Introduction 1 Overview

The VEX Robotics Competition

This section provides an introduction to VEX Gateway and the VEX Robotics Competition.

The world needs the students of today to become the scientists, engineers, and problem solving leaders of tomorrow. The constant breakthroughs in chemistry, medicine, materials and physics reveal a new set of challenges and create an even greater opportunity for problem solving through technology. These problems are not academic; the solutions could help save the world and those technology problem solvers will be the ones to make it possible.

This underscores the dramatic challenge we face: there are not enough high school graduates choosing technology related disciplines in college. This does not reflect a lack of capacity for new students on the part of technical schools and universities, but a lack of interested and qualified applicants. In short, we will not have the people we require in the next generation to solve the problems of tomorrow unless the shortage is directly addressed today. Who will solve the world’s next great crisis?

Recognizing this dilemma, scores of organizations are creating programs designed to attract and engage young students in the study of science and technology. Many have found that robotics is a very powerful platform to attract and hold the attention of today’s multi-tasking, connected youths. Robotics has strong appeal to this intensely competitive generation and represents the perfect storm of applied physics, mathematics, computer programming, digital prototyping and design, integrated problem solving, teamwork and thought leadership. Students with a previously undiscovered aptitude for STEM (Science, Technology,

Engineering, and Math) curriculum are flourishing in growing numbers due to the efforts of schools, volunteer organizations, corporations, and governments internationally. The VEX Robotics Competition, operated by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, is a

program that inspires thousands of students worldwide to pursue STEM-related education and career paths. While there are many quality robotics competitions worldwide, the VEX Robotics user community has overwhelmingly demanded new challenges that are easy and economical to host and implement.

The VEX Robotics Design System helps takes the inspiration from the competition to the next level. The system is used as a classroom robotics platform designed to nurture creative advancement in robotics and knowledge of STEM education. VEX provides teachers and students with an affordable, robust, and state-of-the-art robotics system suitable for classroom use and the playing field. VEX’s innovative use of premanufactured and easily formed structural metal, intuitive mechanical parts combined with a powerful range

of user-programmable microprocessors for control, leads to infinite design possibilities.

For more information visit www.vexrobotics.com. Follow us on Twitter @VEXRobotics. Like Us on facebook at www.facebook.com/vexrobotics

Visit RobotEvents.com for more information on the VEX Robotics Competition, including team registration,event listings and results and more.

VEX Gateway – A Primer

VEX Gateway is played on a 12 ft x 12 ft foam-mat, surrounded by a sheet-metal and lexan

perimeter. There are thirteen goals of varying height, which teams can score balls and barrels into. The field is divided by two large gates which teams may lift at their discretion to allow passage. For more details and specific game-play rules, please see Section 2 – The Game.

While participating in the VRC Gateway season, teams will develop many new skills in response to the challenges and obstacles which stand before them. Some problems will be solved by individuals, while others will be handled through interaction with their student teammates and adult mentors. Teams will work together to build a VEX robot to compete in one of many tournaments, where they celebrate their accomplishments with other teams, family and friends. After the season, students come away not only with the accomplishment of building their own competition robot, but with an appreciation of science and technology and how they might use it to positively impact the world around them. In addition, they cultivate

life skills such as planning, brainstorming, collaboration, teamwork, and leadership as well as research and technical skills.

The Game Overview

Game Description

This section describes the VEX Robotics Competition game, called VEX

Gateway. It also lists the game definitions and game rules. Matches are played on a field initially set up as illustrated in the figures below. Two Alliances – one “red”

and one “blue” – composed of two teams each, compete in each Match. The object of the game is to attain a higher score than your opponent Alliance by Scoring Balls and Barrels in Goals, Scoring Bonus

Points and by Scoring Doubler Barrels or Negation Barrels in Circular Goals.

Figure 1: Isometric view of the field

Note: The illustrations in this section of the manual are only provided to give a general visual understanding of the game. Teams should refer to the official field specs available in Appendix A for exact field dimensions, a full field BOM, exact details of field construction, and lower cost field options.

There are a total of twenty-six (26) Barrels, eighteen (18) Balls, two (2) Doubler Barrels and two (2) Negation Barrels available as Scoring Objects in the game. Each Alliance will have four (4) Barrels and four (4) Balls available to them to load during each Match. From these Scoring Objects, each Alliance has the option to Preload two (2) Barrels and two (2) Balls. Scoring Objects not Preloaded will be available to the Alliance as Match Loads. Eighteen (18) of the Barrels and Ten (10) of the Balls will start at designated locations on the field. Each Alliance will have one (1) Doubler Barrel and one (1) Negation Barrel that may be introduced into the field of play sometime in the last thirty seconds (0:30) of the match. The field is divided into Interaction and Isolation Zones by two large PVC Gates which can be lifted by teams during the Match.