VEX Robotics
Competition robot design - Top 5 Switzerland
Robotics / Mechanical Engineering
Project Story
In VEX, every design choice had a tradeoff. I led the build and coding, but the bigger lesson was learning how to decide what mattered most when the robot had to be reliable, legal, drivable, and finished on time.
Why I Built It
VEX competitions require robots that are mechanically robust, strategically versatile, and rapidly iteratable within strict size, time, and rules constraints.
What I Built
An iterative design-build-test cycle with modular subsystems, essential-feature prioritisation, driver practice protocols, autonomous routines, and data-driven strategy refinement.
What I Did
- Team captain and lead engineer
- Designed drivetrain and game-specific mechanisms
- Led robot coding and autonomous routine development
- Coordinated build schedule and competition preparation
- Led driver training and match strategy
How I Built It
Build Flow
Game analysis -> concept design -> prototype -> test -> competition iteration loop.
How It Works
The robot combined a reliable drivetrain with game-specific mechanisms, programmed autonomous routines, and was continuously refined based on scrimmage and competition performance data.
Hardware
- VEX V5 system
- Custom mechanisms
- Competition field elements
Software
- Robot programming
- Autonomous routines
What Was Hard
- Designing mechanisms robust enough for repeated competition stress
- Balancing autonomous reliability with driver control flexibility
- Optimising build time against performance requirements
- Choosing which features to cut when time, size, and reliability conflicted
Demos and Build Notes
Results & Impact
- Top 5 Switzerland - VEX Robotics
- Consistent tournament performance across the season
- Strong team coordination and engineering documentation
- First-year national placement gave the team a strong competitive foundation
What I Learned
- Reliability in competition often beats theoretical maximum performance
- Driver practice is as important as mechanical design
- Strict constraints make prioritisation an engineering skill, not just a management task
Next Steps
- Apply competition robotics experience to university projects
- Explore autonomous navigation with computer vision
- Document build process as portfolio case study