MYTHBUSTERS & HEAD RUSH Host Kari Byron Celebrates Future Innovators at the Ultimate Robotics Competition of the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Season

Sterling Heights, Mich. – April 18, 2010 – Participants of the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship were joined this weekend by Kari Byron, host of the Discovery Channel’s hit show MYTHBUSTERS and the Science Channel’s HEAD RUSH, as winning alliances from the Middle School, High School and College competitions triumphed from United States, Canada, China and New Zealand, after outmaneuvering some of the world’s best teams during the intense three-day tournament which took place on April 14-16 at Walt Disney World’s ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex near Orlando, Fla.

Upon arrival, students were showered with confetti from bursting canons, welcomed by stilt walkers, a resident DJ, and entertained by a graffiti artist that painting the town robo-red in honor of the intense competition. The games kicked off on Thursday and continued Friday when teams from around the world poured into the stadium for the opening ceremonies, waving colorful flags from their respective countries and hailed by Mickey and friends. “There was so much energy and talent at this year’s VEX Robotics World Championship that it inspired us both on and off the field,” said Grace Hsieh of the winning high school champion alliance from team W.A.S.A.B.I. 2 hailing from Bellevue, Washington. “It was an amazing experience to meet and compete with some of the best teams from all over the world.”

After a series of intense back-to-back matches and elimination rounds, the High School Champion alliance emerged with teams comprised of Massachusetts’ Green Egg Robotics Club, Washington’s W.A.S.A.B.I. 2 and Ontario, Canada’s Simbotics teams. The Middle School Champion represented an alliance of China teams from Sichuan Chengdu Longjiang Road Primary School and the Shanghai Luwan Teenagers Activity Center. The College Championship title went to Massey University from New Zealand. In addition, one team from each of the three divisions was presented with an Excellence Award, the highest honor in the VEX Robotics Competition, given to the team with the most well-rounded VEX Robotics Program. Middle School, High School and College Excellence Award winners included, the VEXMEN: NightCrawler team from Downingtown Area Robotics in Downingtown, Pa., the Cheesy Poofs from Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose, Calif., and Massey University in New Zealand.

“As the fastest growing robotics program and largest middle and high school competition in the world, the VEX Robotics World Championship is a testament to the increasing interest in engaging kids in STEM education through robotics,” said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation, which stands for Robotics Education and Competition Foundation. “Robotics is a perfect model for workforce development, and it’s critical that we prepare our youth to succeed in today’s rapidly-advancing competitive world, by imbedding programs like VEX Robotics into daytime curriculum, and then enabling them to test their skills as an extracurricular activity in events like this.”

The VEX Robotics World Championship was the pinnacle event of the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Competition season, brought together by the non-profit REC Foundation, VEX Robotics, Inc. and their partners Autodesk, NASA, EMC, Northrop Grumman and Innovation First International. The event drew more than 10,000 middle school, high school and university participants representing 16 countries from around the world, and teams created customized robots built with the VEX Robotics Design System to compete against the best of the best playing the 2010-2011 season game Round Up.

In addition to the Excellence Awards and Middle School, High School and College Champion titles, several other technical and value based awards were presented to teams and individuals in each division for excelling in the following categories: Build, Community, Create, Design, Education, Energy, Future, Innovate, Inspire, Judges, Promote, Sportsmanship, Support, Teamwork, Think, Robot Skills Challenges, Mentor of the Year, Partner of the Year, Teacher of the Year and Volunteer of the Year.

BEST Robotics, a middle and high school national robotics program established in 1993, also hosted its second annual national championship alongside the VEX Robotics World Championship. The Boy Scouts of America were on hand toaward some of the first Robotics Merit Badges to more than 25 deserving scouts. Meanwhile, the U.S. Coast Guard Academy AROW hosted its water robotics competition.

Presenting co-sponsors of the 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship include Autodesk Inc., NASA, EMC Corporation, and the FUTURE Foundation. Additional supporting partners include Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, Microchip, Intelitek, Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University, the CREATE Foundation and Northrop Grumman.

The 2011/2012 VEX Robotics Competition game Gateway was unveiled after much anticipation at the tournament. The object of next year’s game is to attain a higher score than your opponent by picking up colored balls and barrels and placing them in circular goalposts of varying heights.

