FIRST Robotics' sister organization is the FIRST LEGO League (FLL). FLL is intended to further the same ideals that the FRC (FIRST Robotics Competition) does but at a middle school level and utilizing the Lego Mind storms for Schools educational robotics system, including ROBOLAB programming software based on National Instruments' LabView industrial control engineering software. The combination of interchangeable LEGO parts, computer 'bricks' and sensors, and the aforementioned software, provide preteens and teenagers with the capability to build reasonably complex models of real-life robotic systems.
2002's challenge was set in the city. Robots completed tasks such as clearing rocks off a soccer field, harvesting and delivering food loops, collecting toxic barrels, activating a windmill, and other city-related tasks.
2003's challenge was inspired by that year's Mars Rover mission, in that the competing teams had to design and construct robots to solve a number of problems like removing rocks from a 'solar panel' to ensure a Mars base energy supply, collect 'soil/rock samples' from the Martian desert landscape, as well as several additional sub problems.
2004's challenge was centered around various robotic assistant systems for disabled persons, and demonstrated how the systems are (hopefully) able to solve the given problems in a satisfying way.
2005's challenge, "Ocean Odyssey", involved marine-theme tasks such as mapping a sunken ship, deploying a research submarine, and cleaning up a shipping spill.
Once the rules are released, like in the FRC the teams must build and program a robot design. Once they have finalized the design, they must compete in competitions. The first place for competitions is the regional competitions. The top 1-10 from the regional competitions (depending on the area) go on to a larger area competition. The final competition is in Atlanta, Georgia at the Georgia Dome along with the FRC robots