Hi everyone,
i made this little project since I got tired of our team losing build notes in group chats, photos scattered across everyone's camera roll and part getting lost. So I built this website, VexOne, a free web app for VEX teams, from scratch.

Here's what it does:

Build Log — every robot iteration, versioned, with parts lists, checklists, and priority levels
Gallery — dated, captioned photos of your robot's progress (great for the engineering notebook)
Calendar — competitions and deadlines, with your build log synced in automatically
Logs — track driver/auto scores over time and set goals with target dates
Management — parts inventory and order tracking, so you stop buying the same team twice
Dashboard — team chat, announcements, and a countdown to your next comp

Everyone on your team sees the same board, live, from their phone or laptop. Sign up takes about 2 minutes, and you invite teammates with a join code or a QR code.

Let me know if you find any glitches or a feature that you want me to add

Try it here:
VexOne

Really odd question, I know. But my school doesn’t have a robotics team, and I don’t know if anyone here has extra Omni wheels, (specifically 4”) lying around. I’ll buy up to 4, but if you have less that’s fine too. I’ll only purchase on resale sites like eBay, Mercari, Vinted, depop, poshmark, whatnot, etc. thank you! :)

Hey everyone,

I'm excited to share AirForge (airforge.dev), a free, browser-based one-stop shop for the VEX V5 robot design lifecycle. It requires zero installation and is optimized to run smoothly on lightweight hardware like school Chromebooks. I'm sharing it here as an early beta to get feedback from actual teams.

A quick backstory: Last year, my rookie robotics team missed out on the World Championships purely due to a lack of upfront design planning. Fusion 360 felt too overwhelming for us at the time, so we built entirely from memory, ultimately wasting a month redoing non-functional parts. To bridge this gap, I started building AirForge over winter break. It was only after joining a more experienced team later on that I truly learned CAD. I realized how transformative it is, and how steep the barrier to entry remains for beginner teams. I hope AirForge can be the lift teams like mine needed.

Here is what it brings to the table right now:

• Physics & Driving Sim: Drive and test your build with live physics that utilize real motor data and gear ratios on the Override field.
• Code Editor & Auton Testing: Paste your live VEXcode Python program to instantly test driver control, autonomous routines, and precise odometry (via simulated inertial and tracking wheels) using the built-in match controller.
• Easy Plastic Design: Fluidly cut and drill custom polycarbonate parts directly in the app. Use them on your bot in AirForge or export them to your favorite CAD.
• Online Co-op: Build with your teammates in real time via a simple share link.
• Instant CAD Import: Drop in a .STEP file from any other CAD software (Fusion 360, Inventor, Onshape), auto-tag the wheels and motors, and drive it immediately.

Or.. just jump onto the Playground and take the demo-drivetrain for a ride!

Looking ahead: Next up is a complete physics engine overhaul to track motor load, friction, and stress points. Beyond that, I’m building a custom GNN integration to autonomously analyze those stress points and generate optimized, part-by-part design rebuilds.

As a student building this for the community and my own team, AirForge is completely free, and you don't even need an account to test it out.

Since it's an early beta, it's still a bit rough around the edges, which is why I need your help. Let me know if any part dimensions are off or missing, how the driving physics feel, what UI changes you'd like to see, or what features would make it genuinely useful for your team.

Give it a shot at airforge.dev and let me know what breaks! Good luck getting started on the Override season, and happy building!

Thanks,

Advaith

(Note: Best on laptop/desktop for now; large CAD imports might take a moment to load)

so I'm a vex V5 team leader, and I have a team of 5 people including me. out of those five, we have two coders, two log-bookers, a person without a job, and a builder and driver. I'm the builder driver and half of every other role. I want to train my team to be better at building so I can have at least one more builder so I don't have to solo build the bot. how (WITHOUT SHOWING A TON OF YOUTUBE VIDS THEY DON'T WATCH THEM, and my team learns better hands on) do I give them small tasks to build their confidence in building, while letting them feel independent and me get time to build?

I guess what I'm asking for is small robotics projects using any form of materials, (I'll spend like 50$ on supplies) that any person even someone with very little skill can do

Our team will be using Lemlib for our drivetrain programming this year, and we were wondering if there was a way to configure a drivetrain in lemlib where each side contains two 600rpm motors (11w) and one 200rpm motor (5.5w); this is being done to stay within the 55w limit. The 200rpm motor is geared up with a 3:1 ratio so it will move at the same speed of the 600rpm motors when all motors are at full speed. Will lemlib respect this or will I need to program the drivetrain myself? If I program it myself would I still be able to use lemlib for autonomous functions?

