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A VEX robotics team works best if students are grouped in teams of 4 to 8. VEX IQ robotics teams tend to work best if students are grouped in teams of 2 to 6. On smaller teams, students may have more than one role. There are two types of roles that each student should be assigned, the classroom roles and competition day roles.
Classroom Roles
Team Lead
Each team should have a designated leader who makes sure that everyone has a job to do and is on task. If there is a conflict, the team lead helps resolve the issue by listening to all team members input and providing a solution that is in the best interest of the entire team. The team lead may also fill in for students who are absent and should pair experienced students with novice students in a mentoring situation when appropriate.
Builders
Builders construct the robot. The entire team contributes to the research, brainstorm, and choosing the best design for the robot, but the builders are responsible for the actual assembly of the robot. There may be more than one group of builders, some may work on the chassis while others work on the lift. However, builders must have excellent communication skills and should be consistently reporting the progress and challenges to the entire team, help update the notebook with the notebook manager, and communicate motor locations and electrical connections to the programmers.
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Programmers
Programmers design and write the programs for the robot. They need to discuss their strategies with the rest of the team and then program the robot to perform those strategies. Programmers will need to write their code using the competition template in VexCode. The Driver Control code programs the button and joystick functions on the joystick. The Autonomous code programs the robot to run without the use of the joystick. Each match begins with 15 seconds of autonomous play, followed by 1:45 mins of driver control.
*VEX IQ: Teams will only run autonomous code during Robot Skills, which is separate than teamwork matches.
- To learn how to code each of these, check out this VEXcode V5 Tutorial on using the competition template.
*VEX IQ: Teams will only run autonomous code during Robot Skills, which is separate than teamwork matches.
- To learn how to program the joystick for driving, check out this tutorial on VEXcode IQ Controller Setup
- To learn how to create an autonomous program, check out this tutorial on Autonomous Programming VEX IQ
Notebook Manager
The notebook manager records and documents all parts of the engineering design process in an engineering notebook. They are also responsible for making sure all team members contribute to the notebook. The notebook manager should include detailed designs, sketches, images, programs, concepts and testing results. This job is extremely important for the team's success and is a major portion of the rubric score for the design and excellence award.
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Media Manager
The media manager is responsible for documenting the engineering design process through taking pictures and/or videos. The media manager designs and creates the tri-fold board for tournaments to introduce the team and the robot to the judges. They are also responsible for preparing the team for interviews and making sure everyone contributes to the interview process at tournaments. An optional job for the media manager is to develop and maintain a team website.
Research and Development
On large teams, one or two members may be assigned the role of research and development. The job of R&D is to keep current with new videos of robot reveals released on YouTube and research alternative designs for the robot. If the team has extra parts, the R&D teams can begin building prototypes that may be later incorporated into the robot. Using cardboard and connecting brads or straight pins can help model designs without the need for metal parts.
Competition Day Roles
Drivers
These students are responsible for operating the robot during the actual matches. They will take strategic guidance from the coach during the match, as they try and lead their team to victory. Teams will have one or two drivers, depending on the design of their robot. It is always a good idea to have back up drivers who have practiced in the case of an absence.
*VEX IQ: Drivers are required to drive in a match, passing the joystick around the 30 second mark.
*VEX IQ: Drivers are required to drive in a match, passing the joystick around the 30 second mark.
Coach/Lead Strategist
riverThis student will be responsible for making the final decision of what strategy to run during the matches. They will take input from the scouts to help make a decision. During the match, the coach will stand with the drivers, acting as their guide for the match. They will provide direction for the drivers and ensure that the appropriate strategy is being followed.
*VEX IQ: Student drive coaches are not often utilized and are not allowed to go up to the field with the drivers.
*VEX IQ: Student drive coaches are not often utilized and are not allowed to go up to the field with the drivers.
Pit Crew
These students will be responsible for fixing, maintaining and improving the robot between matches. It is their responsibility to ensure that the robot is ready to compete for every match. They will also be in charge of maintaining all spare parts and charging batteries. Depending on the size of the team, the pit crew should be one or two people. If necessary, drivers and coaches can be members of the pit crew.
Scouts
These students are responsible for watching every match and recording information about all of the robots at the competition. They will work with the coach to prepare strategies for upcoming matches. Their information collected will also help decide which teams to align with during alliance selection. This role should be filled by one to three students to collect information on each robot during qualification matches.
*VEX IQ: Scouts may be utilized to figure out how to best compliment an upcoming alliance partner. However, teams do not get to select their alliance partner for the finals and it is computer generated with the top ten teams.
*VEX IQ: Scouts may be utilized to figure out how to best compliment an upcoming alliance partner. However, teams do not get to select their alliance partner for the finals and it is computer generated with the top ten teams.