On Monday the 21st of October Knox Grammar hosted a Vex Robotics State and National Qualifier Competition. St Joseph’s was represented by two teams: Team 1 Isaac Gee, Brandon Smith, and Riley Mallon, and Team 2 Ari Bone, Ben Martin, and Xavier Bardak.

VEX Robotics is an educational robotics platform designed to inspire students to explore STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) fields through hands-on learning and competition. It offers different levels of robotics kits and systems, from elementary to high school and even university levels, allowing students to design, build, and program robots.

The VEX Robotics system includes tools for both mechanical and coding development, using components such as motors, sensors, gears, and structural parts to construct robots. Students can also program their robots using software like VEXcode, which supports block-based and text-based programming in languages like Python and C++. 

VEX Robotics is well-known for its global competition, the VEX Robotics Competition (VRC), which challenges students to solve real-world problems by designing and programming robots to complete specific tasks in a game-like setting. It's one of the largest robotics competitions in the world, promoting teamwork, problem-solving, and innovation.

Team 1 had some tough luck in their round games, with team pairings that did not suit their robot and not allowing them to score as many points as they had initially predicted. Despite their best efforts, they were unable to progress to the finals. The boys did incredibly well to design, redesign and code their robot as game conditions changed and breakdowns occurred.

Team 2 had a remarkable run. They qualified for the finals in 12th place and went on to finish the competition in an impressive 6th place overall. Additionally, Team 2 received a prestigious Design Award for Ben's unique trigger and release mechanism, a feature that greatly impressed the judges. This innovative mechanism had never been seen before in Vex robotics.

A big thank you to the parents who transported students and equipment all the way to Knox Grammar School in Wahroonga, we couldn’t have done it without you. Congratulations to both teams for their hard work and dedication. We are proud of their achievements and look forward to seeing them continue to excel in future competitions.