For more information about the VEX Robotics World Championship and this year’s award winners, please visit RobotEvents.com/championship.

ATTENTION TELEVISION AND WEB MEDIA

VEX Robotics World Championship b-roll supplementing this release is available for local television and web use. Interested media can access the b-roll package and photographs at vexroboticsworldchampionship2011.com/.

About REC Foundation

The REC Foundation, standing for Robotics Education and Competition, is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

About VEX Robotics and Innovation First International

VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational robotics products to middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on the VEX Robotics Design System, visit vexrobotics.com.

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VEX World Championship Winners PR Release

STERLING HEIGHTS, Mich. – April 12, 2011 – Celebrating National Robotics Week, nearly 10,000 middle school, high school and university participants from 16 countries around the world will compete in the action-packed 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship, to be held with free admission to the general public at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida on April 14-16, 2011. Giving the event mainstream recognition similar to that of an international sporting event, the Boy Scouts of America will be in attendance along with Congressman Ralph Hall. Talent from The Discovery Channel’s MYTHBUSTERS series and host of The Science Channel’s hit show HEAD RUSH, Kari Byron, will serve as master of ceremonies to guide teams and spectators through the final award ceremony on the last day of competition.

“We are excited to welcome our distinguished guests and premier event partners including Autodesk, NASA and EMC Corporation into Disney’s impressive global arena as we join together in celebrating the accomplishments of these powerful young minds,” said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation. “The magnitude of attendees at this year’s event speaks to the strength of the VEX Robotics Competition as a perfect model for educational robotics and workforce development. There are now over 100,000 students using VEX Robotics worldwide, showing the empowering effect it is having on participating schools, students and the international community.”

The VEX Robotics program is in support of The White House’s STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering & Math) initiative to get kids engaged in higher learning, and recently received attention from President Obama who visited a Miami Central High School classroom where he interacted with students excelling in STEM education through VEX Robotics. To show his support at the World Championship, Congressman Ralph Hall, senior member of the US House of Representatives and chair of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology – which funds NASA and the National Science Foundation – will cheer teams on, alongside other keynote attendees including Mele Williams, staff director of the Subcommittee on Research and Science Education; executives from Boy Scouts of America; and, of course, Mickey Mouse and friends.

As the fastest growing robotics program in the world, the VEX Robotics Competition is organized by the REC Foundation, and the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship serves as the final event of the 2010- 2011 competition season. This year, almost 600 out of the nearly 4,000 VEX Robotics Competition teams have earned the right to bring their robotic masterpieces to the “Happiest Place on Earth” where they will form strategic alliances with other teams and challenge their toughest competitors playing the game Round Up. All attending teams qualified for the tournament after dedicating countless hours to honing their building, programming and strategy skill sets to outperform others in order to reach the international stage.

In addition to the middle and high school VEX Robotics Competitions, the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship will put 35 university teams in the spotlight as they strive for the VEX Robotics College Challenge World Champion title. The BEST Robotics Competition National Championship will take place in the Jostens Center, and the U.S. Coast Guard Academy AROW water robotics competition will be heldat Champion Stadium. Boy Scouts of America will host a booth on Saturday, April 16, to showcase the new Robotics Merit Badge, and more than 20 scouts will be in attendance, aiming to be some of the first to complete the robotics merit badge requirements and receive the newly debuted badge from scout executives during the final award ceremony Saturday afternoon.

Partners and sponsors of the 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship include Autodesk, NASA, EMC Corporation, Intelitek, Innovation First International, iD Tech Camps, the REC Foundation, Automation Direct, Northrop Grumman, Microchip, the United States Coast Guard Academy, and the Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University.

Round Up, the 2010-2011 VEX Robotics Competition Game, is played on a 12’x12’ square field where two alliances composed of two teams each compete against one another. Each match consists of a twenty-second autonomous period where robots are controlled by onboard software, followed by two minutes of human-operated play. Fans can follow the competition and sign up for real-time competition news and results via live streamcasts, Facebook, Twitter, Flickr and YouTube updates. For more information visit RobotEvents.com/championship.

About REC Foundation

The REC Foundation, standing for Robotics Education and Competition, is a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

About VEX Robotics and Innovation First International

VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational robotics products to middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on the VEX Robotics Design System, visit VEXRobotics.com.

