VEX Robotics

The VEX V5 Construction and Control System is a metal-based robotics platform with machinable, bolt-together pieces that can be used to construct custom robotic mechanisms.[5] The robot is controlled by a programmable processor known as the VEX V5 Brain. The Brain is equipped with a color LCD touchscreen, 21 hardware ports, an SD card port, a battery port, 8 legacy sensor ports, and a micro-USB programming port. Usage with a VEX V5 Radio enables wireless driving and wireless programming of the brain via the VEX V5 Controller. The controller allows wireless user input to the robot brain, and two controllers can be daisy-chained if necessary. Each controller is equipped with two hardware ports, a micro-USB port, two 2-axis joysticks, a monochrome LCD display, and twelve buttons. The controller's LCD can be written to wirelessly from the robot, providing users with configurable feedback from the robot brain. The VEX V5 Motors connect to the brain via the hardware ports, and are equipped with an internal optical shaft encoder to provide feedback on the rotational status of the motor. The motor's speed is programmable, but may also be altered by exchanging the internal gear cartridge with one of three cartridges of different gear ratios.

VEXcode is a Scratch-based coding environment designed by VEX Robotics for programming VEX Robotics hardware, such as the VEX V5 Brain. The block-style interface makes programming simple for elementary through high- students. VEXcode is consistent across VEX 123, GO, IQ and V5, and can be used to program the devices from each. VEXcode allows the block programs to be viewed as equivalent C++ or programs, to help more advanced students transition from blocks to text. This also allows easy interconversion between text-based and block-based programming. In addition, a more advanced coding studio called VEXcode Pro introduces students to a professional programming studio where they can use VEX C++ to directly program their robots, allowing more flexibility and opening up more advanced methods of programming the VEX robots.[6]

Middle and high school students have the same game and rules. The most general and basic rules for the VEX Robotics Competition are as follows, but each year may have exceptions and/or additional constraints.[10]

• Each robot is partnered with another robot in a pair called an "alliance". In any given match, each alliance competes against one other alliance. One team is designated as the red alliance, and the other as the blue alliance.[9]
• No robot may exceed the dimensions of an 18-inch cube until the match has begun.[9]
• No robot may contain hardware, software, material, or content that is not distributed by or explicitly allowed by VEX Robotics.
• The playing field consists of a 12 foot by 12 foot square of foam tiles bordered by a wall of metal-framed polycarbonate dividers.[9] Anything outside of these border walls is considered as off of the playing field. The various props associated with that season's competition are arranged in a defined and reproducible manner before the start of each mach.
• At the start of the match is a 15-second 'autonomous' period, where all four robots navigate the field based on pre-programmed instructions, without live driver input.[9]
• After the autonomous period has ended, the 'driver control' period begins. This stage of the match consists of one minute and forty-five seconds of manual control of the robot[9] using one or two handheld controllers, utilized by the respective number of 'drivers'. Note: During a match, up to three competitors per robot may be on their alliance's side of the field, outside of the field border, in an area designated as their alliance's 'alliance station'. The field's two alliance stations are more commonly known as 'the driver pits', or simply 'the pits'.
• The object of the match is to attain a higher score, i.e. more points, than the opposing alliance. The method by which the alliances attain these points varies significantly with each season.[9]
• Throughout the match, the blue alliance is not allowed to enter the red alliance's 'protected zone' of the field, and vice versa. The designated areas of the field are often different for each season. However, during the autonomous period, the protected zone normally consists of the half of the field where the alliance starts, whereas the driver control period occasionally does not even define a protected zone, as was the case for VRC ChangeUp. Any robot that repeatedly, extensively, and/or intentionally enters the opposing alliance's protected zone will be given a warning, be forced to forfeit the match, and/or be disqualified from the tournament.
• Intentionally removing game objects from the field will result in a warning, match forfeit and/or, if necessary, disqualification.
• Intentionally and repeatedly damaging any of the robots involved, either during the match or otherwise, will result in immediate disqualification.

VRC Change Up is played with 32 balls, 16 red and 16 blue, and nine goals placed around a field. Each ball that has been scored in a goal is worth one point for the corresponding alliance color. The highest scored ball in a goal will be owned by the corresponding alliance color. If an alliance owns three goals in any direction (vertical, horizontal or diagonal), they will receive a six-point bonus for a connected row. However, balls can be descored by the opposing alliance at any time during the driver control period.[11]

The alliance that scores more points in the autonomous period is awarded a six-point "autonomous bonus", added to the final score at the end of the match. Each alliance also has the opportunity to earn an additional win point by completing their home row during the autonomous period. This bonus can be earned by both alliances, regardless of who wins the autonomous bonus.[11]

