their way they to solving their specific problem. Show how you researched and came to a solution for the problem you chose. It is not enough to present only the results.

Sources

Shall we name our sources? Do the sources have to be part of the presentation or is it sufficient to show them at the end of the presentation?

Yes, a good presentation shows at the latest at the end all the sources the team had worked with during their research project. The sources should also be part of the 5 minutes presentation.

Material for judges

Do we have to prepare some written material or our presentation in written form for the judges?

No, you don´t have to produce a written material for the judges. Important is the presentation and its content you perform for the judges.

 

The technical approach of the research project

Does the research project has to have a technical approach?

No, the research project does not have to contain a technical approach.

 

Duration of research presentation

How much time do we have for the presentation of our research results at a FLL Tournament?

At a FLL Challenge Tournament you have 5 minutes time (actual presentation time, not set up time) to present your results to the jury. The manner of presentation is up to you – you can create a role play, use Powerpoint and so on. Give your presentation live – you may use media equipment (if available) but only to enhance the live presentation.

Topic

Can we pick any topic we like?

No, the topics are limited to the topics listed in the Research project documents.

Robot Game Field & Missions

Border walls

What are the dimensions of the border walls of the official tables used during a FIRST LEGO League Challenge tournament?

The measurements are published on our website. There you'll find assembly instructions for new tables with border dimensions of 8 cm high and 4 cm wide. The border dimensions of 10 cm high and 5 cm wide are the measurements of the "old tables".
 
Please note: Some tournaments use new and some use old tables. Please contact the FLL Regional Partner of your chosen tournament to request the measurements of their tables.  
Variations of the official Robot-Game tables

Are the tables identical at all tournaments?

Please consider while constructing and programming that there can be variations between different tournaments depending on local conditions. The variations might occure in differenciations in the character of the field borders, lightning conditions, structure/irregularties of the field mat. At many tournaments there is no opportunity to roll out the mats early enough so that they might be a little bit wavy. Place and severity of waves can vary.

Hint: There are two important construction techniques to minimize differences in illumination:

1. Avoid control systems containing something that might rub on the mat.
2. Hide light sensors from ambient light.

Questions relating to the local conditions at regional tournaments can be posed directly to the local organizers. Please find there contact dates on the regional websites.

Robot Game Rules

"One Team, one Award" Rule

"One Team, one Award" Rule

Starting with the 2020/21 season of FIRST LEGO League Challenge:

One team can only win one award. If it already won the award in one category, the team cannot win an award in the other categories.

The exceptions are the awards for Robot Game and Coaching: teams that win one or both of these categories can also receive another award.

A team can therefore win a maximum of three awards in one tournament.

SD Memory Card & Firmware change allowed

Are we allowed to use an SD Memory Card for the EV3 and are we allowed to play another Firmware onto the EV3 to use other programming environments?

Yes, you are allowed to use a SD Memory Card in your EV3 and yes, you can play another firmware onto the EV3.

LEGO Pneumatic allowed?

Is LEGO Pneumatic allowed?

Yes – like other LEGO equipment, Pneumatic is allowed (as described in the Robot Game Rules).

Use of LEGO DUPLO

Is it allowed to use LEGO DUPLO?

Yes, it’s allowed to use LEGO DUPLO at Challenge tournaments as equipment (like other LEGO equipment, as described in the Robot Game Rules).

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