The VEX IQ challenge uses a robotics kit of the same name that was designed to be simple and easy for students as young as 8 to use. Structural pieces snap together and come apart without tools, allowing for quick build times and easy modifications. A variety of gears, wheels and other accessories allows for customization of robots.

Each year’s team challenge is different and the team must accomplish a task with its robot they built and programmed. The event is open to elementary and middle school teams. Families of participants and the general public are invited to watch the competition.

The next VEX IQ Robotics Competition is tentatively slated for Jan. 21, 2017.

Sponsors: Lockheed Martin, the Technology Alliance of Central New York, NASA Space Grant NYS, Time Warner’s Connect a Million Minds, and Syracuse University’s College of Engineering and Computer Science