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 four targets.
Each target has one switch in its center. The game objects are plush balls roughly 150 millimeters 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 one 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 pickup 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 two 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 one switch is cleared at the end of the match, then each pass is worth 4 points. Two switches, 8 points.
Three switches gets you 10 points per pass. And if an Alliance clears all four 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 six feet long. There are three 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.