VEX IQ Level Up - Pushing vs dragging a game element: legal, minor, or DQ?

VEX IQ Robotics Competition Discussion VIQRC Level Up (2026-2027 Game)
1

VEX IQ Level Up - Pushing vs dragging a game element: legal, minor, or DQ?

Hi everyone, looking for some guidance on how refs would call this. Our robot contacts a game element in two different ways during a match, and we’re not sure where the line is between legal contact and a violation. In one scenario, our robot pushes the element across the field toward the edge — the element is only being pushed, with no part of our robot on top of it or trapping it against the robot. In the other scenario, our robot is positioned above the element and drags it while staying in contact from above.

Video showing both scenarios: https://youtu.be/RlWqKBiB-cs

Questions:

  1. Is simple pushing generally considered legal?
  2. Does being above the element and dragging it count as possession/control, and would that be a minor violation or a DQ?
  3. How do refs usually distinguish “pushing” from “controlling” in Level Up?

Thanks in advance — just trying to make sure our team plays cleanly.

2

Your best answer would come from the VEX IQ Q&A, but I’d imagine scenario 1 doesn’t have a punishment, while scenario 2 is a minor violation at most.

Referees aren’t really looking to give people violations, so something like this would likely be a warning the first time around, anyways.

As for your actual questions, as I said earlier, your best bet is to 1) reread the manual and, if you don’t find your answer, 2) ask the official Q&A.

Good luck!

3

Pushing would be my last resort. If my robot is broken, I will definitely push just to take some floor goal points. My best bet is, like the first person said, the first scenario would be fine and the second would be, at the worst, a minor violation. I’ve done this many times (I build crappy robots, my team has bad luck) and I was never called out, so yes, if you can’t do anything else, I suggest pushing beanbags to floor goals.