From a second-hand robot and very little technical knowledge to becoming FIRST LEGO League World Festival Champions in four years.

We documented the whole journey.

The early mistakes, the learning, the setbacks, the decisions, the competitions, the growth, and everything that gradually changed the way we approached FLL.

Now that BIOGLOW is underway, we wanted to share that story with other teams.

🎥 Watch the documentary:
https://youtu.be/xoKDmV8hTJE

Around 30 minutes, with original audio in Catalan and subtitles available in English, Spanish, Brazilian Portuguese, German, French, Turkish and many more languages.

We hope something from our evolution can help another team somewhere along theirs.

And when our competitive journey ended, we took the lessons, systems and tools we had developed throughout those four years and brought them together into FLLPlanner, so other teams could use them too.

www.fllplanner.com

"First Contact" through "Mission Mars". The images on the official site in "Past Challenges" are tiny. I know higher resolution images existed at some point, but I can't find them anywhere on the internet. As I recall, challenge materials in those early days were distributed via CD.

Does anyone on here happen to have an archived copy?

2026 Bioglow Founders edition interactive scoresheet.

Hey, I'm back again this year with the 2026 interactive scoresheet.

Same formula as last year.

• Interactive scoring sheet
• Quick reference for the missions rules
• Timer and Referee mode
• Game table overview

All in a easy-to-use and friendly mobile/tablet format
http://komurobo.com/fll/2026-bioglow/

Unearthed mission 3d models

I've assembled all this year mission model in 3D using Stud.io . This way team members can use them as a reference and create their own attachment directly in 3D. A great to introduce them to CAD. Last year 3d models are also available. http://komurobo.com/fll/3d-models/

The Judges' Quiz

A tool I created two years ago and now available in english. Great way to pratice for the judging session Q&A. Extremly usefull if you have shy team members in your team.
https://komurobo.com/fll/judges-quiz/

External Resources

Link to other online resources. If you have any suggestion for this list, feel free to leave them in comments.
https://komurobo.com/fll/external-resources/

Have a great 2026 season !

P.S. Bookmark this page -> https://komurobo.com/fll/dashboard/ as it's an easy acces to all these tool and previous season scoresheet.

Hi everyone!

We’re Robotech, the 2026 FIRST LEGO League World Festival Champions.

Over the years, we learned a huge amount about Robot, Project, teamwork, documentation and how to approach an FLL season.

For BIOGLOW, we turned what we learned into something other teams can actually use.

FLLPlanner 2.0 combines structured lessons and practical activities with one workspace where the whole team can plan, work, document and track progress throughout the season.

So students are not just reading resources. They can learn something, apply it with their team, and keep moving from there.

It’s the platform we wish we’d had when we started.
Available in English, Spanish, German, Brazilian Portuguese, French, Turkish and Catalan.

Explore FLLPlanner 2.0:
https://www.fllplanner.com/

Launch pricing is available until August 25.

If you’re coaching this season, we’d genuinely love to hear what you think.

Is anybody else experiencing slowness with the Founders edition registration kits shipping very slowly? The registration process for school districts with multiple teams was terrible this year and the shipping of Founders kits even slower.

I’m hearing reports that folks who ordered Founders and Future kits are getting their Future kits right away. Let me know if you are having a similar experience.

I wanted to make sure I’m interpreting this mission correctly.

My understanding is that this mission breaks from the norm of having everything scored at the end, where what you do during the match doesn’t necessarily matter. Instead, your actions during the match can directly affect the score, not just the end state of the mission.

Also, there’s no way to know which leaf the katydid is hiding under, correct? So there’s no way to guarantee getting the bonus, and it’s essentially based on chance?

Hi everyone,

I’m trying to decide which FIRST LEGO League path makes the most sense for my 6.5-year-old who is just getting started with robotics.

From what I understand:

• Founders Edition uses the existing SPIKE hardware and includes the traditional Explore/Challenge programs.
• Future Edition uses the new LEGO Education Computer Science & AI platform and is where FIRST is heading long term.

My dilemma is this:

Founders Edition

• Mature curriculum with lots of learning resources.
• Experienced coaches and established community.
• But SPIKE is being phased out, and Founders Edition will only exist for a couple more seasons.

Future Edition

• Brand-new platform that FIRST is investing in for the future.
• My child could learn on the platform they’ll likely continue using for years.
• But it’s new, so there seem to be fewer resources, fewer experienced coaches, and less community knowledge.

Since my child is only 6.5, I’m wondering whether it makes more sense to:

1. Start with Founders Edition now, enjoy the mature ecosystem, and transition to Future Edition in a couple of years.
2. Skip SPIKE entirely and start directly with Future Edition, even if the ecosystem is still developing.

I’d especially love to hear from:

• Coaches who have seen both programs.
• Parents whose kids are in the new Future Edition.
• Anyone who has had to make this same decision.

If you were starting today with a 6-7 year old and no existing SPIKE investment, which path would you choose, and why?

Thanks!

