Vex - AbsoluteAstronomy.com

The VEX Robotics Design System is a robotic kit

Robot kit

A robot kit is a special construction kit for building robots, especially autonomous mobile robots.Toy robot kits are also supplied by several companies...

intended to introduce students as well as adults to the world of robotics. The VEX Robotics Design System is centered around the VEX Protobot Kit (which retails for USD $199.99). This kit comes with various sensor

Sensor

A sensor is a device that measures a physical quantity and converts it into a signal which can be read by an observer or by an instrument. For example, a mercury-in-glass thermometer converts the measured temperature into expansion and contraction of a liquid which can be read on a calibrated...

s (two bumper sensor and two limiter switches), four electric motor

Electric motor

An electric motor converts electrical energy into mechanical energy.Most electric motors operate through the interaction of magnetic fields and current-carrying conductors to generate force...

s and a servo

Servomechanism

thumb|right|200px|Industrial servomotorThe grey/green cylinder is the [[Brush |brush-type]] [[DC motor]]. The black section at the bottom contains the [[Epicyclic gearing|planetary]] [[Reduction drive|reduction gear]], and the black object on top of the motor is the optical [[rotary encoder]] for...

, wheels (four small, four medium all purpose, and four large high-traction tires), gears, and structural parts. Additional sensors (ultrasonic

Ultrasonic sensor

Ultrasonic sensors work on a principle similar to radar or sonar which evaluate attributes of a target by interpreting the echoes from radio or sound waves respectively. Ultrasonic sensors generate high frequency sound waves and evaluate the echo which is received back by the sensor...

, line tracking, optical shaft encoder, bumper switches, limit switches, and light sensors), wheels ( small and large omni-directional

Mecanum wheel

The Mecanum wheel is one design for a wheel which can move in any direction. It is sometimes called the Ilon wheel after its Swedish inventor, Bengt Ilon, who came up with the idea in 1973 when he was an engineer with the Swedish company Mecanum AB....

wheels, small, medium, and large regulars), tank treads, motors, servos, gears (regular and advanced), chain and sprocket sets, extra transmitters and receivers, programming kit (easyC, robotC, MPLab), extra metal, pneumatics, and rechargeable battery power packs, can all be purchased separately.

This award winning platform was developed as part of a partnership between Innovation First, Inc. and IFIrobotics.

This product was originally available for purchase in RadioShack

RadioShack

RadioShack Corporation is an American franchise of electronics retail stores in the United States, as well as parts of Europe, South America and Africa. As of 2008, RadioShack reported net sales and operating revenues of $4.81 billion. The headquarters of RadioShack is located in Downtown...

stores, and also on the web. On April 17, 2006 Innovation First announced their acquisition of the VEX Robotics brand name and trademark registrations from RadioShack Corporation. RadioShack stores are no longer selling VEX kits.

VEX Robotics Competition (VRC)

The VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) is a robotics competition utilizing the VEX robotics platform. VEX Robotics, Inc. contracts the non-profit Robotics Education and Competition Foundation to organize and operate the worldwide VEX Robotics Competition. Teams build and program a robot to complete a task revealed each year. VRC is played on a 12'x12' square field. Two alliances – one "red" and one "blue" – composed of two teams each, compete in each match which consists of a twenty-second autonomous period followed by two minutes of driver-controlled play. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent alliance by accruing points according to the game elements laid out in that year's rules. In some years, additional points could be earned by positioning the robot at the end of the match. In Elevation, Clean Sweep, and Round Up, a bonus was awarded to the alliance that has the most total points at the end of the Autonomous Period. In Gateway though, there is no autonomous bonus.

The cost is currently $75 for the first team from an organization, and $25 for each additional team.

The winning alliance (and runners up at events with 51 or more teams) at each local competition qualify for the VEX World Championship. The winners of the Robot Skills and Programming Skills Challenges also qualify for the VEX World Championship. In addition, the winner of the "Excellence Award" at each tournament with at least 18 teams qualifies for the Vex World Championship.

