Presenting your robot
What you’ll do
Each team gives a short presentation (about 5 minutes plus questions) explaining what they built, how they designed it, and what the evidence shows. Judges at competitions such as FIRST LEGO League care about this as much as the robot itself.
A simple structure
| Part | Time | Cover |
|---|---|---|
| 1. The problem | 30 s | Who has the problem and why it matters |
| 2. Our solution | 1 min | What the robot does; a photo or sketch |
| 3. How it works | 1 min | Sense → think → act: sensors, decisions, actuators |
| 4. Testing and improvements | 1 min 30 s | Your data: what failed, what you changed, results before and after |
| 5. Live demo | 1 min | Show it working (have a video as a backup) |
| 6. What we’d do next | 30 s | Honest limits and next ideas |
Tips
- Everyone speaks. Each person explains the part they worked on.
- Show numbers. “Our success rate went from 4/10 to 9/10” beats “it got much better”.
- One idea per slide, big pictures, few words.
- Practise the demo with fresh batteries, and have a video ready in case something fails. Explaining a failure calmly also impresses judges.
- Answer questions honestly. “We didn’t test that yet; here’s how we would” is a great answer.
Example: a strong “testing” slide
Problem found: the robot lost the line on tight curves (6 of 10 runs). Change: moved the sensors 2 cm further forward (only change). Result: lost the line in 1 of 10 runs. Lap time 31 s → 29 s.
Example: peer feedback rubric
| Criterion | 1 | 2 | 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Problem is clear | Unclear | Mostly clear | Clear and real |
| Explains how it works | Vague | Some detail | Sensors, logic and actuators clearly explained |
| Uses evidence | None | Some numbers | Before/after data that supports the claims |
| Demo | Didn’t run | Partly worked | Worked, or failure explained well |
| Teamwork | One speaker | Most speak | Everyone explains their part |
Give each team one star (something they did well) and one wish (something to improve).
One-sentence pitchEasy
Describe your robot in one sentence of 20 words or fewer that someone outside robotics would understand.
Evidence slideMedium
Make one slide that shows a problem, the change you made and the result, with numbers.
Tough questionsHard
Write three difficult questions a judge might ask about your robot, and prepare honest answers. Think about failures, safety, cost, and what happens in unusual situations.
Quick check
Finished this lesson?