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VEX World Champs Kick Off Press Release

STERLING HEIGHTS, MI – March 30, 2011 – Top VEX Robotics teams from around the world spent three months strategically crafting detailed submissions for the VRC Online Challenges. In advance of the highly-anticipated 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship, the REC Foundation announced winners and finalists of the six sponsored online challenges. The top-ranking entrant in each of the online challenges received a coveted spot at the 2011 VRC World Championships, scheduled to take place on April 14-16 at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida. Top finalists of each challenge were also recognized for their teamwork and achievements with gift cards to vexrobotics.com in values of $250, $500 and $750. Students also entered the VEX- sponsored online essay contest, for which the top 10 entrants received $50 gift cards.

“These Online Challenges activate the global VEX Robotics community and foster widespread participation from teams of all sizes and with varying levels of expertise and specific strengths,” said Jason Morella, president of the REC Foundation. “Thanks to our sponsors, students get the chance to apply themselves to one or more categories they most enjoy, whether it’s website design, communications and public relations, video design or written storytelling. Most importantly, these online competitions teach students the importance of presentation and the amount of time and energy that goes into creating a final, polished product.”

VEX Robotics, Inc, Autodeski, EMC Corporation, and the FUTURE Foundation sponsored the robotics and animation online competition, which challenged students to create a final product that related to furthering robotics and science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) in multiple applications. The majority of teams will be able to use their submissions in real-world applications, further enhancing the value of participating in the challenges.

“Our goal is to help students embrace STEM education through hands-on learning in the classroom, with hopes that they seek out higher education and careers in design and engineering,” said Joe Astroth, chief education officer for Autodesk. “We are continuously inspired by our students who push the limits of the Autodesk Inventor program to seamlessly transform an idea into a fully formed virtual prototype.”

In the Autodesk Inventor 2011 Digital Prototyping Challenge, the three dominating designs included a “VEX Urban Explorer” robotic prototype that could successfully navigate multiple types of terrain including stairs, “The Rookie” robotic prototype designed to dispose of bombs by getting the suspicious object out of the building quickly and efficiently, and the “Mars Sampler Rover” robotic prototype intended to collect samples and transfer specimens to a test tube.

Team Exothermic Haiku from Redmond, Washington received first place in the VEX Robotics Design a Game Animation Challenge for their game “Ring Rolled.” “This was a difficult challenge, and it drew on the talents of every member of our team. We worked together to invent a game, define the rules and scoring, and create the animation, music, and narration. It’s only a three-minute video, but it sure took a lot longer than that to produce,” said Adam Young, the 11th grade chief animator of team 575 from Redmond High School. “Now that the animation is done, we have to finish our real robot for the World Championship.”

The complete list of VRC Online Challenges included: The Autodesk Inventor 2011 Digital Prototyping Challenge, the VRC Promote Award, the VEX Robotics Design and Game Animation Challenge, the FUTURE Foundation Design Challenge, the EMC Robotics Team/Club Website Challenge, the RECF Team Educational Video, and the VEX Robotics Essay Challenge. Teams that qualified for the 2011 VRC World Championship came from San Jose, California; Lawrenceville, Georgia; Wallingford, Connecticut; Redmond, Washington; Guarulhos, Brazil and Auckland, New Zealand. For a list of all entrants, prize descriptions, finalists, and the winners, visit http://forum.robotevents.com/design/.

About REC

The Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition tosupporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

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VRC Online Challenge Winners Release

PLTW to Offer Rigorous Hands-on, Project-Based Robotics Lessons for Middle School and High School Students — Classrooms may Begin Using VEX Robotics Equipment in 2011-2012; PLTW Students Gain Access to VEX Robotics Competitions Throughout the Country

CLIFTON PARK, NY – Project Lead the Way (PLTW), the nation’s leading provider of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) education, announced a new partnership with VEX Robotics, Inc. today that gives current and future PLTW schools new, exciting and cutting-edge opportunities both inside and outside the classroom.

Under the agreement, the VEX Robotics Design System will be the exclusive robotics platform offered to PLTW schools by PLTW, bringing exciting new opportunities for students including the chance to take PLTW’s courses that have been updated with rigorous hands-on, project based robotics lessons. It is nearly impossible in today’s society not to come into contact with a robotics device and PLTW’s robotics lessons provide students with an introduction to this important STEM field and offer students more advanced and innovative solutions to their classroom projects. PLTW schools may begin using VEX Robotics equipment during the 2011-2012 school year.