Season	Game	Main Game Elements	Location of World Championship	Date
2007–2008	Bridge Battle	Tennis balls	Northridge, California	May 1–3, 2008
2008–2009	Elevation	Cubes	Dallas, Texas	April 30 – May 2, 2009
2009–2010	Clean Sweep	Small green balls, medium orange footballs, and large white bonus balls	Dallas, Texas	April 22–24, 2010
2010–2011	Round Up	Toruses	Lake Buena Vista, Florida	April 14–16, 2011
2011–2012	Gateway	Barrels and Balls	Anaheim, CA	April 18–21, 2012

FIRST Tech Challenge

The FIRST Tech Challenge, formerly the FIRST Vex Challenge, is a mid-level robotics competition announced by FIRST on March 22, 2005. The FIRST Tech Challenge, according to FIRST, was designed to be a more accessible and affordable option for schools. FIRST has also said that the FTC program was created for those of an intermediate skill level. FIRST Tech Challenge robots are approximately one-third the scale of their FRC counterparts. The FTC competition is meant to provide a transition for students from the FLL

FIRST Lego League

The FIRST® LEGO® League is an international competition organized by FIRST for elementary and middle school students ....

competition to the FRC

FIRST Robotics Competition

The FIRST Robotics Competition is an international high school robotics competition organized by FIRST. Each year, teams of high school students compete to build robots weighing up to , not including battery and bumpers, that can complete a task, which changes every year...

competition.

The 2005 FIRST season featured a demonstration of the FIRST Vex Challenge using a 1/3 linear scale mock-up of the 2004 FRC Competition, FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar

FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar

FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar was the 2004 game for the FIRST Robotics Competition. The game included elements from previous years' games, including mobile goals, "capping" goals with large inflatable balls, and others...

. For their 2005–2006 Pilot Season, FVC teams played the Half-Pipe Hustle game using racquet balls and ramps.

For the 2006 FVC Season (2007 FIRST Season), the FIRST Vex Challenge teams played the Hangin'-A-Round challenge using softballs, rotating platforms, a hanging bar, and a larger 'Atlas' ball which is significantly larger than most Vex robots and harder to manipulate. Competitions were held around the United States, Canada, and Mexico.

The 2007 season featured the Quad Quandary challenge, which was played using PVC rings and moveable goalposts.

FTC no longer features Vex robots, but instead uses the Lego NXT microcontroller in conjunction with a new hardware kit named Tetrix.

Games(FTC/FVC)

2005 Demonstration: 1/3 Scale FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar
FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar
FIRST Frenzy: Raising the Bar was the 2004 game for the FIRST Robotics Competition. The game included elements from previous years' games, including mobile goals, "capping" goals with large inflatable balls, and others...
2006 Pilot Season: Half-Pipe Hustle
Half-Pipe Hustle
Half-Pipe Hustle was the first official FIRST Vex Challenge game, taking place in 2005-2006. In this challenge, robotics teams built robots from the Vex design kit to compete in competitions across the United States and in other nations, in matches consisting of a 45-second autonomous period,...
2006 Season: Hangin'-A-Round
Hangin'-A-Round
Hangin'-A-Round was the name of the robotics contest at the 2006-2007 FIRST Vex Challenge. The contest involved building a robot from a kit that could attain a higher score than the opposition by placing the softballs into the colored goals, possessing the “atlas ball”, and by being parked on the...
2007 Season: Quad Quandary
Quad Quandary
In the 2007-2008 FIRST Tech Challenge robot competition, Quad Quandary is the first challenge theme replacing the former FIRST Vex Challenge, with similar general rules regarding the specifications of the robot and the game play...

VEXplorer

Model kit maker Revell Monogram and VEX robot supplier Innovation First announced more details of their new consumer robot kit February 13, 2007.

The VEXplorer robot kit is a direct descendant of the VEX robot kit that is the basis for student robot design competitions. It was designed and marketed to "bring robotics creation outside the classroom taking the consumer robotics category to new heights."

VEXplorer includes all the parts, motors and wheels to make a remote controlled rolling robot with a webcam and a claw arm strong enough to pick up a full aluminum can.

VEXplorer is the product of a partnership between the two companies that was announced last year. Revell will handle the marketing while Innovation First will provide the engineering and technical design.

The VEXplorer kit has 2 add-on kits: a wrist joint to give arms more flexibility, and a tank tread set similar in design to those sold as a standard VEX add-on.

As of 2009 the Vexplorer has been discontinued; however, accessories are "still available while they last."

External links

Official Vex Robotics Website
Vex Robotics Design System tips, recommendations and how to order hard-to-find parts
The MythBusters
MythBusters
MythBusters is a science entertainment TV program created and produced by Beyond Television Productions for the Discovery Channel. The series is screened by numerous international broadcasters, including Discovery Channel Australia, Discovery Channel Latin America, Discovery Channel Canada, Quest...

Test the Vex Robotics System for Robot Magazine
Robot Magazine
Robot Magazine is an American bi-monthly robotics publication produced by the Maplegate Media Group. The first issue appeared in November 2003...
The VEX store
The Official Vex Community Site
An Article About Vexplorer

The source of this article is wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. The text of this article is licensed under the GFDL.

VEX Robotics Competition (VRC)

FIRST Tech Challenge

Games(FTC/FVC)

VEXplorer

See also

External links