Exit 5 Robotics Wins 2nd Place Award at 2013 North American FLL Finals

Exit 5 Robotics competed against 77 other top teams from North America and South Korea and came away with a coveted award in the 2013 FLL North American Open Championship.  The event was held in LEGOLAND, California last month, May 17 - 19.  This was the second straight year the team earned the right to compete at one of the four annual (FLL) FIRST LEGO League international finals events.  This all-girls robotics team, consisting of 6th graders Erin Eagen, Evelyn Huang, Chloe Lam, Flora Xia, 8th graders Alice Huang, Annie Song, Stephanie Tam, Wendy Xia, and Tiffany Yu, was led by coaches Bill Lam, Kelly Eagen, and Yitao Yu.

With a 1st Place Champion’s Award at the November 2012 FLL Hillsborough Qualifier and 2nd Place Champion’s Award at the December 2012 FLL NJ State Finals, the team was selected to move on to one of the four international finals events.  Less than 1% of over 22,000 teams worldwide are selected for such an honor.

The team entered the competition with high spirits, iconic green interstate/robot t-shirts, and bright orange traffic cone hats to celebrate their highway exit namesake.  Over the three day competition, the team was tested during multiple judging sessions on the research project innovation, robot design process, and demonstration of core values.  All the while the team maintained a strong energy level and an excited aura as they greeted competing teams.  At night, the team also worked long and hard to perfect their presentations for judges and their robot for the robot game.  Unfortunately, the rough surface of the competition table caused more problems than the team was able to address in the time allotted.  The Exit 5 Robotics world class scores of 615 on their home table turned out to be a much lower and ultimately disappointing score at the competition.

Although not in the top scores for the robot game, the team still drew the attention of judges.  They were noted for innovative strategy in robot design, a novel research project solution, quality STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) outreaches, and excellent courtesy displayed to each other, elders, and event organizers.  With this strong performance, the team was recognized with the 2nd place Gracious Professionalism Award.  As noted by FIRST:

“Gracious Professionalism is part of the ethos of FIRST. It's a way of doing things that encourages high-quality work, emphasizes the value of others, and respects individuals and the community.  With Gracious Professionalism, fierce competition and mutual gain are not separate notions. Gracious professionals learn and compete like crazy, but treat one another with respect and kindness in the process. Knowledge, competition, and empathy are comfortably blended.

In the long run, Gracious Professionalism is part of pursuing a meaningful life. One can add to society and enjoy the satisfaction of knowing one has acted with integrity and sensitivity.”

Despite not reaching their goal of the Champion’s Award, the team emerged champions in their own books. “It’s amazing that we even made it to the North American Championships,” states Alice Huang. “Everyone undoubtedly contributed to our successes.” Another member noted that the extreme confidence the team brought this year helped pull them up a lot.  Looking at their impressive track record topped with this well-deserved win, it is hard to say otherwise.  With over 22,000 teams competing worldwide, they are both grateful and proud to be among the 0.4% of teams honored with an international finals award.

            FIRST LEGO League is a program whose mission is to engage students aged nine to sixteen in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math) while teaching them valuable life skills in a unique experience. FLL is quite expansive, spanning over 70 countries that contain over 20,000 teams across the planet. In the three parts of the competition, children learn how to build and program a robot, conduct a research project to create an innovative product, and respect each other and their elders, all while giving children a sense of autonomy and achievement. According to team member Chloe Lam, “FIRST’s goal… is inspiring because when you succeed in something, you know that you, yourself, made it happen, and it’s a great feeling.”  Tiffany Yu noted “I get to work towards a common goal with my friends and it’s totally different from school.”

            This FLL season’s research theme, Senior Solutions, revolved around keeping older adults independent, engaged, and connected.  The team visited many professionals and interviewed many groups and individuals about their innovative solution. This included, the Board of Essex County Freeholders, the director of Senior Source - a senior center located in Riverside Square Mall, Shoprite’s manager, Shoprite’s dietician, and a registered nurse.  Based on the information gathered, Exit 5 Robotics proposed an exercise seat that could safely be incorporated onto senior transportation.  The purpose is to help older adults regain basic functions that may be lost with age and a sedentary lifestyle.  The solution, called Function Refresh, received copious positive feedback from over 30 interviewed senior citizens.  Exit 5 received similar comments from interviewed experts. The team was gratified that their intensive research yielded such promising results.

Furthermore, the team implemented complicated programming algorithms that required not only a basic knowledge in higher-level math, but also a love for problem solving and STEM. Multiple team members testified to the fact that it was hard work but never boring.  The team eagerly looks forward to next year’s FLL challenge.