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Varied Object Challenge RFP

A collection of VEX competition game elements including clockwise from the top left - stacks of small yellow cones, a large orange square beanbag, a large yellow jax style piece, a stack of four small soft balls, and two large cones, one red and one blue.
A variety of objects meant to be picked up, hung up, or pushed to an area

Yost Objects Yesterday Inc. - RFP

YOY Inc. is a family owned business located in Western Pennsylvania specializing in storage. They are capable of storing objects in a variety of orientations, including hanging. Until recently, they have worked without the assistance of robots, but are looking to double their business. YOY has recently purchased a new storage facility but does not have the staff to keep up with demand. They are looking to improve their new warehouse by incorporating a robot.

YOY is offering a 3-year contract to develop a robot capable of pushing or grabbing a variety of different shaped objects from the ground and moving them to a storage location. In addition, the robot should be able to grab objects that are hanging and deliver them to a box across the room. The ground objects come in a variety of sizes and shapes. The hanging objects are hung around 60cm from the floor. There is a storage box in the corner of the room that has an opening 30cm off the ground and a 10cm area around the storage box where objects can be pushed.

The project will need to start as soon as possible, and the winning company should deliver the proven robot within a time period set by your facilitator. The materials allowed for the building of the robot for this challenge will include one V5 Classroom Super Kit.

This proposal should include the following items:

  • A sketch of the final robot
  • A demonstration of the robot accomplishing this task
  • A description of what the robot will accomplish
  • A timeline for the project

Teacher Tips icon Teacher Tips

  • Ask students to refer back to the What is a Request for Proposal (RFP)? page and review its contents before drafting their own RFP.

  • Decide and tell students whether they are to complete the RFP as a separate document or as an entry in their engineering notebooks.

  • Show students the scenario field setup and facilitate a walkthrough of the robots' behaviors.

  • Direct students to the Appendix of the STEM Lab for more information on different types of manipulators, accumulators, and building techniques.

  • Encourage students to break down the RFP into specific tasks that the robot will need to perform. Below is a possible example:

    • The robot should be able to…

      • Have a mobile and stable drivetrain.

      • Push objects of varying size and weight.

      • Grab objects approximately 60cm from the floor.

      • Place objects in an opening that is 30cm from the floor.

Teacher Toolbox icon Teacher Toolbox

The VEX V5 Classroom Super Kit comes with a variety of motion and structure components that will make this open-ended challenge more interesting and engaging for your students. Review the Motion and Structure tabbed sections within the listing of Kit Contents.

There are rubrics to evaluate builds, collaborations, personal entries in engineering journals, and group project entries in engineering journals.

Extend Your Learning icon Extend Your Learning

To expand this activity, students who finish early can make adjustments to the scenario field by changing the height of the placing point or by using different objects.

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