Previous VEX Robotics Competition games have included, from 2019–20 backwards, Tower Takeover,[12] Turning Point,[13] In The Zone,[14] Starstruck,[15] Nothing But Net,[16] Skyrise,[17] Toss Up,[18] Sack Attack,[19] Gateway,[20] Round Up,[21] Clean Sweep,[22] Elevation,[23] and Bridge Battle.[24]

VEX IQ Challenge Rise Above is played on a six foot by eight foot rectangular field. Two robots compete in the teamwork challenge as an alliance in one-minute long teamwork matches, working collaboratively to score points. Teams also compete in the robot skills challenge where one robot attempts to score as many points as possible. These matches consist of driving skills matches, which will be entirely driver controlled, and programming skills matches, which will be autonomous with limited human interaction.

The object of the game is to attain the highest score by scoring risers in the goal. There are a total of 27 risers, nine for each color (orange, purple and teal).

VEX IQ Challenge Squared Away is played on a four-foot by eight-foot rectangular field. The scoring objects in are three-inch diameter balls and seven-inch cubes. There are a total of 35 balls and seven cubes on the field. The object of the game is to score as many points as possible with your alliance partner in one of two ways: by scoring balls in or on cubes, and by moving cubes to their respective scoring zones.[27]

VEX IQ Challenge Next Level is played on a four-foot by eight-foot rectangular field. The object of the game is to attain the highest score by scoring and stacking colored hubs in building zones, removing bonus hubs from the hanging structure, and by parking or hanging on the hanging bar.[29] There are two building zones in the corners of the field, and in the middle there is one hanging structure. There are total of fifteen hubs, plus two bonus hubs available to be scored in the building zones and one parking zone in the middle of the field.[29]

VEX IQ Challenge Ringmaster is played on a four-foot by eight-foot rectangular field. The object of the game is to attain the highest score by scoring colored rings on the floor goal and on posts, by having uniform posts, by emptying starting pegs, and by releasing the bonus tray.[31] There are a total of 28 hexballs available as scoring objects in the game. There are two scoring zones, sixteen low goals, twelve elevated goals, and one bridge on the field.[31]

VEX IQ Challenge Crossover is played on a four-foot by eight-foot rectangular field. The object of the game is to attain the highest score by scoring hexballs in their colored scoring zone and goals, and by parking and balancing robots on the bridge.[33] There are a total of 28 hexballs available as scoring objects in the game. There are two scoring zones, sixteen low goals, twelve elevated goals, and one gridge on the field.[33]

VEX IQ Challenge Bank Shot is played on a four-foot by eight-foot rectangular field. The object of the game is to attain the highest score by emptying cutouts, scoring balls into the scoring zone and goals, and by parking robots on the ramp.[35] There are a total of 44 balls available as scoring objects in the game. There is one scoring zone, one goal, one ramp, and sixteen cutouts on the field.[35]

VEX IQ Challenge Highrise is played on a four-foot by eight-foot rectangular field. The object of the game is to attain the highest possible score by scoring cubes in the scoring zone and by building highrises of cubes of the same color on the highrise bases.[37] There are a total of 36 cubes, twelve of each of three colors, available as scoring objects in the game. There is one scoring zone and three highrise bases on the field. Each robot begins a match on one of two starting positions and must occupy a space of less than 13 by 19 by 15 inches.[37]

VEX IQ Challenge Add It Up is played on a four-foot by eight-foot rectangular field. The object of the game is to attain the highest possible alliance score by scoring your small and large BuckyBalls into the floor, low and high goals, filling scoring rings, and having robots hang from hanging bar at the end of the match.[39] There are a total of 36 small BuckyBalls and four large BuckyBalls available as scoring objects in the game. There are four floor goals, two low goals, two high goals, and four scoring rings, as well as a hanging bar.[39]

VEX IQ Challenge Rings-N-Things was the Pilot Program for the VEX IQ Challenge robotics competition program, which launched in April 2012.[41] The game is played on a four-foot by eight-foot field, surrounded by a 3.5 inch tall perimeter. There are four goals and eight rings into which teams can score 36 balls. The field is divided by the ramp.[41]

VEX 123 is a VEX Robotics program aimed to introduce basic turtle-style programming to young students in kindergarten through second grade. It uses a small round robot with a front, wheels and an audio speaker, (the '123 Robot') which is programmed to drive around a plastic course using either a handheld wireless programming module (the 'Coder') or a mobile device (not included) with Scratch-based programming software. The course is modular and can be built differently to present different programming challenges. VEX provides multiple pre-prepared STEM Labs that are designed for different classroom settings, such as language arts and mathematics. The VEX 123 STEM Labs are "designed to provoke STEM thinking and spark creative problem-solving ideas."[54]