Welcome to
the 2024-2025 VEX IQ Robotics Competition and this year's game Rapid Relay. Rapid Relay is played on a 6 foot
by 8 foot field with a Wall and Pickup Zone on one side
and a Load Zone on the other. The Wall has 4 Targets. Each Target has one Switch in its center. The game objects are plush Balls, roughly 150 mm, or just under 6 inches, in diameter. Two of the Balls begin
the Match as Preloads, one per robot. A third stays outside of the field
for now. We'll come back to that later. Rapid Relay is a game of quick
thinking and continuous cycling. Robots take Balls across the Field
and score Goals by launching them through the Targets in the Wall. Each Goal is worth 1 point. The first time a Ball passes through
a Target, it will clear the Switch. Each cleared switch
is worth one additional point. After being scored,
the Ball will land in the Pick Up Zone. Once it touches down, it can be retrieved by a human Drive Team
member, who's called the Loader. Now, Rapid Relay can have up to 2 Balls
in play at any one time. So while a scored Ball is being picked up, it's time for another human Loader
to introduce the third Ball by dropping it into the Loading Station. The Loading Station
will then randomly send the Ball to one side of the Load Zone. Once the Ball touches the floor, it can be retrieved by a robot
and a new cycle begins. As robots make their way across the Field,
the Alliance can also receive points for passing the Ball to their Alliance
Partner before it's used to score a Goal. If 1 Switch is cleared
at the end of the Match, then each pass is worth 4 points; 2 Switches: 8 points; 3 Switches gets you 10 points per pass; and if an Alliance clears
all 4 Switches, then each pass that they made during that Match is worth 12 points. Pass. Score. Pick up. Load. Remember how we said
it's a game of quick thinking? The last 15 seconds of the Match is called
the Rapid Load Period. During this time,
Loaders can introduce the Balls directly into any legal robot
Starting Zone. However, Balls that are loaded through
these zones are not eligible for passes, so teams will have to figure out
what strategy works best for each Match. Oh, and one more thing... In Rapid Relay, the only robot size
restriction is that they must begin the Match fully contained
in one of the two Starting Zones. This year,
the Starting Zones are 23 inches wide by 6 feet long. There are 3 ways to play in the
VEX IQ Robotics Competition. First, two teams will collaborate
in 60 second Teamwork Challenge Matches, working together
to maximize their score. Both teams will receive the same points. Each of these teams consists
of two Drivers, one robot, and one Loader. One Driver will operate the robot
for the first half of the Match, the other Driver will operate it
for the second half, and the Loader will perform
their task for the full 60 seconds. Second. Each team will have the opportunity
to play Driving Skills Challenge Matches. In these Matches, teams
have 60 seconds of Driver-controlled time to score as many points as possible. Third. Each team will also have the opportunity
to play Autonomous Coding Skills Challenge Matches, in which they have 60 seconds of autonomous robot operation
to score points. No Drivers allowed. Rapid Relay is played a little differently
in Robot Skills Challenges, so be sure to check the Game Manual
for details. The scores from Driving and Autonomous
Coding Skills Challenges will be combined to determine
a Robot Skills Challenge Champion. For official game rules and robot requirements for
VEX IQ Robotics Competition Rapid Relay, be sure to check out the Game Manual,
found at RECF.org and VEXIQ.com. To register a team,
find events near you, or ask a question on the official Q&A,
please visit RobotEvents.com. Good luck, and have a great season!