Only the VEX IQ components specifically designed for use in Robot construction are allowed. Using additional components outside their typical purpose is against the intent of the rule (i.e. please don’t try using VEX IQ apparel, team or event support materials, packaging, field elements or other non-robot products on a VEX IQ Challenge Robot).
Does it mean that even common parts (pins, corner connectors, beams/plates) that came as part of the “Full Field and Game Elements Kit” (228-4844) are forbidden?
Last year, everything but the pipes and plastic sheets were fair game and some students happily used e.g. 2x3 corner connectors that were extra in the elements kit.
I can imagine this year, some students would love e.g. the “Double 2-wide 2x1 corner connector”, which is unique to the crossover elements. Or the lighter 12x12 plate, which I think could
be a fair game (they are “as rare” as many of the HexBug-only pieces, say 1.5M standoff)
On the more extreme side, I can imagine someone building a great claw from two halves of the actual hexball, though it won’t be much different from using two halves of the HexBug VEX spider head as I have seen some kids trying on the demo field next to the HexBug stand at the Worlds.
So, are all the field elements parts forbidden? Only those unique? Or are they actually legal and the ban actually about the floor tiles and perimeter pieces?
PS: All things considered, I would also like to** thank VEX for keeping the price of the 228-4844 kit this low** and certainly won’t support abusing it by primarily buying 228-4844 as a source of cheap construction pieces. I am more worried about cross-contamination and those oh-so-tempting unique pieces…
I think the intent of the rule is to prevent teams from using the hexball halves as a mechanism to pickup the hexball. If the part is available outside of the field kit you should be fine using those pieces in constructing your robots.
And as far as the Hexbug parts…
It has been mentioned before, the non-electronic parts are always allowed without question. You are specifically not allowed to use the Hexbug brain from any of their kits. I would just stick to non-electrical parts to remain on the safe side. If there are pieces that attach to the IQ components that may give you some type of additional capabilities, the rules do not specifically prohibit their use.
Aloha,
The corner connector pieces that you have mentioned are also provided in HEX Bug kits and therefore were legal for use in competition. The black pieces with circle cut outs used to support the fence pipes were not available in any HEX Bug kit which would make it illegal for use in competition. Certain unique elements such as hex balls provided in VEX STEM kits used as a manipulative products is not part of the “robot construction” and therefore not a legal part for construction. However, if these manipulative products are for sale on the VEX IQ site (like certain balls) then they would be legal.
Overall, I would recommend that if parts from field kits are being considered for competition than these parts would be allowed if they are currently for sale on the VEX IQ site, in VEX STEM kits or available in HEX Bug kits. If using parts from the latter two, these parts must be robot construction parts and non-electrical.
So what about the new cube kit? It says in the description you can use it on a robot, does that classify it as being “designed for use in robot construction”? Or does it count as a field element that can’t be used?
I assume you are referring to part number 228-4967 Cube Kit. Those parts are unique in the aspect that they are a new version of the previous year’s game elements.
The rule clearly states:
**<R6> **Robots may be built ONLY from Official **Robot **Components from the VEX IQ product line, unless otherwise specifically noted within these rules.
**b. **Only the VEX IQ components specifically designed for use in Robot construction are allowed. Using additional components outside their typical purpose is against the intent of the rule (i.e. please don’t try using VEX IQ apparel, team or event support materials, packaging, field elements or other non-robot products on a VEX IQ Challenge Robot).
Since the description states it can be disassembled and used on a robot I would take that as it would be legal for competition. I do recall last year during Bankshot if any items that were prohibited were indicated on the item description before purchase. Rule R6a may have the answer:
**a. **During inspections if there is a question about whether something is an official VEX IQ component, a team will be required to provide documentation to an inspector that proves the component’s source. Such types of documentation include receipts, part numbers, or other printed documentation.
Agree with all above. As long as there is a IQ or hexbug part number for the specific item that is not a field element, then it might be considered legal. As Bailey mentioned pieces of the game elements that are considered exclusive to the field/game, would not be allowed. Most of the usable pieces were basically same as normal IQ parts, just different colors. In the current game, some elements look unusable while majority look like normal pieces. As soon as Karthik mentioned on stage about the elements being IQ pieces, we thought that we could probably make them with available parts but as expected, there were always be unique elements …
As for some of the text Tony mentions above (R6a), we have come across such cases in the State tournament/highrise last year. One of the first timers seemed to have old pieces that were part of the pilot program. Officials could not recognize them and were questioning them.
Aloha bez,
I am assuming that when referring to the “Cube Kit” you are talking about those snap together types of cubes. It does state in the product description that the cubes can be disassembled and used in the construction of robots. Therefore in this specific case I would say it is allowed.