EDIT: I found the solution. Because we are gearing our 200rpm motor up 3:1, it will output 600rpm at 100% power. Because lemlib uses pros::MotorGroup::move() to move each side of the drivtrain, I can tell pros that the motor is a 600rpm motor and it will behave like one. This is because the move() function only sets output power, so our geared 5.5w motor will output the same rpm as our direct blue 11w motor. The only issue may arise when using the built-in motor encoders for odometry, but as long as you don't mix the 200rpm motor and the 600rpm readings you will be fine (the 200rpm one is moving 1/3rd the amount).

Volunteer Opportunity!

Looking to earn volunteer hours while making a positive impact in your community?
Minds in Motion STEM Inc. is looking for enthusiastic volunteers to help run an exciting robotics competition on August 4th. 

This is a great opportunity to gain leadership experience, support STEM education, and be part of a fun and engaging event.

Event Details
📅 Date: August 4th, 9:30am - 8pm (Lunch and Breaks Provided!)
📍 Location: Aurora Public Library

Volunteer Responsibilities
Assisting with event setup and cleanup
Helping with participant check-in
Supporting activities throughout the competition
Ensuring the event runs smoothly

No prior robotics experience is required, and volunteer hours will be provided. 

High schoolers are welcome!

Interested in volunteering? 
Click https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSeiQofczWugbXJJovOxKyQLtHdqazZmg6PTAe8SI6YCr02Tng/viewform to sign up and learn more!

We hope to see you there and appreciate your support in inspiring the next generation of innovators.

If you're interested in signing up for the competition itself: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSc-eo9mFgvqWGaRq8iER8IojFKVQQY3pX0hBJAHJV1ArIAmnA/viewform

Hey everyone! I’m a high school student helping run a student-led program that teaches Autodesk Fusion and CAD to students for free.

We recently secured an international partnership and are getting ready to work with a lot more students, so we’re looking for a few more people to join the team.

We’re especially hoping to find people who already have experience with CAD, whether that’s Autodesk Fusion, Onshape, SolidWorks, Inventor, or another program. Fusion experience would be ideal, but familiarity with other CAD software is still very useful since many of the main concepts carry over.

The main roles we need are:

Co-President and Vice Presidents: Help lead the team, communicate with partners, organize meetings, and help decide where the program goes next. This role will collapse onto the other two roles below.

Mentors: Join weekly Zoom classes, demonstrate Fusion tools, answer questions, and help students when they get stuck.

Curriculum Developers: Help improve our current lessons and create new activities, projects, and assignments.

CAD experience is especially important for mentors and curriculum developers, but we’re also looking for people who are reliable, communicate well, and genuinely want to help students learn engineering.

Apply here:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSckr1UBILkgySbmjvRhKD0qca_-Omxy_aLmG5aN6JIEhE9tJg/viewform?usp=dialog

Has anyone created STEP/CAD files for the EXP?

1. Robot Brain
2. Battery
3. Controller

Hello all,

Minds In Motion STEM Inc. (MIMS) is a hosting a robotics competition at Aurora Public Library on August 4. The competition is meant for people with no robotics experience who want to have fun, win some prize pool, and get free lunch.

Entry is free, you can compete in teams or sign up solo and be paired up later!

Event details:

• Location: 15145 Yonge St, Aurora, ON L4G 1M1
• Time & Date: August 4, 10:45 AM - 7:00 PM
• Registration link: https://forms.gle/YZXFBpNjYqBtEzWU6

As a team you will create a projectile launcher tested in a custom arena. There will be helpers and guides on site.

MIMS is a registered Ontario Not-for-profit Corporation. Visit our curation of past events: www.mimstem.org

Hey everyone!

For the past few months, I’ve been working on a new VEX V5 competition simulator in Unreal Engine 5, using a custom integration of the Bullet Physics library.

The goal is not just to create a way to drive around the field, but to build a serious training and competition platform with:

• accurate and deterministic physics;
• AI opponents trained through reinforcement learning;
• online multiplayer and matchmaking with rankings and MMR;
• Skills practice;
• replays and ghost runs;
• spectator mode and online tournaments.

The video shows a very early proof of concept for the reinforcement-learning system.

The temporary test robot was trained using PPO to perform a simple orbit. I did not program a fixed trajectory or hard-code which buttons it should press. I defined the observations, available controls and reward function, and the agent learned through trial and error which inputs helped it maintain the orbit.

This is only a small training experiment, not a finished AI opponent. The long-term goal is to train agents that can understand the full game, interact with game objects and adapt their strategy to different situations.

The video also briefly shows some of the current menus and systems, simply to give an idea of the simulator’s current state. Everything shown is still heavily work in progress.

The field and core simulation systems are already in development. The biggest missing piece right now is the final robot model: I’m looking for a team willing to share a suitable robot CAD that I could use as the first playable robot.

