The Inaugural Bandonbridge VEX Championships: 5th Class VEX Project Begins!
This year’s VEX project is different as there is no National VEX Competition or Finals in CIT. However, that was no reason not to do the project with this very talented group of budding engineers!
Back in September, we fundraised to buy two more robots, bringing our total to five. Now each pod in 5th class has a robot of their own, so the five groups can complete their own projects separately from each other.
This all means that, for the first time ever, we are hosting an in-house Bandonbridge VEX Championships! The finals will be held in June, and each group will be competing for a range of awards as follows:
1. Design Award
2. Robot Driving Skills Award
3. Programming Award
4. Teamwork Challenge Award
5. STEM Project Award
6. Excellence Award
Last week, each group began designing and researching potential robot designs to meet the challenge presented. (Watch challenge video here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IJML1_JNCLI)
They discovered that their robot needed to push, lift and stack hubs, as well as hang off a bar.
After deciding on a design, they got to work building the robot this week. Making all the motors, cogs, and parts to work together in tandem is no easy task. You can see their excellent progress in the pictures!
Of course, VEX isn’t all about building a robot:
The Programming Team’s job is to program the robot to autonomously push hubs and hang off a bar. They are currently learn how to use the programming software VEXcode, something they had never used before. They are experimenting with writing their own programs and testing them on robots in a virtual setting, while they wait for the real robots to be built!
The Engineering Logbook Team are in charge of recording everything done in the project. Their job is to show how their team got from a bunch of Vex pieces to a fully functioning robot; from confusing numbers and terms, to a working program. They will spend the next two months recording every aspect of the design process in pictures, writing and diagrams.
The STEM Research Team’s job is to conduct research on how robots can be used to perform everyday, useful tasks in society. They are currently researching and designing a new robot to pick up rubbish autonomously in Bandon.
All the students have put their very best foot forward in the project to date, and I am sure they will come out the other side with many new skills and expertise in STEM/robotics. Stay posted for the BBNS VEX Championships Finals date in June!
Mr. Ross
