You don't need to have a robot to learn how to program the robot! All you need is the EV3 software and willpower. You can get the software for free off the Lego Mindstorms website (scroll down to "Download your MINDSTORMS software"). If you have a Windows computer, download the “Windows (7, 8.1, 10)” version (not the “Windows 10 (touch devices)” version). Unfortunately, the MacOS version will not work for this tournament. Be sure to select the “Teacher Edition,” not the default, which is the “Student Edition.”
At first it may seem complicated, but once you understand how to put blocks together in a program, it is fairly easy to get the robot to move in patterns. (The hard part is getting the robot to move exactly like you want it to!)
If you have never done Mindstorms programming before ... first, watch some videos:
These videos describe how the basics work and we recommend them for first-timers. They will help you learn how to create a program you could try in the tournament:
Move Blocks/Basic Movement: Once you understand the basics of blocks, this video will show how to get a bot moving.
'Move Steering' vs. 'Move Tank': There are a couple of different blocks that can be used to move the robot. This explains some of the differences.
You can find many video tutorials online explaining how to get robots to do various things (e.g., follow lines, figure out colors, turn accurately, etc.) with sample code.
Next, look at these tutorials:
Beyond the videos above, consider checking out the Lego Tutorials that are embedded in the software. Here is how you access those tutorials:
1. Start the software. 2. Click on Tutorials (Robot Educator):
3. Click on Basics (Driving Base):
4. Go through the lessons for Straight Move, Tank Move, Stop at Object, ... , up to Configuring Blocks. Ignore the parts about building the robot. Focus on understanding how the blocks move the robot. These tutorials will give you a nice sense of how the blocks work. There are even interactive tutorials where you can click on blocks and see what they do to the robot:
5. Look at more of the tutorials under the Tutorials (Robot Educator) category of tutorials. There is all sorts of great information about how you can get the robot moving, use sensors, play a sound, and use basic programming ideas like looping.