In addition, every PLTW classroom will have access to participate in the VEX Robotics Competition, the largest and fastest growing middle and high school robotics competition in the world, allowing students to apply their robotics knowledge from the classroom in a unique, problem-solving environment.

“Robotics is not only an important field of study for students interested in pursuing careers in STEM related fields but also integrates the critical and innovative thinking skills that are the foundation for any intellectual pursuit,” said John Lock, CEO of PLTW. “The majority of robotics programs for students are either after school or during weekend competitions, but now PLTW students have the opportunity to experience the hands-on, project based robotics curriculum in the classroom just like math or science. These problem-solving skills are exactly what students have to develop to be successful in today’s 21st century economy. We are looking forward to working with VEX to create the world’s next generation of innovators.”

The PLTW program shows students the real-world relevancy of what they are learning in the classroom and gets them excited about solving the world’s grand challenges. PLTW is constantly looking to bring the most up to date materials, equipment and cutting-edge technology into the classroom so that students have the opportunity to design and create their projects with the same tools that the industry leaders use in the workplace.

“PLTW is engaging students in STEM education as effectively as any program in the country,” said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics, Inc. “VEX Robotics is very proud to support PLTW’s mission of preparing students to be the most innovative and productive in the world. This partnership exposes hundreds of thousands of new students to the VEX Robotics Design System both in the classroom and in after-school competitions and we look forward to working with PLTW to increase access to many more students in the years to come.”

About VEX Robotics and Innovation First International

VEX Robotics, Inc., a wholly owned subsidiary of Innovation First International, is a leading provider of educational robotics products to middle schools, high schools and colleges around the world. The VEX Robotics Design System, winner of the 2006 Best of Innovations Award at CES, was built from the ground up and designed to be an affordable, accessible and scalable platform used to teach science, technology, engineering and math education worldwide. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform. For more information on the VEX Robotics Design System, visit www.vexrobotics.com.

The company also partners with the non-profit Robotics Education & Competition foundation to support the VEX Robotics Competition, the largest and fastest growing middle and high school robotics competition in the world. Started in 2007, the VEX Robotics Competition is designed to give a diverse group of students the chance to celebrate their accomplishments and share their passion for robotics with each other. In 2010, 2,500 teams from 20 countries participated in over 200 VEX Robotics Competition events worldwide. For more information on the VEX Robotics Competition, visit RobotEvents.com.

In 2010, Innovation First International added offices in Hong Kong, China, the United Kingdom and Canada to better serve the global marketplace. With an advanced in-house metal fabrication plant, distribution center and corporate office located together in a 13-acre complex in Greenville, Texas, the company is poised to continue on a rapid growth path. Please visit www.innovationfirst.com for additional information.

About Project Lead The Way

Project Lead The Way, Inc., is a national, non-profit organization that is the leading provider of rigorous and innovative STEM education curricular programs used in K-12 schools. The PLTW comprehensive curriculum, which is collaboratively developed by PLTW teachers, university educators, engineering and biomedical professionals, and school administrators, emphasizes critical thinking, creativity, innovation and real-world problem solving. The hands-on, project-based program engages students on multiple levels, exposes them to areas of study that they typically do not pursue, and provides them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success. PLTW began in 1998 in 12 high schools in upstate New York as a program designed to address the shortage of engineering students at the college level and has grown to a network of approximately 4,000 middle and high schools in 50 states and the District of Columbia. More than 350,000 students are expected to take a PLTW course during the coming school year. For more information, visit www.pltw.org.

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Coinciding with National Robotics Week – Three Days of Fierce Back-to-Back Robotics Challenges Unite Leading Young Innovators From Around the World

Sterling Heights, Mich. – September 9, 2010 - Dedicated to inspiring today’s youth to excel in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education through robotics, the non-profit Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, in conjunction with VEX Robotics, today announced that the 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship will be held at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex at the Walt Disney World® Resort near Orlando, Florida on April 14-16, 2011. Coinciding with National Robotics Week, the three-day tournament unites top middle school, high school and college robotics teams from around the world to celebrate their accomplishments and further inspire students to pursue careers in robotics and other STEM related fields.

