Host Daniel Keinanen visits with Robotics Legend Teemu about his career with FIRST LEGO League Challenge, and what God has taught him through that.
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TRANSCRIPT
INTRO
This is the BeLED Family Podcast.
TEEMU
But he showed me how to glorify him in robotics. And then I just take what I've learned during robotics and just push it out to everything else I do.
DANIEL
Welcome to the BeLED Family Podcast, where we are encouraged to become Light Entrusted Disciples of Jesus Christ. BeLight: know your identity in Jesus; BeEntrusted: align your focus with Jesus; and BeDisciples: love your community. My name is Daniel Keinanen and I am your host. And during this Christmas season, we are going to, for the next couple weeks, talk about a little more lighter topics, a little more fun, if you will.
DANIEL
And today we are talking with my own son, Teemu, and he's had quite the journey in the world of robotics. He's going to share with us about that journey along with robotics. Teemu is actively involved with karate, where he just achieved black belt status, first dan. And he also teaches karate class, which he, I suppose your brother and your sister are technically, they are your students, if you will.
TEEMU
They are my students.
DANIEL
They are your students, right? And he is also very actively involved in our local congregation on a number of different ministry teams. Welcome to the podcast, Teemu. How are you?
TEEMU
Pretty good.
DANIEL
It's good to have you back since our last special episode, talking about from going from section 309 to the stage. If you haven't heard that, encourage you to go listen to that. Would you agree?
TEEMU
I agree.
DANIEL
Okay, so let's talk about your time in robotics. First, Teemu, can you tell us how you got involved?
TEEMU
Oh, yeah. So, yeah, family's always been into LEGO, right? And my mom saw at the library, local library, this LEGO robotics class that you could sign up for. So she signed me and my brother up. We took it, and the people that were hosting it were the future robotics team I was going to join, and we really liked it. And my mom talked to Coach at the time asking how we can get involved. I couldn't get involved that year because it kind of already got started, but I joined the next year and I've been doing it ever since.
DANIEL
How old were you when that visit to the library happened?
TEEMU
I was probably nine, and then I joined when I was ten.
DANIEL
How much of robotics, like, how much did you understand what was expected of you moving into the team?
TEEMU
Not a lot. I had no idea what to expect joining the robotics team.
DANIEL
And was it much different than you thought?
TEEMU
Yes it was. I had no clue about, like, the, like, I thought it was just build LEGO and robotics. I thought that was it. There's nothing else to it, but there's so much more to it than just LEGO robotics.
DANIEL
I think a lot of people, when they hear LEGO robotics, I know one person once said, “Oh, you kids just play with LEGOs.” Okay, first of all, let's get this clear in the podcast, there is no such thing as LEGOs. They're LEGO bricks and LEGO sets and LEGO builds, but there is no such thing as LEGOs. So anytime someone says LEGO, I was like, “Hey, let's go play LEGOs or let's go to the LEGOs aisle.”: For some of us in our family, irks us, some of us are able to let go. But let's just be clear it is LEGO. Correct?
TEEMU
Oh yes, it's very much LEGO
DANIEL
LEGO. But secondly, Robotics FLL, we're going to talk about that in a moment, First LEGO League, it really has, I mean it uses LEGO, but it's not about LEGO, is it, Teemu? It's more about robotics and programming. Would you tell us what it's about?
TEEMU
It's really about building the next generation of the people that shape our world, like engineers, doctors, all that kind of stuff. That's what it's really about. I'm gonna share a quote from the founder of First, he said, “We're not using kids to build robots. We're using robots to build kids.” So it's a lot about character development and just shaping the future.
DANIEL
Now, you mentioned First, we’ve mentioned First Robotics. Can you tell us about what First is for those that might not know?
TEEMU
First is a robotics program for all ages. There's four different levels: FRC, FTC, FLL Challenge, and FLL Explore.
DANIEL
Okay, so can you describe each of those levels?
TEEMU
Yeah, let's start with FLL Explore. FLL Explore is for the younger age group and in FLL Explore you build a little. You have a guidebook, and then you build a little set kind of thing to a theme that year. That's FLL Explore is definitely for the younger people.
TEEMU
But then moving up to FLL Challenge, that's where you actually start doing LEGO Robotics. And then in that you build, design, and code your own LEGO robot autonomous, it autonomously completes missions across a game field specified to that year's theme. And then it has an innovation project, which each year you get a different theme to find a problem to that theme and then solve it with your own design innovation project. Then the last aspect of FLL Challenge is core values. I don't know all of them off the top of my head, but there's a few different core values that you have to show within your time in FLL Challenge.
