In our previous posts (1, 2), we described what pivot turn and spin turn are and how to create programs for these two types of turns. In this post we will tell you how to write an EV3 classroom Gyro Turn program to make both pivot and spin turns using EV3 Gyro Sensor. We will also tell you when to use gyro turn and how to turn your robot 90 degrees consistently and accurately. For SPIKE Prime Gyro Turn My Block, please check this post. EV3 Gyro Sensor and Gyro Sensor Blocks EV3 Gyro Sensor measures the robot’s rotational motion and changes in its orientation. According to online help, the ..read more

This post describes what a pivot turn is, why we need an EV3 Classroom pivot turn program, and how to create one step by step.  This post also will tell you the geometry background to calculate the pivot turn degree vs wheel motor degree ratio.  In the end, we will show you how to turn your robot 90 degrees using the EV3 Classroom pivot turn block we created in this post. If you’re interested in FLL robot design, please check out our robot design principle posts. And please leave your feedback and suggestions. Pivot Turn vs Spin Turn Pivot turn is one wheel turn, that i ..read more

Welcome to our first post on advanced EV3 Classroom programming for FLL competitions! In this post, we will explain the importance of creating a EV3 Classroom Move Straight Inches program. Our approach is based on what we learned during our first year of EV3 programming, drawing from various resources such as ev3lessons and the Winning Design book. Mastering the ability to move your robot precisely for a specific distance is crucial in FLL programming, eliminating trial and error from your process. If you’re keen on exploring FLL robot design principles, we invite you to explore our other po ..read more

For Cargo Connect season, we switched from EV3 to SPIKE Prime. We found SPIKE Prime was easier to program and build than EV3. We had a very successful season and advanced to the World Championship. Our SPIKE Prime programs covered gyro turn, gyro PID move straight, PID line following, and parallel tasks. Along with our well designed robot, were able to consistently score the full scores during practices and 600+ points during competitions. As we had done using EV3 hub, we created equivalent my blocks in SPIKE Prime so that we could reuse them for different launches. In this post, we will te ..read more

When a robot is not balanced, or the map is not even, or moving over a field model, it may be tilted to one direction and  cannot stay moving straight. We can use Gyro Sensor to guide our robot moving straight forward. Also, if our robot needs to move long distance,  say three feet, we will use Gyro Move Straight also. In this post, we will show you how to make a robot move straight with the help of a Gyro Sensor, and how create a reusable EV3 Gyro Move Straight My Block. For example, for FLL City Shaper Black Circle mission, our load is on the left side of the robot. Without Gyr ..read more

A climbing ramp can help a robot move onto a mission model. There are cases where we would like our robot climb onto a mission model. But, our robot was not able to do it because of lack of clearance. When this happens, we can change our robot design, or we can design a ramp attachment and bring it along with the robot to solve the problem.   Robot Bumps into Mission Model Robot Climb with the Help of a Ramp For the FLL RePLAY Season’s Treadmill Mission, we decided to spin the roller with the Large Motor C. We found out that our robot was not able to move onto the Treadmill Mission ..read more

EV3 Light calibration is to teach our robot’s color sensor what color is black and what color is white. Why do we need to calibrate the color sensor? Depending on the time of the day like the morning or afternoon, or different places, like where we practice or the competition stadium, the light sensor’s inputs are different depending on the light in that area. We use the light sensor for line following and line detection. The different reads for the dark and light make the line following and detection inconsistently in different environments. The light calibration’s purpose is to adjust th ..read more

Accurately and consistently positioning the robot is key for successfully completing FLL Robot Game missions. The Wall Dancing strategy is one of the most accurate way to position a robot in the FLL Robot Game. In this post, we will show you  what the Wall Dancing strategy is and how to apply this strategy for the FLL Robot Game. Robot Wall Dancing Strategy For the Wall Dancing strategy, the robot zigzags along with a wall until it gets to a mission model on the field. A wall is static and a field mission model is also static. When a robot is aligned with both a wall and mission model ..read more

In addition to Line Following, lines on a FLL Robot Game map can be used for Line Detection. Using a Light Sensor, Line Detection is a very useful technique to consistently navigate a robot to the right location.  Line Detection is not limited to the regular white/black line strips. It can also work for other shapes where reflection light changes can be detected. We used Line Detection a lot for FLL Robot Game. In this post, we will show you how to create a reusable My Block step-by-step. Detecting a Line The following edge detection logic is used. 1. Turn Motor Power on 2. Wait for a ..read more

In this post, we will show you how to create a generic EV3 Line Following My Block step-by-step. The flexible My Block allows a robot to smoothly and efficiently follow on the left or right side of a line for some distance. The My Block is a proportional line following program which works well for both straight and curved lines. In the FLL Robot Game, it is important to move a robot from one point to another consistently. Line following is a very common method. We used the line following method in City Shaper and RePLAY seasons. Besides Line Following, our post will describe another way of l ..read more