“Disney’s state-of-the-art facilities will provide the ideal experience for VEX participants and fans, and we are delighted to host the VEX Robotics World Championship at the ESPN Wide World of Sports Complex,” said Jason Morrella, president of the REC Foundation.

“Bringing the World Championship to such an esteemed venue as Disney provides a truly global arena for us to support and celebrate the accomplishments of today’s young, diverse and enthusiastic minds, said Paul Copioli, president VEX Robotics. “VEX Robotics Competitions bring the excitement of robotics to today’s youth and give them a hands-on tool to apply what they learn in school about Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math, and bring it to life.”

The VEX Robotics Competition is the largest and fastest growing middle and high school robotics program globally with more than 2,500 teams from 20 countries playing in more than 200 tournaments worldwide. The VEX Robotics Design System is affordable, robust and offers an assortment of more than 200 of the most advanced educational robotics products available today. See www.vexrobotics.com for more information on the VEX Robotics Design System and the VEX Robotics Competition.

The 2011 VEX Robotics World Championship is the final event in the 2010-2011 VEX Competition season. Winning teams from local and state VEX Robotics Competitions will have the opportunity to meet in Florida and compete against other top-ranked teams from around the world, playing the game VEX Round Up. Giving students the opportunity to work with the VEX robotics systems promotes education in the areas of science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) and teaches critical life skills such as teamwork, project management and problem solving.

About the RECF
The Robotics Education and Competition Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL and BEST, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

About VEX Robotics and Innovation First International
Innovation First International, a privately held corporation, was founded on the belief that innovation very early in the design process is necessary to produce simple and elegant product designs. Innovation First began producing electronics for unmanned mobile ground robots and is now an industry leader in the hobby, competition, education and toy markets. The company’s award winning VEX Robotics Design System, HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creatures and RackSolutions span the education, consumer and business-to-business markets. In 2007, the company helped launch RobotEvents.com, an online portal dedicated to the advancement of educational and competitive robotics, which provides comprehensive information on the latest robotics competitions, educational workshops and information for teachers and mentors. The company also created the VEX Robotics Competition in 2007, designed to give a diverse group of students the chance to celebrate their accomplishments and share their passion for robotics with each other. Leveraging the company’s core competency in electrical and mechanical engineering, the RackSolutions division works closely with all major computer OEMs to provide custom mounting solutions and industry-wide rack compatibility for data installations of all sizes. In 2009 the company added offices in Hong Kong, China, and the United Kingdom to better serve the global marketplace. With an advanced in-house metal fabrication plant, distribution center, and corporate office located together in a 13 acre complex in Greenville, Texas, the company is poised to continue on a rapid growth path. Please visit www.innovationfirst.com for additional information.

We realize that discontinuing the VEXnet Upgrade puts a financial burden on VEX Robotics Competition teams that are planning to attend certain events that run on VEXnet only. The programs below are aimed at helping teams that want to upgrade their technology while minimizing their costs.

These programs are not mandatory for participating in the VEX Robotics Competition. Most events in 2010-2011 will still allow teams to run on 75 MHz Crystals or VEXnet. Check with your event organizer to be sure what system is being used where you are competing. Please note that the 2011 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship will be a VEXnet only event.

VEXnet Upgrade Return Incentive

Send in both the VEXnet TX Upgrade Module and the VEXnet Microcontroller Upgrade Module (keep your VEXnet USB Adapter Keys) and receive a $50 coupon code good towards any purchase made on vexrobotics.com. See return instructions below for this program.

This offer is valid for units returned from September 3 – December 17, 2010.

PIC Microcontroller V0.5 AND 75 MHz Transmitter/Receiver Trade-In Program

The following offer is valid ONLY for VEX Robotics Competition teams that are registered and paid for the 2010-2011 “Round Up” season.

Send in a PIC Microcontroller V0.5, a 75 MHz Transmitter AND a 75 MHz Receiver and receive $200 off a VEXnet System Bundle (P/N: 276-1604).

$200 off a VEXnet System Bundle will be given for each PIC Microcontroller and 75 MHz Transmitter/Receiver received. (e.g. Return 2 PIC Microcontrollers and 2 75 MHz Transmitters/Receivers and you will be issued a coupon code for $400, good for $400 off 2 VEXnet System Bundles.)

