Video tutorials

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M11 Sonar Discovery and M12 Feed the Whale of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The run uses a combined two-part attachment for maximum efficiency. The front section is designed to drop the krill into the Whale for M12, using a stationary beam to open the whale’s mouth and an angled beam to tip the krill container so they fall inside. Wheels are added as counterweights to prevent the container from opening during movement.

The rear section operates the sonar rotation for M11, using a chain-driven mechanism to transfer power from the robot to the mission model. A hooked beam is integrated at the end, allowing it to easily catch the yellow part of the sonar for rotation. This combined design allows the robot to complete both missions in one smooth, coordinated run without swapping attachments.

In this video we discuss how do we transfer power from the motors that are "inside the robot box" to the gear wheels that are "outside the robot box". 

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M15 Research Vessel of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot. In this series of test runs, the goal is to achieve 10 out of 10 successful deliveries, with the robot pushing the loaded ship to its destination, releasing it cleanly, and moving to the other launch area without a single failed attempt.

The run uses a pinless attachment with a locking mechanism and friction pins to secure the cargo during movement and allow smooth release upon arrival. The precise programming and stable design ensure consistent performance across the trials.

Probably the robot I like the most from this series of five robots. See the video to understand why and what is interesting and special about this robot. 

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M15 Research Vessel of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The run uses a pinless attachment designed to push the ship loaded with cargo to its destination. After the previous run, the hook part is removed and replaced with a locking component that holds the ship securely during transport.

The locking mechanism uses friction pins to keep the ship stable until it reaches its destination, where it can then be released smoothly. This approach ensures the cargo remains secure throughout the journey while allowing for safe delivery and quick unloading at the final position.

This is the first Active Pinless Attachment for the Box competition robot. The attachment is placed on the top of the robot and is controlled by one of the motors. 

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M15 Research Vessel of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot. In this series of test runs, the aim is to complete 10 out of 10 flawless retrievals, with the robot successfully latching onto the vessel and pulling it back to base every single time.

You think that you can quickly change the attachments of your LEGO Mindstorms EV3 competition robot? Are you sure? In this first episode of the series you will see how to create and attach attachments without using pins and how faster and easier this could be. You will see the design logic of a few attachments and how they work on the field. 

This video tutorial focuses on taking the Research Vessel for M15 of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot).

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M15 Research Vessel of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The run uses a pinless latched attachment mounted under the robot for maximum stability. The attachment features a hook that catches the research vessel and pulls it back to the launch area, after which the hook can be removed and the remaining parts reused for the next run.

Important: Before starting this run, ensure the part that locks the boat for the next run is raised; otherwise, the robot cannot hook the vessel correctly. This simple but effective mechanism allows for a quick and reliable retrieval, setting up the next sequence of missions without additional adjustments.

One more example for an active attachment with a system of gear wheels. This time the system is constructed so that the attachment could lift heavy objects. 

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M02 Shark, collecting the trident for M14 Sample Collection, and collecting a Krill for M12 Feed the Whale of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). In this series of test runs, our goal is to achieve 10 out of 10 successful attempts, meaning the robot completes all three missions flawlessly in every trial.

The robot uses a pinless attachment with locking beams for stability, enabling it to push the shark into its habitat, trigger a drop wall to catch the Krill, and lower a motorized arm with rubber parts to grab the Trident. This efficient approach ensures consistent results across the attempts while maintaining stability and precision throughout the runs. You can watch the full explaining tutorial here.

Without the use of any motor, you can still accomplish a number of missions using passive attachments. You can still pull/push on different levers using only a beam or two connected to the frame.

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M02 Shark, collecting the trident for M14 Sample Collection, and collecting a Krill for M12 Feed the Whale of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The run uses a pinless attachment with two locking beams for stability, featuring two main “chambers” and a motor-powered arm with rubber parts for handling multiple mission elements.

The left chamber is used to push the shark from M02 into its habitat, while the opposite side has a passive beam-trigger mechanism to drop a wall and catch the Krill in front of the shipwreck. The motorized arm slowly lowers to grab the Trident from the bottom using rubber parts, a solution that is not 100% reliable due to the challenge of the element but is the best tested option. The side locking beams are essential for keeping the attachment secured during these precise maneuvers, preventing it from detaching during the run.

The Gyro sensor in LEGO Mindstorms EV3 sets is new for the sets and we answer basic questions about its usage. The sensor detect when the whole constructions turns at a particular angle, but there are a number of gotchas in using it.

