Our global community is currently facing many environmental challenges including the management of waste and recycling, the impact of weather events, and the devastation of our natural ecosystems.
For the second year, PTC and the REC Foundation have teamed up to create a virtual design challenge to encourage the engineers of tomorrow to think about how they can help to tackle these problems
For this challenge, participants worldwide will use Onshape - a web-based CAD system used by professionals that is free to students and educators.
Participants will utilize a wide variety of both custom and COTS robotics components in order to design a robot that can help aid in the recovery of our precious ecosystems and start changing the world!
Access the example Onshape document with the grading rubric and submit your entry below:
Learn more about how Onshape can set your VEX Robotics team up for success!
Rules and Guidelines:
- The entry must be created and produced solely by the individual and/or team members listed on the submission.
- The entry must have been created during the competition time period (October 12 to January 13).
- Each user can be named on only one submission.
- You may only use custom components modeled in Onshape by the user or group listed on the submission OR off-the-shelf (COTS) components available for purchase (such as the VEX V5 Super Kit).
- Submissions will be judged and scored based on the criteria in the judging rubric shared below.
- All submitted documents must be made public for our judges to view.
- You must include a PDF write-up of the challenge your team solved and a description of how your model is a solution. This should be included as a tab in the Onshape document. A template is in the example document linked below.
Important Dates:
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The challenge begins on October 12, 2022.
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We will be hosting a webinar to provide instruction on using Onshape and the Kit of Parts on November 15th, 2023.
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Submissions will be accepted through January 13, 2023.
- The winners will be announced on February 23, 2023.
Qualifications:
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Must be part of a registered VRC team for the current season.
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Middle school, high school, and university teams are eligible to compete.
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Designs submitted in previous years’ Online Challenges are not eligible for submission this year.
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Only one entry per team is permitted. However, each team in a multi-team school or club program may submit one entry. For example, teams 123A and 123B could each submit an entry, but team 123A could not submit two entries.
Resources Needed:
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In order to complete this challenge, you will need access to a device to utilize Onshape. This CAD platform is cloud-based, does not require any downloads, and can be used on any device with an internet connection.
Awards:
There will be 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place awards for MS, HS, and collegial submissions*. ALL winners will be featured on the REC Foundation and Onshape websites and will be featured at the 2023 VEX Robotics World Championship.
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1st Place - VEX V5 Competition Super Kit
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2nd Place - VEX V5 Competition Start Kit
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3rd Place - $500 VEX Gift Certificate
The first-place teams will also be awarded automatic team qualification for this season's VEX Robotics World Championship if the entrant is a member of a registered VRC team.
*Awardees need a minimum of 15 points according to the scoring rubric above. If no teams meet these criteria then an award will not be granted for that level.
