1 00:00:00,160 --> 00:00:06,720 You asked and I'm delivering more robotics videos. Today we've got the VEX 2 00:00:04,080 --> 00:00:10,639 IQ Super Kit from VEX Robotics. VEXIQ was introduced about 2 years ago and 3 00:00:08,720 --> 00:00:14,000 it's chiefly targeted at elementary to middle school students. For those of you 4 00:00:12,240 --> 00:00:18,560 who don't know what this is all about, robotics kits like the ones from Tetris, 5 00:00:16,400 --> 00:00:23,279 Makeblock, Mindstorms, and Vex are basically educational toys sort of. I 6 00:00:21,600 --> 00:00:26,160 mean, they're not exactly toys, but I don't know what else to call them. you 7 00:00:24,960 --> 00:00:30,000 won't really be able to build a practical, useful robot that will dress 8 00:00:28,240 --> 00:00:34,079 you in the morning or vacuum your floor or cook you dinner. That's not really 9 00:00:31,840 --> 00:00:37,680 the point. The purpose of these robotics kits, as far as I can tell, is the 10 00:00:35,760 --> 00:00:41,120 enormous amount of educational value that they provide while still being a 11 00:00:39,360 --> 00:00:44,320 ton of fun. When you build with this stuff, you're learning a huge amount 12 00:00:42,879 --> 00:00:48,399 about mechanical engineering and programming. And there is so much to 13 00:00:46,480 --> 00:00:52,000 learn. So, let's dig in and see what the VEX IQ system has to offer. And hit that 14 00:00:50,719 --> 00:01:02,640 like button if you want to see more robotics videos in the future. 15 00:01:02,640 --> 00:01:08,799 The Logitech G303 features a lightweight design, an advanced optical sensor with 16 00:01:07,040 --> 00:01:14,080 Delta 0ero technology for precise tracking, and RGB lighting to match your 17 00:01:11,119 --> 00:01:17,759 setup. Click now to learn more. So, if you want to get started with a 18 00:01:15,520 --> 00:01:21,119 VEX IQ robot, you've basically got three choices. There's the starter kit with a 19 00:01:19,439 --> 00:01:24,400 radio remote control and two touch sensors. There's the starter kit with no 20 00:01:22,960 --> 00:01:27,840 remote control, but it has seven sensors. Then there's the super kit, 21 00:01:26,080 --> 00:01:32,000 which has the remote control and the seven sensors, but is $50 more, which I 22 00:01:30,400 --> 00:01:35,920 think is well worth it. That's the kit I'll be reviewing today. It comes with 23 00:01:34,000 --> 00:01:39,119 850 parts, which you can use to build and program pretty much any kind of 24 00:01:37,439 --> 00:01:42,479 robot you can imagine, and there are instructions for several models to get 25 00:01:40,799 --> 00:01:46,079 you started. The learning ceiling is surprisingly high while still being easy 26 00:01:44,720 --> 00:01:52,159 enough for beginners to get started with, but we'll talk more about that later. So, opening up the box, we see, 27 00:01:50,159 --> 00:01:56,880 hey, what's this? It comes with its own storage bin and a compartmentalized 28 00:01:54,320 --> 00:02:00,560 tray, 50 points to Gryffindor. That's great. There's plenty of extra room to 29 00:01:59,119 --> 00:02:04,399 allow your collection of VEX parts to grow. You can even fit a second tray 30 00:02:02,640 --> 00:02:07,200 above the first one. Looks like you won't be needing to take any trips down 31 00:02:05,759 --> 00:02:10,720 to the Container Store, which is actually a cooler place than it sounds. 32 00:02:08,800 --> 00:02:14,239 Anyway, the VEX IQ kit comes with a getting started guide, two instructional 33 00:02:12,480 --> 00:02:18,560 booklets, and a poster with all of the pieces at 1:1 scale for reference 34 00:02:16,160 --> 00:02:22,400 purposes. Next, we get to the included sensors. Oh yes, these are awesome. 