Welcome to this month’s edition of Drive Forward News! We’ve got some great topics for you this month.
Jump to a section to read more:
How to approach summer builds with mechanical designer Bailey Kahl
We’re heading to Denver for ISTELive 24!
Discover VEX Robotics Camps: Igniting STEM Learning in Summer
July in Vegas for the CSTA 2024 Annual Conference? Yes, please!
VEX PD+ is Always On and Ready
Top Five Recommendations for a Successful Summer Robotics Build
Summer is the perfect time to dive into robotics, whether you’re a seasoned competitor or just starting out. Bailey Kahl, a Mechanical Designer at VEX Robotics, shares his top five recommendations to ensure your summer robotics build is both educational and fun. These tips are designed to be useful for all levels:
1. Read the Game Manual – The game manual is your roadmap to success. It contains all the rules, objectives, and constraints for the competition. Understanding these elements is crucial for designing a robot that can effectively compete. Start by reading the entire manual from start to finish. Pay special attention to the scoring rules and any specific requirements for robot dimensions and capabilities. See the VEX V5 Game Manual for High Stakes, or check out the VEX IQ Game Manual for Rapid Relay.
Use a highlighter or take notes on important sections. This will help you quickly reference critical information during the build process. Make sure everyone on your team understands the rules. Hold a meeting to discuss any questions.
2. Brainstorm Ideas with Your Teammates – Collaboration is key in robotics. Brainstorming with your teammates can lead to innovative solutions and ensure that everyone is on the same page. Gather your team and start throwing out ideas. No idea is too wild at this stage.
Whiteboards, sticky notes, and sketches can help visualize concepts and facilitate discussion. Once you have a list of ideas, discuss the feasibility of each one. Consider factors like complexity, resource availability, and alignment with the game manual. Choose a few of your favorite ideas to move forward with.
3. Prototype Your Ideas – Prototyping allows you to test your ideas in a tangible way. It helps identify potential issues early and provides a hands-on understanding of how your design will function. You might start with basic materials like cardboard, foam, or 3D-printed parts to create initial prototypes.
Prototype the most critical parts of your robot first, such as the drive system or manipulator. Don’t spend too much time perfecting your first prototype. The goal is to test and learn, not to create a final product. Save your prototypes to be able to come back and compare future revisions with the original intent, if possible.
4. Practice, Test & Evaluate Your Prototype – Testing and practice are essential to refine your design and ensure it performs well under competition conditions. If possible, set up a practice field that mimics the competition environment. Practice will help you test your robot in realistic conditions and is the best way to improve your chances of success.
Test your robot’s performance in various scenarios. Pay attention to how it handles different tasks and obstacles. Record performance metrics such as speed, accuracy, and reliability. Use this data to identify areas for improvement.
5. Iterate Your Designs: Iteration is the process of refining your design based on testing and feedback. It’s a critical step to ensure your robot is as effective as possible. Review the data and observations from your testing phase. Identify what worked well and what didn’t.
Based on your analysis, make necessary adjustments to your design. This could involve tweaking mechanisms, reprogramming, or even redesigning certain parts. Iteration is a continuous cycle. Keep testing and refining until you’re satisfied with your robot’s performance.
By following these five recommendations from Bailey, you’ll be well on your way to a successful and rewarding summer robotics build.
Bailey started robotics in 2012 when he was 15. His first team was his high school team, the CyberKnights. He has competed in VEX Robotics in Sack Attack, Toss Up, & Skyrise. He started 4 teams and coached VEX IQ starting in 2014. He has competed in some way shape or form for 12 years now.
Are you working on your summer build? Share your summer builds on social media and include #vexrobotics and we may give you a special shout out!
Have fun and happy building!
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We’re heading to Denver for ISTELive 24!
We’re so excited to attend ISTELive 24 in Denver this year, June 23 through 26. You can find VEX Robotics by looking for booth 1100. Stop by to see what’s new, ask us a question, hang out, and drive a few robots—no matter what it is, we want to see you.