TEEMU
Okay. Next, FTC. FTC, you move away from actually using LEGO and you start using real metal, all that kind of stuff. And then FTC, you have bigger robots, same kind of concept where you have a game field specified to the year. And then in FTC, you have a 30 second autonomous and then a 2 minute teleop. So you actually operate your robot during the match in FTC. And FTC doesn't have the innovation project, but it still very much encourages a business aspect of FTC and core values.
TEEMU
And then the final one, FRC, for the oldest age group. That is big, big robots, bigger than FTC, bigger than FLL, still using the same metal, stuff like that. Big robots. The teams are usually, there's like teams that are like 90 people there. It's crazy. But in FRC you have like 20 people building, 20 people coding. It's crazy.
DANIEL
Now our first exposure to First Robotics, Teemu, was remember your cousin, my nephew, was involved in a team and in our local town we went to the robots tournament having no clue, zero, what it was all about, and we were just thoroughly impressed. And from that year forward, you very well know, Teemu, that we've gone to that tournament here in our local community every year since, and we absolutely love it.
DANIEL
First is an incredible organization. I believe that it's growing in its popularity. And as Teemu said, they're really about promoting character development, with future engineers, future doctors, very smart, smart young people, who I think my son is smarter than I ever was. And a lot of these other students are really smart. But I want to say, Teemu, and you tell me if you agree with the statement or not.
DANIEL
I appreciate with First, they want you to compete with each other. They want you to compete with other teams. But what's more important to First is collaboration. They want you to learn from each other, from other teams. How can you work together? Even though you're competing, there is something to be learned from each other. Would you agree with that?
TEEMU
Yes, very much.
DANIEL
And have you seen that played out in your career? And we're going to talk about your career in just a moment.
TEEMU
Oh yeah. I've seen so much connection with other teams. We've connected with so many other teams that have helped us so much over the course of a bunch of years.
DANIEL
Okay, so let's talk about your career and LEGO robotics. Now, this is your fifth year involved in robotics. Is that correct?
TEEMU
Correct. Okay.
DANIEL
So let's talk about the first four. We're not going to go in depth on all of them. But let's talk about your first year. Describe your first year with LEGO robotics and all the things that you learned.
TEEMU
My first year was during 2020. So it was all, almost all virtual. So when I joined in 2020, I had no idea what it was. I only thought it was build LEGO. That's it. But I learned pretty quickly what it all was. It was awesome. What I learned. And then like we competed virtually. We went from regionals to sectionals.
TEEMU
So we placed high enough in regionals to move on to sectionals. And then at sectionals, we placed high enough to move up to state. And at state, we placed high enough to move on to worlds and GIA. Worlds is top 200 in the world, and GIA is top 20 in the world.
DANIEL
Now, before you got to Worlds though, what place did you finish in the state?
TEEMU
First.
DANIEL
First in the state. So they were State Champs. And if you know FLL First, there are different things that you can compete in, different categories, and you're judged on those categories. But then the Champions Award encompasses all those categories. And that team, Nerd's on A Mission is the team name, that Teemu is on.
DANIEL
They won state that first year and that was an incredible year. But because it was, you guys went to worlds, and you were the top 200 and the top 20, the GIA. But unfortunately, you couldn't go anywhere, could you?
TEEMU
Because it was Covid year. So we couldn't go anywhere. If we could, we would have gone to Disney World for GIA and Worlds was held in Greece that year.
DANIEL
It's kind of a bummer, but we were stuck and we went to our Coach's house four miles North, in the middle of almost nowhere. But that's okay. Second year of being a part of robotics. How did that go for you?
TEEMU
So the second year we moved on from regionals again, we moved on from sectionals, got to state, and in state we got second. And that got us to a tournament called Razorback in Arkansas. That is top 80.
DANIEL
What was Razorback like for you?
TEEMU
Razorback might have been the best tournament we ever went to. It was awesome. It was crazy because one of the main focuses of Razorback was it was Alliance Game. So normally for the robot game you only have one person competing on one side of the table. But at Razorback, their special thing was they had two teams competing on the side of the table. So we got paired with a team from
DANIEL
North Carolina.
TEEMU
North Carolina, and they were awesome. We placed. So then there was, it was a tournament style elimination to get to win, and we won every single match until the last two where we lost both because it was double elimination.
