K–6TechNest
VEX Robotics
Competitive robotics building
Maris
GildaBefore you start
- Age band
- K–6
- Time
- 45–90 minutes
- Quest type
- Hanging Out
- Guardian
- Cass · Box Elder
- Materials needed
- VEX IQ Starter Kit (Super Kit)
- Engineering notebook (quad-ruled, hardcover)
- Digital calipers
Why this skill rocks
You get to build real robots that move and do things, then make them battle it out in fun competitions! It’s like being a mad scientist, but with more gears and less mess.
2034Where this could take you
By 2034, you could be a robotics genius, building the next generation of helpful robots or even designing automated systems to make the Olympic Games run super smoothly.
What You'll Need
Optional materials for this quest.
VEX IQ Starter Kit (Super Kit)
RequiredThe VEX IQ Super Kit has everything you need to build your first competition-legal robot: structure, motors, sensors, and the IQ Brain. It's the recommended starting point for middle school competitors and many Utah school programs use it.
Engineering notebook (quad-ruled, hardcover)
RequiredVEX judges score your Engineering Notebook as a major part of your overall competition score. A quad-ruled (graph paper) hardcover notebook is the standard format — get one dedicated just to your robot project from day one.
Digital calipers
Measuring parts precisely matters when you're building mechanisms with tight tolerances. Cheap digital calipers read in millimeters and inches and make it easy to check shaft lengths, hole spacing, and gear clearances — real engineers use them constantly.