This is a 10 out of 10 video tutorial that focuses on accomplishing M01 Coral Nursery, M02 Shark, M03 Coral Reef, and M04 Scuba Diver of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot).

The robot pushes the shark, flips the coral buds and coral reef, and collects and delivers the Scuba Diver with precision. This efficient multi-mission run is designed for speed and reliability, ensuring maximum points with minimal wasted movement. You can watch the full explaining tutorial here.

Tasks for the Gyro sensor that you can use in STEM classes, while preparing for a competition or just to explore how the sensor works.

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M01 Coral Nursery, M02 Shark, M03 Coral Reef, and M04 Scuba Diver of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The run uses a two-part pinless attachment designed to complete multiple missions in a single sequence. The small angled surface mounted under the robot flips the coral buds from M01 and pushes the shark from M02, while the front arm catches and delivers the Scuba Diver from the coral nursery to the coral reef support.

The back section of the attachment flips the coral reef from M03 using a friction-pin mechanism that stays straight during travel but drops the horizontal arm at the mission model to push the yellow plate and raise the coral reef. Extra axles on the front arm prevent the Scuba Diver from falling during delivery, ensuring reliable scoring. This coordinated multi-mission approach maximizes efficiency by combining pushing, collecting, and delivering into one smooth run.

In this episode, we introduce a LEGO Mindstorms EV3 version of competition robot construction. It is a modular construction, with medium motor for additional attachments and two light or colour sensors for orientating on the field.

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M01 Coral Nursery and M03 Coral Reef of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The aim is to see a consistent accomplishment by lifting the coral tree to the coral tree support and delivering reef segments outside the launch area in one smooth sequence.

The robot uses a motor-powered attachment to lift the coral tree precisely while a side holder secures the collected reef segments. This ensures both missions are completed without losing any pieces during movement. You can watch the full explaining tutorial here.

Gears could be a powerful tool for those who know how to use them appropriately. In this episode we introduce some of the basic terms and concepts behind using gears in your construction.

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M01 Coral Nursery and M03 Coral Reef of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The run uses a pinless motor-powered attachment specifically designed to raise the coral tree to the coral tree support while delivering reef segments outside the launch area. This attachment was chosen after testing multiple designs, and it proved to be one of the most reliable solutions for this task.

The motor-driven lifting mechanism is mounted using long axle pins due to the gearwheel’s position, and a heavy brick is added on top for extra sturdiness, preventing the attachment from popping off during operation. On the side, a simple holder secures the three reef segments collected in previous runs for easy delivery during this mission. This combination allows the robot to lift the coral tree smoothly, place it accurately, and complete the reef segment delivery in a single, well-coordinated sequence.

Turning with the Gyro Sensor on a specified angle and stopping there have never been easy. It is not going to get any better. However, this is not a problem of the Gyro sensor. The problem is in the way we develop our programs.

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M06 Raise the Mast and M07 Kraken’s Treasure of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The point is to achieve a perfect 10 out of 10 score for these interconnected missions in one smooth sequence.

The robot first secures the treasure chest before fully raising the mast, avoiding the mechanism that would otherwise lock the chest in place. This requires precise timing and control to push, lift, and stop at the correct point, then complete the mast-raising motion. You can watch the full explaining tutorial here.

Continuing with the Proportional algorithm for following lines. Smooth and stable this is the first part of the PID.

This video tutorial focuses on accomplishing M06 Raise the Mast and M07 Kraken’s Treasure of the FIRST LEGO League 2024-2025 SUBMERGED Challenge using the Nautiq box robot (a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot). The run uses a pinless attachment connected to the bottom of the robot, featuring side guides with stoppers for precise mast lifting and a central rubberized section to catch the treasure chest.

The challenge in this run is to collect the treasure before raising the mast fully, as the mission model locks the chest if the mast is lifted too far too soon. The robot must push and lift with great precision, stopping at exactly the right point to avoid triggering the lock, then continue raising the mast to complete the mission. This sequence demonstrates careful mechanical design, accurate programming, and precise timing to accomplish two interconnected missions in one smooth run.

Rubber bands in the LEGO Mindstorms sets are very handy when it comes to collecting objects, especially loops. The mechanism most of the time could work like this - an axle is pushed, a rubber band is released and a lever collects the loop. 

In this video tutorial, the MiniBox box robot accomplishes M14 and M15 of the FIRST LEGO League 2023-2024 MASTERPIECE Challenge robotics competition. The robot is a LEGO Education SPIKE Prime robot. In this run, the robot delivers the LEGO minifigures to their designated places.