WELCOME!

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Hello from the Flying Monkeys!  We are a FIRST LEGO League team from Ames and Gilbert, Iowa. Our team consists of 6 Girl Scouts and 2 coaches.  The girls are Mackenzie, Zoe, Gaby, Maria, Courtney and Kate.  In the 2010-2011 Body Forward Challenge we won the 1st place "Innovative Solution" award at our regional and state competitions.  The deserving invention was our "BOB-1".  The device helped a little girl in Georgia write for the first time.  Danielle, 4, does not have most of her right hand but she is right hand dominant and needed some help to write.  We won the FLL Global Innovation Award in a worldwide FIRST LEGO League competition for a $20,000 grant from the X-Prize Foundation to patent our device!  


This year we are focusing our energy on working towards our goal to patent our invention and to get the BOB-1 out to those who need it.  We continue to make progress!
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What a cuite pie! We LOVE her dimples! Click on the photo for the article!

The 2011 FIRST LEGO League 
Global Innovation Award Ceremony

The Top Three Teams

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The Flying Monkeys, Blue Gear Ticks and 4th Motor at the Global Innovation Award ceremony with Bob Weiss and X Prize Foundation representatives.

The USPTO

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The FIRST LEGO League (FLL) Global Innovation Award Ceremony was held June 16, 2011 at the USPTO in Alexandria, VA.

At the White House Science Fair

The Flying Monkeys were invited to participate in the 2012 White House Science Fair.  They were one of seven teams representing  FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition in Science and Technology) Click here for more information.  To read more about the White House Science Fair click here.
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Credit: Official White House photo
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Flying Monkeys reading in the Red Room in the White House.

WHAT'S NEW:

BOB-1 Medical Professional Survey

We are gathering data from the medical professional field.  If you interact with individuals with limb differences, we would appreciate your feedback via our brief survey

BOB-1 Interest Survey

We are gathering data from the limb difference community.  If you are affected by a hand difference or have a friend or family member who is, we would appreciate your feedback via our brief survey.

The Flying Monkeys were invited to present at the International Conference on Science in Rio de Janeiro, a lead in to the Rio +20 Earth Conference!  The Department of State, Rockwell Collins and FIRST are sponsoring us.  WHAT AN HONOR!  Click here for more information on the event.

The Flying Monkeys at the Iowa Capitol

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The Flying Monkeys met with Gov. Terry Branstad, Lt. Gov. Kim Reynolds and were introduced to the House of Representatives.  The Monkeys discussed their project and their continued work on the BOB-1.

Filing Our Patent

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Flying Monkeys at McKee, Voorhees and Sease, PLC to file our utility patent for the BOB-1!  THANK YOU, Brad, Luke and MVS!  We appreciate all your assistance, support and expertise!

What is FIRST LEGO League?

FIRST LEGO League is an organization that encourages kids to think creatively and use technology to innovate tomorrow's designs.  Every year there is a theme released for both the robot game and the project.  Teams must create a 5 minute project that relates to the theme and program a robot to complete various tasks on a playing field.  The project may also include a service project pertaining to the invention.  We sent the Bob-1 and Bob-1.2 to Danielle and received feedback upon her using the device.  


For more information visit the FIRST Lego League website.

We're looking for test subjects for the BOB-1!

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As we continue working on and refining the BOB-1 Hand Device, we are reaching out to a wider audience.  We need more feedback for others.  If you think the BOB-1 Hand Device might help you or if you know someone that it may help write, please contact us.  You can click on the link below to send a note!  

Click here!
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Updates

5/13/12  Yeah, it's Mother's Day!  We are still working!  We got a lot of things checked off our "To Do" list.  Even got to go to a graduation party and met some neat people who can help us with some more research!  YAY!  Coach Melissa liked the flowers, too!
5/2/12  WOW!  What a fun field trip!  We visited Christian, Tej and others at StartUp City in Des Moines!  An amazing place, full of ninjas, lasers, pirates and stuff!  They help connect and link businesses and get them going with peer interaction, educational lunches and more.  It's like a clubhouse for grownups!  You can even write on the walls!  We'll be going back, for sure!
4/20/12  We are getting responses to our surveys!  YAY!  Please share it if you know anyone with a limb difference!
Look for the older updates on our BLOG page.