VEX IQ Robotics Competition
Get involved in the world's largest robotics competition and bring your students' STEM skills to life!
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Overview
The VEX IQ Robotics Competition brings STEM skills to life by tasking teams of students with designing, building and coding a robot to play against other teams in a game-based engineering challenge.
Using a VEX IQ robotics kit, teams analyse the season's game and design a robot to meet its challenges. The competition includes both fully autonomous and driver-controlled matches, allowing participants to showcase their engineering and programming skills.
Classroom STEM concepts are put to the test as team members learn skills which can help them in the classroom and beyond - such as teamwork, leadership, resilience and communication.
Another key aspect of the competition is the Engineering Notebook, which is presented to a panel of judges. The Engineering Notebook is just as important as the robot itself, allowing judges to look 'under the hood' of the robot, and delve in to learn more about the team, the robot and their design processes.
Dates & locations
Tournaments are held year-round at local, regional, and national levels (around 40 in the UK alone) that culminate at the VEX Robotics World Championship in the US each April! Every tournament is supported by a team of volunteers along with the Global Robotics & Science Foundation Program Support Manager.
STEM Ambassadors can work with teams to support teachers and also judge at events to give inspiration and guidance to attendees.
The competition is open to all, globally, including school teams, clubs, and independent teams.
Duration
The season runs from May to the following March, and teams can attend as many events as they wish during that season.
Teams currently taking part will typically meet weekly (or fortnightly early in the season) after school or during lunchtimes, this frequency can increase closer to events.
The programme is designed to be student-led so work can take place away from school by students.
A typical team will spend a minimum of 6 sessions prior to an event working and developing their robot, but the team may spend as much additional time as they wish in preparation for an event.
Details
- School subject
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- Technology/computing
- Curriculum links
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- Engineering
- Technologies - Craft, design, engineering and graphics: Application of engineering
- Design thinking and engineering: Engineering
- Technology & design - Manufacturing
- Technology & design - Design
- Technology & design - Control
- Group size
- Small groups
- Participation level
- Hands-on
- Duration
- Multi-session - set days
- Cost
- Cost applies
There is an annual registration fee of £125+VAT for the season, which allows teams to attend as man qualification events as they wish, both locally and across the country.
Teams also require a VEX IQ robotics kit to build their robot with - this is available from VEX Robotics and can be used year-on-year, so not an annual fee.
Grants are available throughout the season from various organisations.
- Location
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In-school
- UK-wide
Learning outcomes
- Improve engagement, interest or enjoyment in STEM subjects
- Attainment and progress
- Learning what the engineering workplace is like
- Develop engineering employability skills
- Improve awareness and aspirations for STEM-related study and careers
- Challenge stereotypes by showing the diversity of disciplines, people and skills involved in engineering
Frameworks
EqualEx
- Introduce and Inspire
Essential skills
The essential skills every young person needs to succeed in education and their future career. Find out more at the Skills Builder Partnership. This experience builds the following skills:
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Enrichment framework
- 5 - An accessible and engagement enrichment offer