Only one $200 discount may be used per VEXnet System Bundle. Coupon codes are one-time use only. VEXnet System Bundles are backordered until mid-October.

When using a discount code to purchase a VEXnet System Bundle, an additional discount of $45 will be deducted from the total given that a single-seat copy of Easy C V4 for Cortex, Part Number 276-1714, is purchased on the same order.

This offer is valid for units returned from September 3 – December 17, 2010 for teams that are registered and paid VEX Robotics Competition teams for the 2010-2011 season.

Return Instructions

Fill out the Upgrade Incentive Program form indicating what you are returning. Print out this form and include it with your returns (1 form per package). Customers are responsible for shipping charges and we recommend shipping via a trackable carrier (UPS, FedEx, USPS with Delivery Confirmation, etc.) to ensure your package arrives.

Package your units appropriately and send them to:

VEX Robotics, Inc.
Upgrade Incentive Program
1519 Interstate 30 West
Greenville, TX 75402

Once your units have been received and the contents verified the appropriate coupon codes will be e-mailed to you.

Thanks,
The VEX Robotics Team

The KIWIBOTS are pleased to announce that they have successfully completed negotiations with Scholastic Media & Technology and that they will be supporting the KIWIBOTS by distributing the VEX Robotics Design System in New Zealand.

The understanding that the KIWIBOTS and Scholastic Media & Technology have developed means that many of the VEX parts will now be stocked in New Zealand, leading to shorter lead times and better availability. Until now teams had to wait until orders were collated from several schools and processed, soon parts will be a simple phone call or email away.

As the distributor of Autodesk Software, Scholastic Media & Technology and their Autodesk Channel Partners will be working closely with the KIWIBOTS to train teams and their teachers in the use of Autodesk products. The aim is to improve the awareness within New Zealand teams of the online competition side of the VEX Robotics Competition and to raise the bar for teams World Wide. A New Zealand competition will be announced to encourage teams to get their thinking caps on.

In the coming months a New Zealand website will be finished that will enable teams to log on and order parts using their Scholastic account. Orders can be delivered directly to the school, picked up from their Zone Champion or may be collected from Scholastic.

The KIWIBOTS believe that the understanding represents a great step forward for the VEX Robotics Competition in New Zealand.

For more information please contact:

Chris Hamling
National Manager – Kiwibots
c.hamling@vexrobotics.co.nz

Patrick Kendrick
NZ Manager – Scholastic Media & Technology
pkendrick@scholastic.co.nz

Download the PDF of this release here.

Auburn, Alabama – June 30, 2010 – BEST (“Boosting Engineering, Science and Technology”) Robotics, Inc., a non-profit robotics competition with national headquarters at Auburn University, has announced a multi-year partnership with VEX Robotics, Inc. BEST will adopt the company’s powerful new wireless VEXnet control system, which includes the VEX Cortex microcontroller, VEXnet joystick and compatible programming software. BEST will continue to utilize the company sponsored RobotEvents.com web portal to promote competition events and handle online team registration.

“Integrating the state-of-the-art VEXnet control system into our competition will allow BEST students across the U.S. to expand their technological skills, which will increase their interest in pursuing high-tech, well-paying careers in engineering, science, and technology,” said Dr. George Blanks, Executive Director of BEST and Director of K-12 Outreach in the Samuel Ginn College of Engineering at Auburn University. “The VEX control system and event registration portal lift a burden off of our all-volunteer organization. The partnership allows us to focus our resources on growing the competition across the U.S. to better serve the needs of students, schools, and industry.”

VEX Robotics also brings its robot programming software partners into the agreement. Intelitek, developer of easyC, and The Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University, developer of ROBOTC, will donate licenses of their software to every BEST team.

BEST is an equal opportunity program in which any public, private, or home school may participate with no entry fees or kit costs. Schools are only required to fund their travel costs, team tee shirts, and other team enhancements. The partnership with VEX Robotics, Inc. a subsidiary of Innovation First International, allows BEST teams and hubs to sell the parent company’s popular HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creatures for fundraising at a profit to offset these incidental expenses.

