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 a coupon code for $200 off a VEXnet System Bundle.

1 Coupon Code 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 receive 2 coupons, each good for $200 off a VEXnet System Bundle.)

Only one $200 coupon may be used per VEXnet System Bundle ordered. VEXnet System Bundles are backordered until mid-October.

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

Having quit medical school to be an entrepreneur, she has since widened the minds of many kids and teens through VEX Robotics. Ilylia believes that robotics can stimulate a child’s mind as pieces are put together to develop the structure of the robot, keeping in mind movement and flexibility of the design.

View an image of the full article here.

Learn more about Ilylia’s efforts in Malaysia at the Robotics Learning Web site.

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.

Click here to download this release in PDF format.

Robotics Education & Competition Veteran to Lead Non-Profit

Sterling Heights, Mich. – June 16, 2010 – The Robotics Education & Competition (REC) Foundation, looking to continue as a leader in promoting science, technology, education and math (STEM) based initiatives in both the classroom and extracurricular activities, has named Jason Morrella as president.

Morrella brings more than 15 years of experience in education, robotics competition development and event management and is a distinguished leader among the educational and competitive robotics communities. He joins the REC Foundation after having served as Senior Director of Education and Competition for Innovation First, Inc., where he led the development of the VEX Robotics Competition program and oversaw its explosive growth in becoming the largest middle and high school robotics competition in the world. Before IFI, Jason spent eight years as a Regional Director for FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), where he helped to aggressively grow the program throughout the western United States, build a sustainable base of supported events and was a member of the FRC Game Design Committee. Prior to FIRST, Jason was an award-winning educator in California, and received the 1998-1999 San Jose Unified School District Teacher of the Year Award.

“The Robotics Education & Competition Foundation’s mission is to identify, support and work with successful, high quality, technology-based programs that promote STEM education for students,” said Morrella, president of the REC Foundation. “I look forward to collaborating with members from technology education and robotics organizations to ensure that high-quality robotics and technology programs are accessible to every student at every school.”

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 and BEST 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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The various schools competed as individual teams, under the banner of Kiwibots New Zealand. Kiwibots was supported by the U.S. Embassy in Wellington with a recent US $1500 grant to help them make it to the World Champs. This year’s championship event included approximately 400 teams from 14 countries around the world.

The Ambassador met Chris Hamling, National Manager of the NZ Robotics Charitable Trust/Kiwbots, plus all the main Kiwi winners: two of this year’s three Grand Champions in the secondary school division are from the Home School in Albany and from Kristin School on Auckland’s North Shore. Another New Zealand team, from Rangitoto College on the North Shore, took the prestigious Computer Aided Design Championship trophy, as well as an award for extraordinary teamwork. Yet another New Zealand team, Glenfield College of Auckland, received the Build Award for the craftsmanship and construction of its robot.

Read more on Ambassador Huebner’s blog.

Full post on the Embassy’s Web site.

Duzant’s project, “The VEX Robotics Challenge for Engineering and Mechanical Design for Applied Robotics Technology,” focuses on the center of gravity of robots equipped with mechanical arms. Duzant hopes that his work can carry over to preventing automobiles from tipping over and planes and helicopters from spiraling out of control.

The prize associated with Duzant’s award is a renewable, annual scholarship to the Florida Institute of Technology.

Congratulations!

Read the full article on Duzant from the Baltimore Sun.

More information on the Intel International Science and Engineering Fair.

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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Click here to download the full press release.

The new 2000 mAh 7.2V NiMH battery (above top left) has the same capacity as the 7.2V NiCad battery in a much smaller form factor. The new 3000 mAh 7.2V NiMH battery (above top right) offers 50% more capacity in the same form factor as the previous model 7.2V NiCad battery.

The transition to NiMH based products from the current Nickel Cadmium (NiCad) ones is necessary for several reasons. NiMH batteries consistently outperform NiCad batteries, as they deliver more power, last longer and can be put through more charge cycles.

In addition to the performance enhancements offered by the NiMH batteries, the fact that they have no Cadmium added is good news for the environment. Cadmium is a toxic heavy metal and can cause substantial pollution when disposed of improperly.

The VEX Smart Charger (above bottom center), with (4) different regional power cord options, is capable of charging ALL VEX rechargeable power packs (7.2V and 9.6V, NiCad and NiMH). The charger features dual charge rates and an automatic shutoff.

The new NiMH batteries must be charged on the VEX Smart Charger. DO NOT use the VEX Fast Charger to charge NiMH batteries.

Follow these Smart Charger settings for each battery:

Fast or Safe Setting:
7.2V, 3000 MAh NiMH (standard)
7.2V, 2000 MAh NiCad (old model)

Safe Setting Only:
7.2V, 2000 MAh NiMH (small)
9.6V, 960 MAh NiCad (transmitter)

7.2V NiCad batteries will be discontinued as soon as our current stock is depleted. There are no plans to discontinue the 9.6V NiCad Transmitter battery in the near future.

The VEX Power Pack and Fast Battery Charger have both been discontinued.

Any VEX branded 7.2V battery (NiMH or NiCad) will be legal for use on robots in the VEX Robotics Competition.

The new batteries will be available on VEXrobotics.com in the coming weeks.

The VEX Robotics Team

Thousands of students from around the world converged on Dallas over the weekend with curious, siege engine-like robots they designed and built. Their mission wasn’t to smash local architecture but to triumph in a game called Clean Sweep, part of the 2010 VEX Robotics Competition World Championship held at the Dallas Convention Center April 22-24.

The budding roboticists from middle schools, high schools, and colleges in 14 countries created their machines using the VEX Robotics Design System, an educational platform that can yield a wide range of autonomous and remote-controlled bots.

In Clean Sweep, alliances of robots have to put as many balls as possible over a barrier and into the opponent’s field. The robots operate autonomously part of the time; otherwise they are remote controlled. Students from China and New Zealand defeated nearly 400 other teams to take the championship title.

Organizers say the VEX kits help students develop critical science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) skills. Meanwhile, officials from partner groups like NASA were on hand to scout out potential robot masterminds.

See the full blog post and photos here.