The VEX Robotics Competition (VRC) Spin Up Playground in VEXcode VR and the accompanying VRC Activity Lab, can be used as part of your curriculum. This Activity Lab walks you through coding the robot to remove discs from dispensers and then score the discs.
Overview of the VRC Spin Up Activity Lab
VEXcode VR Activity Labs are sequenced Activities with some additional scaffolding and supports added to help students as they complete the Lab. The Activities are all designed to be student-facing so they can be used to extend student engagement with VEXcode VR Playgrounds, like VRC Virtual Skills - Spin Up. Activity Labs are designed to be flexible, so that students can engage with them as is, or activities can be extended or adapted to best meet your students needs and your teaching style
Each Activity in the Lab includes an overview of what the robot should accomplish, a bulleted list to help break down the task into smaller components, and helpful hints if students need assistance while coding.
There are 12 Activities that make up the VRC Spin Up Activity Lab. All of these Activities are listed below, including what concepts are covered, and the number of each activity.
In Take It and Leave It (1) and Intake and Score High (2), students will code the intake discs from the field and score them in both the low and high goals. They will learn how to use the Intake motor in order to accomplish each of the tasks.
In Roll It Red (3), students are challenged to drive to a roller on the field then use the Optical Sensor to spin the roller until it is red. They will learn how to use the Intake motor group with the rollers and how to use the Optical Sensor in a VEXcode project.
In Where to Start (4), students will explore the different starting locations available and then put together all of their skills from the previous activities to intake and score two discs.
In GPS Guidance (5) and Load It and Launch It (6), students will use sensors to collect discs and score them in the high goal. GPS Guidance has students use the GPS Sensor on Disco, the Hero Robot, and Load It and Launch It has students use the Bottom Distance Sensor to detect when a disc has been moved onto the field through the loaders.
In Score a Pile of Discs (7) and Three Discs, One Launch (8) students will continue to use sensors to gather and score discs. In Score a Pile of Discs, students are introduced the Line Trackers placed throughout the intake to detect how many discs have been gathered by the robot.
In the Three Discs, One Launch Activity, students will use the Bottom Distance sensor to drive the Hero Bot to the three Discs highlighted in green, pick up the three Discs, and score them in the blue High Goal.
In Be Efficient! (9), students are challenged to take what they have learned about coding the different sensors on Disco, the Hero Robot, and apply them to score six discs as fast as possible.
In Along the Shortest Path (10) and Aim the Target (11), students will apply the GPS Sensor, the Optical Sensor, the intake motor group, and the Bottom Distance sensor in order to gather discs, score them, and spin rollers.
In Smart Plan (12), students will apply all of the skills they have learned in Activities 1 through 12 to get their highest possible score in VRC Spin Up!
Teacher Resources
The VRC Spin Up Activity Lab is a sequenced version of the Spin and Score, Take It and Leave It, Roll It Red, Load It and Score, and Location, Location, Location VEXcode VR Activities. Solutions for each activity can be found in the VEXcode VR Teacher Portal and is also linked here.
To help facilitate your students completing this Activity Lab, you can also use the following VEX Library articles.
- View this article to learn more about facilitating coding conversations with students.
- Learn more about using pair programming to support student collaboration in this article.
- Read this article to learn about helping students to build resilience as they work through a project.
To learn about the robot used in the VRC Spin Up Playground, the features of the Playground, and more, see these articles from the VEX Library.