DANIEL
It was double elimination, but they were…that was such a fun night. And this was apart from the regular normal competition, which we'll talk about that in just a moment. But I remember that night as parents, we were exhausted. Everyone was tired. Everyone is exhausted from the week. But it was such a fun tournament. At the end, you guys were competing against another team in the middle of the room. Everyone was huddled around you guys. It was so much fun. But how did you guys do apart from that special Alliance games, just a regular competition, Arkansas?
TEEMU
So for judging and like the innovation project and the core values, which I told you about, we did really good and we finished top like seven, but we're pretty sure we finished third because we were the first finalist. So I'm going to say we finished third.
DANIEL
I'm with you on that one. That was a great year, going to Arkansas. Okay, so let's talk about the third year that you were a part of FLL robotics.
TEEMU
So for the third year we got to, we went to regionals. We advanced from regionals. We got sectionals, we advanced from sectionals. We got to state. We did not advance from state this year, but we still got to state, which is huge.
DANIEL
After your third year. Before we talk about the fourth year, what were some of the things that you were learning in the first of those three years just about yourself?
TEEMU
I definitely learned a lot more social skills over the past three, from the past three years, because in First LEGO League Challenge, for sure, you definitely get a lot of public speaking. You speak in front of judges, you talk to other teams. It's a lot of interaction with other people. So I definitely learned a lot of interactions with that.
DANIEL
What for you, Teemu, were some of the challenges in those first three years as you were developing those skills of being more socially interactive and confident in yourself?
TEEMU
Definitely my first year I was really quiet, and I didn't, I wasn't like super developed in teamwork. But then like over the next couple years, I just really was locking that down.
DANIEL
Obviously, teamwork is a big part of being in robotics. How would you say your teamwork skills, working with others, collaborating with others, has developed over those first three years of being involved?
TEEMU
So definitely coming into first, I was not very good at teamwork. Like I could do it, but like it wasn't a strong suit of mine is kind of just the thing I did. But like after doing it for like one year, I was starting to like, “Okay, I'm kind of understanding this.” And then the second year I was like, really locking down those core values, which are really helpful for your teamwork. And then that third year really just was getting it down really good.
DANIEL
Yeah, okay. So let's go into the fourth year. So let's talk what was that fourth year like for your team.
TEEMU
Fourth year was arguably our best year, but our first year could have been better. It's a debatable topic, but fourth year we get to regionals, we win regionals, we go to sectionals, we win sectionals, we go to state. We're at state. We got second place in state, and we go to worlds once more. 100 top 160, this time in Houston, Texas.
DANIEL
Wasn't virtual.
TEEMU
Wasn't virtual this time.
DANIEL
So we, you, we, I'm like your dad so I went with you, went down to Worlds. Let's talk about Worlds. Because that was something else.
TEEMU
That was crazy.
DANIEL
There was 160 FLL teams, but do you remember, Teemu, how many teams or because we've talked about early in this podcast, there's First LEGO Explorer Team, FLL, which we're talking about, FTC and FRC team. Do you remember how many total teams were in Houston?
TEEMU
It was around 1500, I think.
DANIEL
Yeah, it was a lot. And the number of people, do you remember how many people they estimated were there?
TEEMU
DANIEL
And they were all in one building in downtown Houston, Texas, at the convention center, which was a very, very large building. But it was nuts. Can you describe for our listeners what that was like entering that building for the first time?
TEEMU
So, yeah, we entered the building. We were told there was going to be some really heavy security, but it was like not heavy at all. And then we got in and it was like, okay, this first floor doesn't look that big, but then you walk in a pair of doors and oh my, it's that big. And the first floor was housing FRC, the entire FRC and it was huge. There were pits on one side, pits on the other, 500 teams on one side, 500 teams on the other, game fields in the middle. It was huge. Moving up to the second floor. That floor was kind of just like vendors and that kind of stuff. So it wasn't too packed, didn't spend much time on the second floor. Third floor was where FTC and all the FLL stuff was. There was one room where all the FTC stuff is. It was huge. All the pits were in the back, and then the game fields were up front. It was massive. But then on the same level was FLL. There were 200 team pits in one room, 160 FLL Challenge and 40 FLL Explorer. Then there were separate rooms for all the judging. There was a bunch of judging rooms, and then there was a theater kind of room for the game fields.
DANIEL
And these teams weren't just from the United States, where they?
