FIRST® LEGO® League is one of the world's largest knowledge and technology competitions for children and young people aged 6-16. Its goal is to inspire children and young people to become tomorrow's engineers, scientists, and problem solvers.

In the middle of September each year, a new mission is released, and teams are tasked with solving it over an eight-week work period. During this time, they research the year's theme, find an innovative solution to a problem, and design and program a LEGO® Education robot.

After the eight weeks, the teams participate in a local tournament where they meet other teams that have researched the same theme. In Norway and Sweden, we have 36 tournament cities where teams can compete.

Nidarvoll SeaGMA is a team of 7th grade students from Nidarvoll Primary School in Trondheim, Norway. This year for the "Submerged" theme, we have researched sea lice on wild salmon and how best to eliminate these lice in the best way possible.

We want to fight sea lice that harm our wild salmon! The reason for this is that sea lice have become such a significant problem for wild salmon that it is a major factor in their decline toward extinction. Currently, there are no good measures targeting sea lice on wild salmon, only for farmed salmon.

Our solution to combat lice on wild salmon is the invention of an:
Underwater robot that shoots green lasers!

We have developed an innovative underwater robot, known as an autonomous underwater vehicle (AUV), which uses laser technology to effectively remove sea lice from wild salmon. This robot operates independently without requiring manual control. The robot is equipped with five thrusters: one thruster placed at the back for forward and backward movement, two thrusters passing vertically through the robot for ascending and descending, and two thrusters on the sides for horizontal movement left and right. To ensure stability and symmetrical positioning in the water, the robot has wings on each side.

The battery pack is placed underneath the robot, creating an air space that causes it to float to the surface if the power runs out. Since GPS signals do not function underwater, the robot is equipped with a sensor that sends out sound pulses, inspired by the Doppler effect, to navigate and orient itself in its environment.

The laser, positioned at the front of the robot, is combined with two cameras above it. These cameras have the task of identifying both salmon and sea lice. For precision, the laser must be placed close to the robot's "eyes," and for optimal function, sufficient light is required; therefore, the robot is equipped with two lights. The laser uses mirrors for movement, known as a galvanometer, allowing it to move in a way similar to eye movements in humans.

The AUV is connected to a floating vessel on the surface, which serves to inform land-based systems about the AUV's position. The computer controlling the laser is located in the surface vessel. The cable connecting the AUV to the vessel is specially designed for rapid data transfer, both from the AUV to the vessel and back. The robot charges at a charging station placed in the working area. It charges by placing itself against the charging station. The charging stations send out sound pulses so that when the robot begins running low on power, it can navigate toward the strongest pulse, indicating the nearest charging station.

Nidarvoll SeaGMA is a team of students from 7th grade at Nidarvoll School (Trondheim).

After having won both the regional final and the Scandinavian final, SeaGMA will now go to Houston in the US to represent Technological Capital Trondheim, Norway and Scandinavia in the World Finals of First Lego League.

We depend on and want everyone to have the opportunity to participate. Therefore, we need help and hope that you can now support us.

Any donation, small or large is greatly appreciated!


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