Food Factor Explained

Challenge Number:	14
Released In:	2011
Champions:	1. Falcons 2. Blue Gear Ticks 3. NXTremers^[1]
Missions:	15
Tournaments:	244^[2]
Championship Tournaments:	40

Food Factor is the FIRST Lego League (FLL) competition for 2011-12; released on September 2. It focuses on food safety and methods to prevent contamination.^{[3] [4]}

This is the first year that the name of the challenge theme of FLL is different from Jr.FLL. Jr.FLL's theme for 2011-12 is Snack Attack.^[5]

Project

Teams are tasked with identifying a food item and tracking its journey from creation to consumption.^[6] From this, teams identify potential sources of contamination and create solutions to those problems. Teams then share their project with the community and with judges at competition.^[7]

Gameplay

The table performance portion of Food Factor is played on a 4 ft by 8 ft field rimmed by wood boards. At competition, two of these fields are placed together to form an 8 ft square. In each -minute match, a team competes on each field with their robot to earn up to 452 points^[8] manipulating the mission models.

The touch penalty objects are "good" bacteria models. All 12 are worth 6 points each when located in base, but are removed every time the robot is touched outside of base.

Missions

All of the Food Factor missions relate to various food topics and food safety problems:^[9]

• Pollution Reversal - 4 points per ball (up to 8 points)
• Corn Harvest - up to 9 points
• Fishing - up to 18 points
• Pizza and Ice Cream - 7 points each (up to 14 points)
• Farm Fresh Produce - 9 points
• Distant Travel - 9 points
• Cooking Time - 14 points
• Storage Temperature - 20 points
• Pest Removal - 15 points each (up to 30 points)
• Refrigerated Ground Transport - up to 20 points
• Groceries - 2 points each (up to 24 points)
• Disinfect - up to 12 points each (up to 48 points)
• Hand Wash/Bacterial - 3 points each (up to 144 points)
• Hand Wash/Viral - up to 13 points
• Good Bacteria - 6 points each (up to 72 points in total)

External links

• World Festival results
• Official website

Notes and References

1. Web site: 2012 FIRST Championship Celebrates Science, Technology and Robots . FIRST . April 29, 2012 . April 28, 2012 . dead . https://web.archive.org/web/20120509150852/http://www.usfirst.org/aboutus/2012-first-championship-celebrates-science-technology-and-robots . May 9, 2012 .
2. Web site: What Events And Teams Are In My Area?. FIRST. 17 November 2011. 22 November 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20111122035457/http://www.usfirst.org/whatsgoingon. dead.
3. Web site: 2011 Food Factor Challenge. FIRST. 9 June 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20110518082329/http://firstlegoleague.org/media/twocol.aspx?id=248. 18 May 2011.
4. News: 2011 FOOD FACTOR FLL@SUNYIT Championship Tournament. 17 November 2011. WKTV News. 14 November 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20120404080333/http://www.wktv.com/community/calendar/133842698.html. 4 April 2012. dead. dmy-all.
5. Web site: FIRST History. FIRST. 16 June 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20151208233701/http://archive.usfirst.org/aboutus/first-history?id=880. 8 December 2015.
6. Web site: The project. FIRST. 2 September 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111223182753/http://firstlegoleague.org/sites/default/files/Challenge/FoodFactor/FLL2011_The_Project.pdf. 23 December 2011.
7. News: Hobbs. Holly. Fairfax students to compete in state Lego robotics competition. 5 December 2011. The Washington Post. 30 November 2011.
8. Web site: Robot Game Updates. FIRST. 10 September 2011. 4 September 2011. https://web.archive.org/web/20110904044607/http://www.firstlegoleague.org/challenge/robotgameupdates. dead.
9. Web site: Robot game. FIRST. 2 September 2011. dead. https://web.archive.org/web/20111124205837/http://firstlegoleague.org/sites/default/files/Challenge/FoodFactor/FLL2011_Robot_Game.pdf. 24 November 2011.