“VEX Robotics is very proud to support the growth of the BEST Robotics Competition. This is in line with our objectives and clearly establishes VEX as the dominant platform supplier for educational robotics in both the classroom and after-school competitions across multiple academic disciplines,” said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics, Inc. “VEX allows BEST to continually offer the latest in educational robotics technology while encouraging the current installed base of VEX schools to begin participating in the unique BEST competition.”

About BEST Robotics, Inc.

BEST Robotics is a non-profit, volunteer-based organization whose mission is to engage, excite, and inspire middle and high school students to pursue science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) careers through participation in a sports-like robotics competition. Started in 1993 as a competition for 14 area schools in rural Sherman, Texas, BEST has become the largest school-based robotics competition in the U.S.—and the only one free to schools—with with over 850 schools, 12,000 students, and 4000 volunteers participating at 41 licensed competition sites in 15 states. BEST licenses its program to organizations, colleges and universities, or groups of individuals.

The program recently held its first ever national championship in conjunction with the VEX Robotics World Championship held at the Dallas Convention Center in April 2010. For more information about BEST Robotics, visit http://best.eng.auburn.edu or RobotEvents.com.

About VEX Robotics, Inc. and Innovation First International:

VEX Robotics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Innovation First International, a privately held corporation, which was founded on the belief that innovation very early in the design process is necessary to produce simple and elegant product designs. Innovation First International began producing electronics for unmanned mobile ground robots and is now an industry leader in the hobby, competition, education and toy markets.

The company’s three major subsidiaries, VEX Robotics, Inc., Innovation First Labs, Inc. (makers of HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creatures), and RackSolutions, Inc. span the education, consumer and business-to-business markets. The company has over 250 man years of experience supporting educational robotics programs and extensive engineering resources on two continents dedicated to the VEX Robotics platform.

Leveraging the company’s core competency in electrical and mechanical engineering, the RackSolutions division works closely with all major computer OEMs to provide custom mounting solutions and industry-wide rack compatibility for data installations of all sizes.

In the 2009 the company added offices in Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom to better serve the global marketplace. With an advanced in-house metal fabrication plant, distribution center and corporate office located together in a 13-acre complex in Greenville, Texas, the company is poised to continue on a rapid growth path. Please visit www.innovationfirst.com for additional information.

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Non-profit assumes management of world’s largest middle and high school robotics competition

Sterling Heights, Mich. – June 4, 2010 – Underscoring its commitment to Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) education, the non-profit Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, has teamed-up with VEX Robotics, Inc., a leader in educational and competitive robotics products, to organize and operate the VEX Robotics Competition worldwide.

More than 2,600 teams representing 20 countries competed in over 200 events in the 2009-2010 VEX Robotics Competition season. The REC Foundation will actively support existing teams and events while driving the expansion of the rapidly growing program.

“The VEX Robotics Competition is in good hands with the REC Foundation,” said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics, Inc. “Their commitment to science, technology, engineering and math aligns perfectly to the goals of the VEX Robotics Competition and we look forward to the continued growth and success of the competition globally.”

The REC Foundation, a 501(c) (3) non-profit organization, supports robotics and technology events and programs that aim to inspire and motivate students to advance in STEM education. In addition to supporting competitions for some of the world’s leading robotics platforms and organizations including VEX, TSA, BOTBALL, BEST, and FIRST Robotics Competitions, the foundation also provides program support and workshops focused on technology and professional development for educators – including the RobotEvents.com community portal website which helps promote multiple high quality programs and provides online registration and event pages for hundreds of events around the world.

Please visit RobotEvents.com to learn more about the high quality programs supported by the Robotics Education and Competition Foundation.

Information Contact: info@RobotEvents.com

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MythBusters’ Grant Imahara Inspires Students at Global Robotics Competition

Dallas, Texas – April 26, 2010 – Winners of the VEX Robotics Competition World Championship were crowned this weekend by Grant Imahara, host of the Discovery Channel’s hit show MythBusters. Shanghai’s Luwan high school team and New Zealand’s Free Range Robotics and Kristin Doves teams triumphed as the winning alliance after defeating nearly 400 teams through multiple rounds of intense competition. Elite VEX teams from middle schools, high schools and universities representing 14 countries competed at the Dallas Convention Center on April 22-24 with innovative robots they designed and built using the VEX Robotics Design System.