TEEMU
No. There were teams from the…where we were in the pits the team next to us was from Hungary, the team across from us was from France, there was a team behind us from Italy, there was a team near us from Spain. There were teams everywhere from around the world.
DANIEL
And not just on the FLL level, but also the FRC and the FTC. There was, it was very internationally flaired. And as Teemu said it was just a mass amount of people and it was just a tremendous, tremendous time. There were also some celebrities there too. If those who are engineer minded, if a YouTuber, there's a very, very famous YouTuber there. And he was quite popular, to the point he put out a video. We had to actually do kind of a disguise to move through the crowds. And, you saw the YouTuber, didn't you?
TEEMU
I saw him, but I didn't like, see him a lot.
DANIEL
Yeah, because you guys were competing and your mom, your sisters and I went out to go see him, and we had. We're on the third level, looking down to the second level, where he was, and it was a mass of people huddled around him. He did some cool things. It was just a really neat experience in Houston. How did you. I want you to talk about in Houston, the Alliance games. You did that in Arkansas, but you also did it in Houston. Would you talk about that?
TEEMU
Yeah. So in Arkansas, they had the same exact field set up, all the same rules, just two robots. But in Houston, since all the competition was over, since it was Worlds last competition on the schedule, they realized, well, people don't need their robots for the rest of the season because the season's over. So they completely changed, like all the rules.
TEEMU
Made a whole bunch of new scoring rules. So you had to completely change your robot, recode it to just specifically fit these new rules. And we and it was three alliances. This time it's three people on one alliance instead of two. And we got paired with a team from Spain and a team from Washington.
DANIEL
And as a proud father watching you guys compete as a team, there was a moment where Teemu had a specific mission. He contributed to the team, and he executed that mission with one of the partners from Seattle, Washington. And I have it on film. You executed with almost near perfection. The two of you just high fived.
DANIEL
It was such a cool moment as a dad again, first promoting the collaboration, working with each other while competing. It was such a neat moment. How did you guys finish in Houston, Texas?
TEEMU
In Houston, Texas, for our core values, we were a finalist for Core Values, Our coach won the Coach Nomination Award, and then we won the Alliance games. We won.
DANIEL
So you came home with some hardware.
TEEMU
Oh yeah.
DANIEL
I remember after the last robot competition, I was in the playing field with you. And as we were walking back to the pits, the robot didn't perform the way that the team had hoped. And I remember your mom, my wife said, “Those are some sad faces.” Everyone was down. Do you remember that?
TEEMU
I do remember that.
DANIEL
And it was just very discouraging. But then the next day was just like award after award kept coming and it was just a neat day. It was a tremendous time in Houston. Looking back at that time, Teemu, in Houston, is there something from competing in the international tournament in person, not virtually, that made an impact for you?
TEEMU
I think it definitely showed me how well I can adapt to new people because like those two teams we were paired up with, I had no idea who they were. But like in a matter of minutes, we were all planning, working together, like getting everything done. It just really showed me how much I can get accomplished when I need to.
DANIEL
Now, this year, your team is no longer in FLL because a few of you have become too old. Part of it. So what is the plan for Nerds On A Mission right now?
TEEMU
So currently, since we cannot do FLL anymore with the current team, we decided to transfer the team from an FLL team to an FTC team. So this year, we are an FTC team and we are doing pretty good. Pretty, pretty good.
DANIEL
It's been a learning curve though, hasn't it?
TEEMU
For sure. For sure.
DANIEL
Going from LEGO pieces and LEGO things. Now to actual, you described this earlier, metal pieces and engineering that. What do you have expectations for this year?
TEEMU
I hope we can get to state maybe, but yeah, maybe, we'll see.
DANIEL
We'll see. When you think about all the things that you've been able to participate in robotics, and you have already talked about how that's helped you develop, are there other things that robotics has helped you in becoming the young man that you are now?
TEEMU
Yeah, definitely focusing in on that teamwork. And those social skills again, definitely helps in those areas. And then it also has really given me a good idea on what kind of career I can go down.
DANIEL
And what career is that.
TEEMU
Engineering.
DANIEL
How did you determine that that's what you wanted to move down?
TEEMU
Definitely throughout the years, I really saw how much of an engineering kind of brain I have. Like, I can just see things that not everyone can see, I guess.
DANIEL
I remember when you came back from Arkansas, it was no more than a day after we were home. And you got out the LEGO bricks and the robot kit that we have, and you just started going and problem solving and figuring that out. And I believe that God has gifted you with an incredible mind to problem solving, to think through processes.
