The official VEX V5 Robotics Competition Question & Answer system has closed for this season. If your team is planning to attend the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship, you may submit game and event-related questions to the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship Driver's Meeting Question Collection Form, which is available at this link: https://forms.gle/VpoRH5GmhktejJ8R8.
Rule <R8e> states "An unlimited amount of rope/string, no thicker than 1/4” (6.35 mm)" is legal. My questions are:
Best regards, 2130X
- Is metal string permissible under this definition?
The game manual does not provide a definition of "string." We're not going to provide one here, either. Instead, we'll point you to the 4th paragraph in Section 3 of the game manual:
Most of these rules are “hard limits,” such as the maximum number of motors permitted. However, some are “at inspector discretion,” such as determining a mechanism’s potential safety risk. At many events, the lead inspector and the Head Referee are the same person; if they are not, then the volunteer inspector should confirm any questionable judgment calls with the Head Referee. The Head Referee has final authority regarding all Robot rules, since it is ultimately their decision whether a Robot takes the field for a Match after inspection has concluded (per <R3d> and <R3e>).
Regarding string, a material used on a Robot is string if the inspector and Head Referee at the event both agree that it's string. Some examples (fishing line, paracord, twine) would reasonably be considered string by most or all inspectors and referees. Others (dowel, pneumatic tubing, chain) would not (see rule <G3>). A few, including metal, would require judgment calls by the inspector and Head Referee based on how the material is used on the Robot, and opinions are likely to differ between events.
- Are accessories specifically for metal string, such as ferrules, metal wire thimbles, and wire rope clips, allowed for use in conjunction with metal string?
No.