"If I want to teach my students in how to have complete control over where the robot is going, where do I start?" Carsten M.
You start by learning how to build a robot
There are several different options for different robot bases, chassis and approaches to built a robot
Then you learn how to program the robot
You can not prepare for competition without learning how to use the sensors. Learn to use them, to follow lines, the position yourself on the field with the Color/Light sensors, to detect your rotations with the Gyro, and to use State machines to separate the states in your program
Light, Color and Gyro Sensors Should be Calibrated
You will surely get tired of all the differences in the venues and their lighting conditions. Winning teams have the sensors properly calibrated and could calibrate them very fast, just before the runs.
Attachments are important. Improvements and reviews from previous years also
Do not over engineer. Use as few parts as possible. Build simple pinless attachments that could be changed quickly. An attachment should work 9 out of 10 times. Use rubber bands, gear wheel, worm gears, racks, levers.
Finally, you explore what you could further learn
At FLLCasts.com we have quite many resources on a lot of different topics connected with FIRST LEGO League and other robotics competitions. Make sure to check for new Tutorials and Building Instructions
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