VEX IQ Student Robot Build Policy
🧠 1. Student‑Led Robot Work (Required)
The VEX IQ Robotics Competition is a student‑centered program. This means that students must be the ones who design, build, and program the robot with only appropriate guidance from adults. VEX Robotics
Students must:
✔ Design the robot — Students decide how the robot will function and what mechanisms it will use.
✔ Build the robot — Students physically assemble and modify the robot using VEX IQ parts.
✔ Program the robot — Students write and test the code that runs the robot.
✔ Be able to explain their robot — Students must be prepared to demonstrate their understanding of how and why the robot was built and programmed. VEX Robotics
All work done on the robot must represent the skill level of the students on the team, not adults. RobotEvents
👥 2. Adult Involvement — What’s Allowed
Adults can support students by:
✅ Providing mentorship, teaching, and guidance on concepts such as robot mechanisms, building techniques, sensors, and programming logic.
✅ Helping students understand why a design might not work and asking questions that guide them toward improvements.
✅ Teaching safe tool usage and encouraging iteration and testing. VEX Robotics
Adults should always view obstacles as teaching opportunities, not problems to solve for students. VEX Robotics
🚫 3. Adult Involvement — What’s Not Allowed
To comply with official competition rules, adults must not:
❌ Make design decisions for the robot.
❌ Build or assemble any robot components without students’ active participation.
❌ Program the robot code for students or enter code the students did not create.
❌ Provide step‑by‑step building instructions, detailed designs, or robot plans for students to copy.
❌ Replace students’ judgment with adult decisions during matches or robot development. VEX Robotics+1
In other words, adults may teach and guide, but they may not do the actual robot build or program work in place of students. VIQRC
🧪 4. Student Roles on the Team
Official VEX IQ rules recognize distinct student roles, such as:
Builder — Student(s) who assemble the robot.
Designer — Student(s) who plan and decide the robot’s structure and function.
Programmer — Student(s) who write and test the robot’s code.
Driver/Operator — Student(s) who control the robot in matches. larobotics.org
Adults are not allowed to fill these roles for the team. larobotics.org
📘 5. Proper Use of Designs and Inspiration
Teams may be inspired by ideas from other robots or official starter designs (such as those provided by VEX), but:
✔ Students must document and explain how they changed, improved, or personalized designs.
✔ Simply copying another team’s robot, instructions, or plans without iteration is not allowed.
✔ Teams must be able to show evidence of student‑led design and iteration if asked by judges or inspectors. RobotEvents
🏁 6. Why This Policy Matters
This policy ensures that:
🌟 Students gain real engineering and problem‑solving experience.
🌟 The team’s robot reflects the work and learning of its students.
🌟 The team stays compliant with official VEX IQ competition rules.
🌟 Students are prepared to talk about their robot with judges and event staff. VEX Robotics