.This past weekend teams throughout Rhode Island met virtually with judges to see who had the most innovative solutions for the supply chain dilemma.  This is FIRST LEGO League robotics and the same challenge was addressed in  100 countries throughout the globe this season.
     Local teams from throughout Rhode Island met in the State Championship virtually submitting their innovative solutions and robot designs and core values challenges.  Judges awarded PLANET ROBOTICS a community team the first-place champions award for their excellence in all areas of judging from the high score on the robot table challenge to their core values which is a valued area of the FIRST program.
Planet Robotics innovative solution to the supply chain dilemma is to program drones to assist semi-tractor trailers to back up and park easier. The team of seventh and eight graders learned the programing language Python to make this happen.  They spoke to many professionals in the trucking industry to become the expert on this area of the transportation. They also scored the highest on the robot table game, had a very innovative robot design and code and their core values are on target to compete internationally. This is their third state championship for Rhode Island in as many years and their excellence in all areas of FIRST LEGO League are exceptional. They will move on to compete in the SESI FIRST LEGO League Challenge International Open in, Rio de Janeiro Brazil this August of 2022. We wish this team of STEM inspired students a great experience at this international competition. 
The second-place champion team also excelled in all areas of FIRST LEGO League robotics. The Robotic Terriers are a community team from Cumberland,  who innovated a new form a packaging for transportation.  Robotic Terrier’s solution is an eco-friendly box made with plant food waste (fruit and vegetable peels) along with cushioning made of jute. The Eco-Friendly box will reduce the amount of trees being cut down for packages, and combat the amount of carbon emissions being released just through the transportation of cargo.  
Robotic Terriers had an excellent score on the robot table as well coming in second place and their innovation in designing and coding their robot of LEGO parts was exceptional. They will compete next level at a virtual tournament the Western Edge Open Invitational out of southern California. We wish them well as they experience an international virtual tournament.
There were 16 teams that qualified to participate in the state championship. All teams excelled in various areas. These noted award winners were just exceptional.
Excellence in Core Values: The Islanders, Ella Risk Elementary School – Central Falls
FIRST LEGO League presents this award for Core Values to the team that best demonstrates extraordinary enthusiasm and spirit, inspiration, exceptional partnership, and the utmost respect to its own teammates and in its support and encouragement of fellow teams.

Excellence in Robot Design:  Cargo D2 from a community team from Aquidneck Island Robotics in Newport RI
FIRST LEGO League Judges evaluate mechanical design, innovation, programming effectiveness and team strategies for solving missions to assess overall design quality.
Excellence in Innovative Project:  Red Hot Chilly Preppers, Quest Montessori School in Narragansett
Judges look for teams whose quality research, innovative solutions, community sharing and presentation best reflect an in-depth understanding of the scientific disciplines involved with the Project.  The Red Hot Chilly Preppers worked to develop a solution to waste that happens in transportation of goods. The solution is one that you can easily use in your home as well as for produce travelling the globe. A packet of salt in the box has a significant effect on spoilage. Theirs was sealed in burlap for the air flow to be significant. This low-tech solution is a high reward reaping idea. 

Teams qualifying for State competition:
Cargo Chicken – Martin Middle School, East Providence
 Cargo R  US – Lawn Middle School,  Jamestown
Thunderbolts - Ponaganset Middle School
Live and Learn – Community Team, Jamestown
AIR Strike Omega – Aquidneck Island Robotics, Community Team in Newport
Junior Gongliers - Ponaganset Middle School, Glocester
Strangerbots - Ponaganset Middle School, Glocester
Comic Strike - Aquidneck Island Robotics, Community Team in Newport