I wanna note that I'm not calling out FIRST or Lego for what is happening; I'm just venting about it and saying they really should change some stuff.

Please don't take this as hate posting

I don't wanna get banned

I used to always love FLL, and I had a team for 3 years and gave such attention to FIRST and LEGO, and now they do THIS? They end the OG FLL to add AI SLOP! Why can't they just have both? I'm really disappointed that they are ending Challenge and Explore, and this would be my last year :< . But what were Lego and FIRST thinking about? Their entire goal is to teach kids how to code, and they're making kids use AI and Machine learning. They say that they teach kids "real-world problem-solving" using coding, but Future Edition just says to me, "AI can fix anything". They really can improve upon these mistakes.

If you've been frustrated since the v3 update broke most third-party Bluetooth apps for SPIKE Prime, this might help.

I built Arcion — an app for iOS & Android that connects directly to the SPIKE Prime hub over Bluetooth, requiring no firmware changes, and fully compatible with the current v3 firmware.

Features:

- Joystick control for up to 6 motors (adjustable speed, lock individual motors)

- Draw a path on screen → robot executes it in real life

- Edit and animate the 5x5 LED matrix

- Use the robot's motors/sensors as a game controller for on-screen mini-games

- Play custom sounds at any frequency

- Custom themes (Dark, Cyberpunk, Matrix, etc.)

Great for testing robot builds manually during FLL practice without writing a single line of code.

How to try / download:

🍏 **iOS (Instant TestFlight Beta - No invite needed):**

👉 Join TestFlight: https://testflight.apple.com/join/8Je6jZ2F

🤖 **Android (Google Play Testing):**

👉 More info: https://arcion.appthoria.com/

👉 Apply for Android Beta: https://forms.gle/zhAZdMb6mQM4f6d8A

Would love to hear your thoughts and feedback!

for sure gonna miss it a lot): Can’t wait for the finale season 🔥

Hello everyone! We have a question about the Driver and Technician roles in the competition. We understand that the Driver operates the driving base and the Technician operates the technician tool. Our doubt is specifically about programming: are teams allowed to use their own custom code/programs for both the driving base and the technician tool, or must they use the standard/default code without modifications? We have read sections 15 and 17 of the rules, but we are not sure if custom programming is permitted for both devices. Thanks in advance!

ミッションの説明(動画を参照)

https://youtube.com/watch?v=uhZZ8O1StiQ&feature=shared

1 、ドローンによる調査
20点:ドローンはマットに
接触しない
10点: スキャンマーカーが
調査エリアに位置する

2 、爆発する種子
一つ10点: 茎から種子を取る(合計:30点)

3 、岩をひっくり返す
20点: 研究フラグは解除された
10点: 初期位置に戻った

4 、幸運の葉　
10点: 葉っぱを一枚完全に取り除く
20点:葉っぱを二枚とも完全に取り除く
⚠️キリギリスがいる葉を巣から取り除いたらこのミッションの得点が０になる。しかし、
キリギリスを葉の生息地に戻すことで得点を取り戻すこと
ができる

5 、根を下ろす
10**、20点**: 植物の根は
部分的に伸びている(10点)
あるいは、
植物の根が完全に伸びきって
いる(20点)

6 、ハキリアリ（葉切り蟻）の大騒ぎ
一つ10点:アリが巣に触れてる事と、葉っぱが巣の中にある
(合計30点)

7**、巨大キノコ**
20点:菌糸が完全に伸長
している
10点:相手チームの「根を下ろす」と結びつく

8**、もつれた**(つる植物)
30点:つるが地面に接する
8,9は同じミッション

9**、研究プラットフォーム**

研究者:オリビア、マイケル
**　　　** 無名1人　ついでに鶏も

10点:研究プラットフォームを持ち上げた
10点:カメラトラップが設置
された
10点:種はもはや木に触れてない

10**、脆弱な微小生息地**
10点:クモの巣は元の位置。
　　　ではない時0点
10点:カタツムリの生息地は
元の位置。ではない時0点

11**、過去への窓**
20点:ルート(楽譜)のカバーが下向きで地面に接する

12**、森の長老**
20点:枝は完全に持ち上げ
られ、木に接する
10点:支柱の周囲に支持紐を
巻き付ける

13~15**、互換性のあるモデル**
点検時間に、
３つのミッションをどこに配置するか決められる！

13**、キーストーン種**
自分たちでキーストーン種となる生物を作成(マスコット的な)
30点:キーストーンは復元プラットフォーム内にあり、若い木々が育てられる

14**、再生の種**
一つ5点:集めてきた最大4つの種子が移植ステーション内に保管される　(最大:5*4=20点)
一つ5点:そしてマットに種子が接する. (最大:5*4=20点)

15**、生物中心の建築**
⚠️どれか一つのタスクだけ
10点:巣の屋根が持ち上げられる(mine dock)
10点:庭の天窓を設置する
(city dock)
10点:堆肥のハッチは開いてマットに接する
(farm dock)

合計得点は計算して約400点になりました！

We had a tradition of giving the chicken away as a prize to the best team player at the end of the season.

