Quest Robotics returned with new energy and coaches, and this year’s team—the Quest Chthulus—was ready to make waves! Inspired by this year’s First® Lego® League (FLL) ocean-themed challenge, “Submerged,” students dove into the world of marine exploration and technology.
The 2024 Quest Cthulhus
The FLL introduces children to STEM learning and exploration from an early age. Through its stages — Discover, Explore, and Challenge — children build a strong foundation in STEM concepts and apply their skills in exciting competitions. For the competition, each team is required to design, build, and program a robot to complete a challenge and to develop an innovative solution to an ocean-related problem.
Our team’s Robot Challenge began with an exciting underwater adventure, navigating the unique habitats of the ocean’s layers. The journey started in the sunlight zone, where students tackled the challenge of restoring a coral reef. As they descended into the twilight and midnight zones, their robot faced the task of retrieving an artifact from a sunken ship, testing their problem-solving skills. The ultimate challenge was in the deep abyss, where the Cthulus explored a mysterious cold seep and eventually discovered a mythical Kraken’s lair. Finally, they returned to the twilight zone to continue their research and uncover hidden ocean secrets.
Observing other teams present their robots and preparing for Quest’s turn to take the stage
The team investigated real-world ocean challenges for the Innovation Project, from marine life conservation to human impact on ocean health. They decided to focus on emergency weather preparedness. They researched current solutions, identified areas for improvement, and designed innovative ideas to address these issues. Their idea was to create an app to support evacuation routes and resource sharing during natural disasters. By testing and refining their solution, they learned that innovation often leads to discoveries that benefit both the ocean and life on land.
On December 7th the team’s hard work was tested at the FLL Qualifier Match at Portsmouth Middle School, where they were honored with the Judges Award. The judge announcing their award explained that the Quest team demonstrated “gracious professionalism”, one of the key values of FLL, by instinctively and genuinely cheering on their opponents even when the Quest robot did not operate as planned. In other words, they embodied their Montessori education.
The Cthulhus brought their spirit and squid hats to the competition