The robot and team would be properly credited, and the team providing it would receive free early access to the simulator.

I’m currently targeting October 1st for the first public release.

I’d really like to develop this with feedback from actual teams and drivers, so I have two questions:

1. Which features would make a simulator genuinely useful for your team?
2. Would anyone be interested in testing early builds or contributing a robot CAD?

This is an independent, unofficial community project and is not affiliated with or endorsed by VEX Robotics.

A Level Up (Vex IQ 2026-2027) Calculator I created! Please give me your feedback on what you like or what I could improve!

For the last 9 years I've taught HS robotics using Vex Cortex.

This summer, I finally got my school to upgrade to EXP. I'm keeping the hardware and gears from my old kits and bought the upgraded brains, motors, and batteries.

I've working to design my version of the clawbot, and I cannot figure out how the brain mounts.

In VEX plans they use the EXP Robot Brain Mounting Bracket, however I can't find anywhere to purchase separate from the EXP kit.

PitSync — VEX Team Operating System

Got tired of my team living in group chats and spreadsheets on competition day, so I built something to fix that. I would love brutally honest feedback. Rate it and tell me what sucks

I'd like to find a team or parents that are interested to get those either in a few phases or all in one.

Those parts were bought since 2025 September. We used for about 4~5 months. Build a Bot and kids are very good at. We directed him to other efforts. Parts were never in actual game and battery/motor are literally new.

Just a piece of advice: Kids needs practice and having the parts 10x their potential. Kids with practice has more confidence and get better over time. The cost of those parts are small compared with training camps and the hours you put in. If you buy used parts, you can sell them too.

I'm in San Francisco Bay Area. contact me [[email protected]](mailto:[email protected])

I attached actual photo of those and a link to the full inventory

https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1FjDHUUbrBZINzpgvCBW7PJ6fitlx37A6X4UjMIq0keI/edit?usp=sharing

Hey guys! I've been building a scouting/analysis app for VEX called Veralis. It's in the early stages and there's a lot more coming, but the core idea is simple, fast scouting that your whole team shares in one place. Instead of everyone keeping notes on their own phones or in a shared doc nobody updates, every scout adds to one live pool, scout a robot, and instantly your whole team sees it. No more arguing from memory when match day rolls around. It's all in one spot, and it gets better the more your team uses it.

What makes it different is that it's built around how a robot actually plays, not just what it's made of or when it's standstill. Instead of writing down specs, it captures what actually wins matches, how big a threat a team is, how they hold up under defense, how good their driver is, and how to play against them. And on event day it basically runs your competition, it pulls your match schedule, gives you a live countdown to your next match and who you are facing, and shows your team's scouting right next to those opponents. So between matches you just open it and instantly know who's next and how to beat them.

A handful of users/teams have been using it and said that it's genuinely helpful, so I'm opening it up. As of right now, it's just me building this because I actually live the problem, and I'm improving it constantly, so feedback is always welcome.

If you want to try it with your team: Veralis.app

Happy to answer anything in the comments!

I have a lot of experience (this would be my 5th year, I made 86 cads in push back, I won 8 awards in previous seasons. I can cad and do strategy.

So I’m going to stop cad designing and moving into other things so if anyone is interested we are vex u team and we can pay too but I want someone as good as me so hit me up

Yesterday, this random dude came into my comment section and is talking about my bot being garbage when it's just unique. Won't listen to anything I say and just goes on to a new point every reply about how it sucks and Im being cocky somehow. Is this true? I mean I had no intention of being cocky in the video and to me it doesn't sound this way. Either way, people like this should not be allowed to compete if they're gonna treat others like this for no reason.

Check out my video if you haven't, and listen to that audio so you can see what I'm talking about and what I believe he thinks is me being "cocky" somehow.

Also, this was a two day rebuild from a basket bot as well so obviously it's not gonna be the greatest build and we lacked time to do it before a tournament.

I’m working on an app for VEX teams that aims to help with scouting, strategy, notebooking, and programming support, and I want to make sure I build features that teams would actually use. Right now I’m trying to figure out what problems are the most annoying for teams and what would actually make a big difference in competition prep.

A few questions I’d love feedback on:

• How does your team currently handle scouting, strategy notes, and match prep?
• What part of scouting or notebooking feels the most tedious or time-consuming?
• Would an AI assistant that helps guide your thinking without giving direct answers be useful for your team?
• What features would actually make you want to use an app like this regularly?
• If you’ve tried any VEX tools before, what did they do well and what did they miss?

I’d really appreciate any thoughts, complaints, feature ideas, or honest opinions.

Video: https://youtu.be/Te9HYryETy4?si=KorMHvsjwO7osDlX