If you’re attending, make time to see some of our VEX Education team members presenting as part of the conference. Here are the presenting team members and outside educators and where they’ll be:
Using the Neir Model to Build an Equitable STEM Classroom (POSTER SESSION)
Mon Jun 24, 1:30PM – 3PM MDT – Bluebird Ballroom Lobby, Table 8
Switch Mode in the Classroom (DEMONSTRATION TABLE)
Wed Jun 26, 12PM – 2PM MDT – Colorado Convention Center, RoboPlay Playground
Higher Education Innovation Carnival! Connecting, Including, and Unleashing Learning
Wed Jun 26, 12PM – 2PM MDT – Colorado Convention Center, Playground A
RoboPlay: A Hands-On Exploration of STEM, Computer Science, and Robotics
Wed Jun 26, 12PM – 2PM MDT – Colorado Convention Center, Playground B
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Discover VEX Robotics Camps: Igniting STEM Learning in Summer
VEX Robotics Camps are designed to captivate young minds during summer break, focusing on teaching robotics and engineering. Bring VEX Camps to your students anywhere, anytime! Online Camps feature free, video-based, instructor-led sessions where students follow along to build, code, and explore with VEX.
Each Camp is structured around five lessons, are video-based, and focus on hands-on learning.
Each session allows your student to get hands-on and build something new!
VEX GO Kit required, computing device needed for some activities.
Using your VEX IQ Kits, you can build, drive, and code fun activities.
VEX IQ Kit (2nd gen) required, computing device needed for some activities.
Code a virtual robot and discover all the fun activities your student can do. Use a virtual robot to draw, drive, clean the ocean, solve a maze, and more!
Computing devices and internet connectivity required.
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July in Vegas for the CSTA 2024 Annual Conference? Yes, please!
Our team is also hitting the road for the CSTA Annual Conference July 16 through 19 in Las Vegas at Caesars Forum. We will be at booth 135.
If you’re attending, make time to see some of our VEX Robotics Education team and outside educators presenting as part of the conference. Here are the presenting team members and where they will be at the show:
Tina Dietrich and Desiree White-Price, Woodland Hills School District
Bridging the CS Gap Between Schools and Communities (POSTER SESSION)
Wed Jul 17, 2PM – 3:30PM PT – Exhibit Hall Poster Pavilion Table 11
Jason McKenna, VP of Global Educational Strategy, VEX Robotics
Learning Computer Science with VEX Robots: Supporting K–8 Students across the Curriculum
Thur July 18, 2:30 PM-3:30 PM PT – Forum Ballroom 105
Lori Colangelo – Instructor / Curriculum Developer from Hopewell Area School District, PA
Building Equitable Learning Environments (WORKSHOP)
Fri Jul 19, 10:30AM – 11:30AM PT – Forum Ballroom 112-123
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VEX PD+ is Always On and Ready
No matter what time of year it is, you can always tap into VEX PD+ as a great resource for your professional development.
Some exciting updates have recently been made to VEX PD+! Check out any of the below resources to prepare your skills for career-focused STEM and CS education this school year:
- A VEX CTE Workcell Introductory Certification Course is now available
- Outside of VEX PD+, we also have VEX CTE STEM Labs available now to use in your classroom!
- Also, this useful VEX Library resource provides a breakdown of the entire kit: Overview of the CTE Workcell Kit
- The 2024 VEX Robotics Educators Conference Opening Keynote, What Can DoD STEM Do For You?, by Louie Lopez and Dr. Rebecca Grella is now available to watch! This presentation dives into all the resources DoD STEM has to offer educators, students, and schools.
The VEX Professional Learning Community got an update! This forum for educators to share ideas and discuss questions is now open for anyone to read posts, even if you don’t have a VEX PD+ account. However, if you want to post, comment, or share articles with others, you’ll need a VEX PD+ subscription!
Also, we have updated conference.vex.com to include highlights from the 2024 VEX Robotics Educators Conference. Make sure you check out:
- Testimonials from attendees
- Images from presentations
- List of the speakers
- Workshops that were available
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Enjoy the upcoming holiday and we will see you back here next month. As always, thanks for being a part of our community.
Here’s what we covered in the last edition of Drive Forward News:
VEX Robotics Educators Conference: Great speakers, hands-on learning, and more
VEXWorlds.TV – Helping you relive moments and matches you may have missed
VEX Robotics World Championship Pit Design + Costume Contests