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Vex Pics from FIRST/LEGO/Vex Robotics Competition
antispam_ben writes "Last week's Slashdot article linked to CNN's coverage of the LEGO League robotics competition. LEGO League was only part of the event. I gave a short description and links to the original FIRST Robotics, LEGO League, and new Vex Robotics competitions in this comment. New from the local robotics mailing list is this page of pictures from the Vex competition."
It was like trying to read a Bhutanese eye test chart.
Wow, you're completely wrong. Vex is a competition of the Non-profit organization FIRST (http://www.usfirst.org/). They're not aiming to "sell" to any market, only appeal to schools that don't have the money, time, or will to compete in FIRST Robotics. The robot that my team built roughly had $15,000 put into it, including parts and machining. That's expensive, unlike Vex were robotics are generally under $300. Radioshack sponsors FIRST to give them the oppertunity to do this. Buying the same parts from Radioshack for anything other than Vex might be twice as expensive. Geez, get your facts straight.
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And Vex offers autonomy when? LEGO offers is now, have for several years, for only $200 USD... I do have my facts straight. Get your head around the fact that robotic enthusiasts are more than FIRST, and what marketing really is... geez you can always spend tons of money on a robot, but anyone that claims to have the robot hobby answer for any competition is just wrong. Vex is nothing more than an Erector set with an R/C system added. It is not a robotics set... its just a clever R/C system, and it costs $100 more than a LEGO set that gives you both autonomy and remote control.
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And in reality, there's not enough CPU power to do very much at all.
The only logic you can really do with either is limited to very few cases.
The only way you could really get anything done is by providing a 802-11b network link real-time and having a general purpose computer do the heavy processing for what I'd consider a "moving I/O device".
FIRST things first, I am a student in FIRST robotics. Any comments that Radio Shack is attempting to make money off of FIRST is blatently wrong. FIRST is sponsored by Radio shack (as mentioned before) and even has its own award at the competition, the Radio Shack Innovation in Control Award, which my team won in Phoenix. If anybody honestly thinks that Radion Shack is in FIRST for any other reason than to spread the mission of FIRST (as shown on usfirst.org), they are wrong.
Please do not comment on something that you know nothing about.
We've had these Vexx at the Shack for several weeks now, and the only ones that I've seen show real interest in them have been the 18+ slashdot crowd sort (despite the supposed 12-14 age group that they're aimed at). I suppose that it's difficult to get a parent to spring for a $300 starter kit. When it comes down to that, or an iPod for Christmas, I have a feeling that I know which way most kids will lean. However, I do think that it's fantastic that money is being poured into something worthwhile for kids with brains in their heads. It really makes business sense if those are the sorts that RS will be looking to employ.
The Vex programming system is coming out in August-September, along with chain-sprockets, better sensors, pneumatics, and other goodies. The programming system will feature Lego-style drag-and-drop, pure C, and a side-by-side mode that shows both at the same time. The current release is version .5, probably rushed to be available to teams for the FIRST challenge competition a couple of weeks ago. Right now, yes, it's an expensive RC set. In a few months, it should be what it's designed to be: a bridge between lego snap-em-together and full-scale weld-that-sucker robotics.
Ok, I seem to have answered some of my own questions by downloading the inventor's guide (76MB PDF File) from the Vex website.
With the exception of programming, the overall learning curve seems pretty minor. The hardware assembly is only slightly more difficult than comparable Lego kits, and does not seem to require the user to solder anything.
As for additional parts, it sounds like the best option is to purchase two starter kits and combine them into a larger, more functional robot. Although, I did find another site that sells less common Vex parts, such as a pneumatic pump system. It also appears the site will be selling add-on sensors in the near future.
Overall, Vex is looking to have a bright future ahead of it. I'm just hoping it doesn't get killed off due to a lack of market exposure.
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LEGO Compeitions are great. We hold a number of local ones for HS and grade school students (Rules + Pictures) and they always draw media attention and a HUGE turnout.
Lego robotics (by roboticists of any age), especially attempts at self-replication, should be well within the spirit of this thread, but I'll push the OT envelope with this link:
http://www.henrylim.org/Harpsichord.html
Yes, that's right, it's made of LEGO's (except for the wire strings) and plays. The mp3 of it sounds just dreadful, but it's like the waltzing bear, it's amazing that it waltzes at all...
Tag lost or not installed.
The stuff some of the kids come up with for these contests is somteimes quite amazing. I tagged along witha friend that was judgin g a local one last year and this one group of grade school kids (like 5th or 6th graders) built the most amazing robot I've ever seen....made me feel kind of embarassed about the handbuilt robot I had made for my senior design project as an EE undergrad. I think the advantage the kids have is that their imaginations have no grounding in what can realistically be accomplished. They seem to just try something without worrying about whether or nit it will work. Sometimes having experience doing things can make you a little jaded and doubt what you're doing.