DANIEL
And that's what you're very gifted at. So an engineering mind has been a very good career path for you, but you've also had others speak into your life too, that have helped and trained you. And now you are also speaking into and training, of course your brother, younger brother is a part of this team as well, but your youngest sister is also now starting, will be starting FLL, so we're going to start all over again. And you've helped her develop that in her skills. You and her recently got out the robot kit and started building stuff, getting her mind thinking that way as well. Teemu, as we come to close this podcast, where have you seen God throughout your career and time in robotics so far?
TEEMU
I definitely see God in the background for sure, like just really giving me the confidence to do everything I do, I guess, and then like he really, just like is always nudging me on the right path and then like showing me when I'm not doing something right, you know, and then like, really showing me that I should really do what I'm doing.
DANIEL
That confidence that God has given to you, Teemu, how do you see that played out in everyday life?
TEEMU
Definitely at, like, church and at youth group, I'm definitely a lot more outgoing than I used to be. He's like, God's definitely pushing me to be more of an ambassador to the community.
DANIEL
In thinking about that God has taught you confidence, confidence in him and not yourself, how does that help you when you have those tough days, those tough moments? Maybe in robotics, maybe problem solving there? I know that the current robot has had some issues trying to figure that out, even in just your everyday life. Sometimes you run into trials and obstacles that can hinder us and stop us and prevent us. And a lot of people just give up, throw in the towel and forget about it. How has the confidence God has given you in those down times helped you move forward?
TEEMU
Yeah, definitely, like, if I'm not, like, really wanting to do something, he's always like, there, like, “No, you should do this. It's worth it.” And, you know, like pushing me to do it instead of just like, pushing it off, you know.
DANIEL
How do you fight through that though, Teemu? Because some people, even when we hear God pushing us and prompting us, again, we want to give up. We don't want to persevere. How do you persevere through some of those times?
TEEMU
I always I think it may be hard. It may be hard what you're trying to do, and it may take a while, but it's going to be worth it. It's, it's going to be worth it.
DANIEL
I think your career in robotics is a testimony of how God has built you, and given you an ability and strength to work through trials. To persevere and also to work in and receive the joys and the blessings of robotics. Would you agree with that?
TEEMU
I do agree with that.
DANIEL
Teemu, was there anything, any encouragement you want to share with a listener out there, whether they're a parent or grandparent, a peer of yours, a friend, just something that you've learned throughout your career in robotics that might be encouraging for somebody who's listening.
TEEMU
I definitely say always work together as a team because it's just, it's just better. It's just better to be with other people, get other people to help you. I think, never give up because you're going to get it eventually. You have to fail to get something right. You're going to fail, but you're going to get it right if you keep trying.
DANIEL
Before we get to our last question, I want to remind our listeners, make sure that you subscribe to the BeLED Family Podcast so you don't miss out on any of these upcoming episodes. Next week we’ve got another fun conversation with a friend of ours who's going to talk about an adventure they had in Spain. So make sure that you subscribe.
DANIEL
Thank you for being a part of the BeLED Family Podcast. We're so grateful for the time that you take to listen to us. So last question, Teemu, how has God been glorified through your career in robotics?
TEEMU
I think he's glorified outside the time in actual robotics, but he's showed me how to glorify him in robotics. And then I just take what I've learned during robotics and just push it out to every thing else I do. Just being kind when others aren't, be opening doors, holding doors, simple things, holding doors for people, all just really simple stuff and just being kind, you know?
DANIEL
Oh, that's, that's awesome. If you want to know more about First Robotics, there’s link in our description, or if you want to learn more or follow the Nerds On A Mission, there's a link to follow the team as well, as they have a few more tournaments coming up this year. Again, thank you for listening to BeLED Family Podcast.
DANIEL
Thank you, Teemu, for being here.
TEEMU
Yeah, of course.
DANIEL
I hope you guys all have a great day. Thank you for listening to this week's BeLED Family Podcast episode. We appreciate you taking the time to tune in. Help us by sharing this podcast with your friends. Support the BeLED Family Podcast and BeLED Family by visiting us at our website, beledfamily.com and follow us on Facebook and Instagram.
DANIEL
As a reminder, the BeLED Family Podcast is for educational and informational purposes only and is not intended to substitute for professional advice. Until the next episode, BeLED in all that you do.
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