The VEX robots were engineered to play the game “Clean Sweep” with students applying their programming skills and strategic thinking to defeat the opposition. Participants of the VEX program compete throughout the year and learn critical life skills including leadership, teamwork and technical problem solving. Richard Paul, captain of the Free Range Robotics team from the winning alliance said, “VEX Robotics has taught us how to work together in high pressure situations. We’re now better prepared to handle challenges because we’ve learned how to approach problems with different solutions.”

The VEX Robotics Competition World Championship included qualifying teams from 14 countries including Brazil, Canada, China, Colombia, India, Japan, Malaysia, Mexico, New Zealand, Puerto Rico, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, the United Kingdom, and the United States for three days of non-stop, high-energy robotics challenges. The VEX Robotics program is the largest and fastest growing middle and high school robotics competition in the world, featuring 200 events with 2,600 teams representing 20 countries.

“At the VEX Robotics World Championship, students get to be the stars and are celebrated for applying what they learn in the classroom,” said Paul Copioli, president of VEX Robotics. “Our commitment is to engage students in science, technology, engineering and math education to get them excited about pursuing technology careers.”

In addition to the middle and high school championship, China’s Mianyang Normal University earned the College Championship title. Several teams also received prestigious awards for Robotic Skills, Programming Skills, and Excellence Awards. In the High School Division, Green Egg Robotics team #44 from Oakham, Massachusetts received the Robot Skills Award and Currahee team #1103 from Orwell, Ohio garnered the Programming Skills Award. In the Middle School Division, the Design Award went to Singapore team #8059A, while the esteemed overall Design Award went to Whitney High School Robotics #542 from Cerritos, California. Excellence Awards were presented for the top overall robotics programs and were awarded to high school team #1509 from Ridley College in Ontario, Canada; Pearl City Hawaii Highlands Intermediate Middle School team #394; and a college team made up of students from Drexel and Temple Universities out of Exton, PA.

BEST Robotics, a middle and high school robotics program established in 1993, hosted its national championship in conjunction with the VEX Robotics World Championship, where Metro Homeschool team 229 from Blue Springs, Missouri won the first place BEST Award. The BEST Award is the highest honor that any team can receive, and goes to the team that best embodies the spirit of the BEST program. Meanwhile, Conway High School team 185 from Conway, Missouri earned first place in the Robotics Award, for having scored the most points in the game, including preliminary, semi-final, and championship matches.

Partnering with Innovation First International as presenting co-sponsors are Autodesk, NASA, EMC Corporation and the Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation. Additional supporting partners include Technology Students Association (TSA), Intelitek, Robotics Academy at Carnegie Mellon University, FUTURE Foundation, ST Micro, MathWorks, ID Tech Camps, and Hyatt Regency Dallas.

The 2010/2011 game VEX Round Up was also unveiled at the VEX Robotics World Championship. The game is played on a 12’x12’ square field and two alliances – one “red” and one “blue” – composed of two teams. Each alliance competes in matches consisting 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 placing tubes upon goalposts, owning goalposts, and by low hanging or high hanging from the ladder.

For more information about the VEX Robotics World Championship and all other award winners, please visit RobotEvents.com.

About VEX Robotics, Inc. and Innovation First International:
VEX Robotics, Inc. is a subsidiary of Innovation First International, a privately held corporation, which was founded on the belief that innovation very early in the design process is necessary to produce simple and elegant product designs. Innovation First International began producing electronics for unmanned mobile ground robots and is now an industry leader in the hobby, competition, education and toy markets.

The company’s three subsidiaries, VEX Robotics, Inc., Innovation First Labs, Inc. (makers of HEXBUG Micro Robotic Creatures), and RackSolutions, Inc. span the education, consumer and business-to-business markets. The VEX Robotics Competition was launched in 2007, designed to give a diverse group of students the chance to celebrate their accomplishments and share their passion for robotics with each other.

Leveraging the company’s core competency in electrical and mechanical engineering, the RackSolutions division works closely with all major computer OEMs to provide custom mounting solutions and industry-wide rack compatibility for data installations of all sizes.

In the 2009 the company added offices in Hong Kong, China and the United Kingdom to better serve the global marketplace. With an advanced in-house metal fabrication plant, distribution center and corporate office located together in a 13-acre complex in Greenville, Texas, the company is poised to continue on a rapid growth path. Please visit www.innvationfirst.com for additional information.

Click here to download a PDF version of this release.