Machines, Robots & AI
This type of technology does one job the same way every time and cannot learn or change — like a toaster.
A machine
This part of the VEX IQ kit acts as the robot's 'headquarters' — it runs programs and tells every other part what to do.
The Brain
In VEXcode, instead of typing lines of code, students snap together these to build programs.
Blocks
This AI Vision Sensor detection mode lets you train the sensor to recognize a specific color anywhere in its field of view.
A Color Signature
On Day 1, students had to write code to navigate their robot through this challenge completely without using a Controller.
The Rescue Mission / Coded Run
Unlike a machine, this can be programmed to do different tasks. Change the instructions and it does something completely different.
A robot
This VEX IQ component lets you drive your robot manually using joysticks and buttons, just like a video game controller.
The Controller
This type of block makes code run over and over again without stopping — like a security guard on repeat patrol.
A Forever Loop
In the AI Vision Sensor's view, this property tells you how far left or right an object is — with 0 on the far left and 316 on the far right.
CenterX (cX)
In the Cube Collector challenge, students had 60 seconds to sort cubes autonomously using these, with no Controller allowed.
Sensors (at least one sensor)
This type of system can learn from experience and make its own decisions based on information it collects.
Artificial Intelligence (AI)
These VEX IQ components power the wheels and arms. They're called 'smart' because they communicate directly with the Brain.
Smart Motors
In VEXcode, this hexagon-shaped block represents a value that can only be True or False — like a light switch.
A Boolean
This AI Vision detection mode uses black and white square markers — like QR codes designed specifically for robots — to navigate.
AprilTags
Real-world robotic arms are used in surgeries, on the International Space Station, and in this environment where they grab and sort packages.
Warehouses / fulfillment centers
In the 'Robot or Not?' activity, a chess-playing computer that beat a grandmaster was classified as this.
An AI
This sensor detects exactly how far away an object is using a laser, with a range up to 2000mm.
The Distance Sensor
This coding structure is the foundation of every smart robot: 'IF something is true, THEN do something.'
An If/Then statement
When color-chasing with the AI Vision Sensor, students used a 'center zone' between 138 and 178 to prevent this problem.
The robot jittering/overcorrecting left and right
Google Quick Draw was used on Day 3 to demonstrate this concept — the more examples an AI sees, the smarter it gets.
Machine learning
This is the key difference between regular code and AI: regular code follows instructions, while AI does this.
Learns from experience / finds patterns to make decisions
This is the most powerful sensor in the VEX IQ kit — a camera with an AI brain built in that can identify multiple objects at once.
The AI Vision Sensor
This type of loop is smarter than a Forever loop — it keeps running until a specific condition becomes true, then stops on its own.
A While Not loop
These six properties are read by the AI Vision Sensor from every AprilTag: ID, Angle, cX, cY, and these two.
Width and Height
In the AprilTag Navigation Challenge, after building their own course, pairs had to do this to make their program adapt to a new environment.
Swap courses with another pair and update their Tag ID detection to match the new tags