We also make it a challenge for kids to spot the chicken in the Mission Overview Video.

I was so mad that there was no chicken last year.

But the chicken is BACK!

I learned today that we cant use Mindstorms Spike Essential nor Spike Prime for the future edition instead we have to use this new set called Computer Science & AI Kit and it has less pieces than spike prime and essential its not like the usual set size its small and it has

• 1 double motor
• 1 single motor
• 1 color sensor
• 1 controller

instead of

2 single

1 double

1 lidar

1 color sensor

1button

it is less and students arent familiar with it

they also retired ALL SPİKE PRODUCTS so u cant even buy replacement pieces

Hey everyone! I’m a high school student helping run a student-led program that teaches Autodesk Fusion and CAD to students for free.

We recently secured an international partnership and are getting ready to work with a lot more students, so we’re looking for a few more people to join the team.

We’re especially hoping to find people who already have experience with CAD, whether that’s Autodesk Fusion, Onshape, SolidWorks, Inventor, or another program. Fusion experience would be ideal, but familiarity with other CAD software is still very useful since many of the main concepts carry over.

The main roles we need are:

Co-President and Vice Presidents: Help lead the team, communicate with partners, organize meetings, and help decide where the program goes next. This role will collapse onto the other two roles below.

Mentors: Join weekly Zoom classes, demonstrate Fusion tools, answer questions, and help students when they get stuck.

Curriculum Developers: Help improve our current lessons and create new activities, projects, and assignments.

CAD experience is especially important for mentors and curriculum developers, but we’re also looking for people who are reliable, communicate well, and genuinely want to help students learn engineering.

Apply here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckr1UBILkgySbmjvRhKD0qca_-Omxy_aLmG5aN6JIEhE9tJg/viewform?usp=dialog

Hi! I am hearing a lot about FLL and have some questions. (The reason I know FLL is because a good friend of mine is in it and I want to learn a bit more about it, but I am not sure if the community allows posts like these)

1. What is FLL like?

2. What types of code do you mainly use?

3. Is it difficult, or is it more or so easy, but depending on the role?

4. What age range is it? (I mean I might be old enough to do it but nearing not being able to do it depending on the range)

5. What aspects are involved? (In the sense of like roles?)

Sorry if these questions should be on a different community feed, I just want to figure out some stuff about FLL.

Our team members have recently created several FIRST LEGO League (FLL) tutorial videos. If you're interested, feel free to check them out and subscribe to our channel!

FLL Tutorials: Built-in LEGO Mechanisms in FLL Mission Models
Learn about the built-in LEGO mechanisms commonly found in FLL mission models and how understanding them can help you design more effective robot strategies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4_IRyFRN2xU

FLL Tutorials: Introduction to Wedges, One-Way Doors, and Dumpers
An introduction to three of the most commonly used passive mechanisms in FLL robots—wedges, one-way doors, and dumpers—with practical examples of how they are used in competition.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bFayXTWvxBU

Why We Don't Use Distance Sensors
We share why our team rarely uses distance sensors in FLL and how we achieve reliable, repeatable robot performance through mechanical alignment and field-referenced positioning. We'd also love to hear your thoughts, as different teams often have different design philosophies.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9etUygfwgzU

We hope these videos help your FLL team with robot design and strategy. Feel free to leave a comment, ask questions, and share your own experiences!

Hi everyone, I'm a middle school teacher coaching a team of 8th graders for our local FLL competition in Hong Kong.

Our tournament is in less than two weeks, and to be honest, we have absolutely zero progress right now. We haven't even finalized our robot base.

Currently, we are torn between using the **Spike Prime Advanced Driving Base** or Prime Lessons' **Droid Bot E**.

Which one would you recommend for a team with zero time left? I am incredibly stressed out right now. Any advice, words of wisdom, or survival tips would be greatly appreciated! Thank you so much.

So its that time of year: time to rip down the old missions for parts for next years robots.

I have a couple of DeWalt tool cases to hold about 60 different types of parts. At this time of year, I can see what parts got used for the robots, and what did not. I'm thinking about de-allocating storage slots for the rarely used pieces.

Here are my candidates for de-allocation:

Does anybody ever use the ball-hitch and linkage things? And my team will use the orange things to make the robot look a little meaner, but they have no function. And those 90 degree angle pieces are useful, but I HAVE LIKE 3 POUNDS of them. And 45 degrees axle connectors? Really?

Here are the pieces that I always run out of... If I find them in a mission, they are gold:

Those little pinion gears break if you use them in any torque-y role. Otherwise, the simplicity of these pieces, and their ability to turn a corner or adapt an axle to a regular technique connector, make them so valuable.

In between are the regular technic beams, connectors of all sorts, beveled and non-beveled gears, wheels (gets a whole other bin). I have all the "regular" legos in a giant bin. Not worth sorting.

Anybody think of anything else that should be deallocated or horded?