35 00:02:20,800 --> 00:02:26,400 There are seven in total, and they're all small and easy to mount anywhere 36 00:02:24,400 --> 00:02:29,520 onto your robot. We've got two bumper switches. These will let your robot know 37 00:02:27,920 --> 00:02:33,200 when it's run into something. There is an ultrasonic distance sensor. These use 38 00:02:31,440 --> 00:02:36,720 echolocation to measure distances to objects. That's always fun. And there's 39 00:02:35,040 --> 00:02:40,080 a light and color sensor, useful for line following, detecting colors, and 40 00:02:38,239 --> 00:02:44,080 measuring ambient brightness. And then my favorite, the gyro sensor, which 41 00:02:41,920 --> 00:02:48,560 measures turn rates and angles, very useful for orientation. There are also 42 00:02:46,319 --> 00:02:52,400 two touch LEDs, which I don't really think of as sensors. They can't really 43 00:02:50,560 --> 00:02:56,959 be used as extra bumper switches. They're more like extra buttons. Each 44 00:02:54,319 --> 00:03:01,040 one also has fully programmable RGB LEDs, which I've always found to be very 45 00:02:59,040 --> 00:03:05,360 useful for debugging and knowing where you are in a program. Then we get to the 46 00:03:03,360 --> 00:03:09,120 smart motors, and guess what? There are four of them. And they're all pretty 47 00:03:07,120 --> 00:03:13,440 powerful, too. Not only that, but they're easy to mount, not too bulky or 48 00:03:11,280 --> 00:03:17,440 oddly shaped, and they all have encoders and microprocessors inside to measure 49 00:03:15,760 --> 00:03:21,120 all sorts of cool stuff. You can even install them without having to worry 50 00:03:18,959 --> 00:03:26,000 about damage. Next up, we've got the radio controller, which is great, but it 51 00:03:23,519 --> 00:03:29,760 could be better. It feels kind of cheap and the buttons are a bit soggy, 52 00:03:28,080 --> 00:03:34,080 especially the shoulder buttons, which rotate as they press inward rather than 53 00:03:31,920 --> 00:03:38,159 going in straight. Also, my left joystick has a bit of a problem. It 54 00:03:36,000 --> 00:03:41,599 doesn't go all the way to the left. I've been told that this is a known issue 55 00:03:39,840 --> 00:03:46,000 which has been fixed in the most recent batch. I recalibrated mine for full 56 00:03:44,000 --> 00:03:50,159 functionality, but VEX says they're glad to do RMAs if customers aren't happy. 57 00:03:48,560 --> 00:03:53,840 Despite this, the controller is functionally excellent, and it 58 00:03:51,760 --> 00:03:57,439 definitely is still worth getting. The two joysticks give you proportional 59 00:03:55,599 --> 00:04:00,959 control in every direction, and on top of that, you've got eight buttons, and 60 00:03:59,280 --> 00:04:05,439 it's all fully programmable and customizable in software. It also comes 61 00:04:03,200 --> 00:04:10,319 with a 50hour rechargeable battery. And did I mention it's radiocontrolled? 62 00:04:07,840 --> 00:04:14,159 That's a big deal. Unlike infrared, with radio, you don't need line of sight to 63 00:04:12,400 --> 00:04:18,400 your robot, so you won't get easily disconnected. Compare this to the 64 00:04:15,920 --> 00:04:22,960 Mindstorm's EV3 infrared beacon with five buttons, but no joysticks, and the 65 00:04:20,479 --> 00:04:27,120 Tetricx gamepad with two joysticks, but no buttons. And now we get to the 66 00:04:24,960 --> 00:04:31,120 centerpiece of the VEX IQ system, the fully programmable robot brain. This is 67 00:04:29,759 --> 00:04:36,639 where you connect all of your sensors and motors using the included RJ12 68 00:04:33,680 --> 00:04:40,720 cables. This thing has 12 serial ports that can be used as input or output. So 69 00:04:39,360 --> 00:04:45,360 yeah, if you wanted to, you could hook up 12 motors. The brain also comes with 70 00:04:43,199 --> 00:04:50,160 its own rechargeable battery, so there's no need to periodically sacrifice 71 00:04:47,199 --> 00:04:54,000 several at a time to the robot gods. There's also a spot for the radio module 72 00:04:51,919 --> 00:04:58,479 that easily links to the controller, and it even has a backlit screen. At this 73 00:04:56,639 --> 00:05:02,960 point, I think they're just showing off. As for the rest of the parts, there's a 74 00:05:00,400 --> 00:05:07,199 wide variety of beams, pins, wheels, gears, axles, corner connectors, rubber 75 00:05:05,120 --> 00:05:12,320 bands, and even double and quadruple wide beams, and metal axles, which are 76 00:05:10,000 --> 00:05:16,000 overkill in most cases. All the parts are strong and good quality, but the 77 00:05:14,000 --> 00:05:20,560 axles can be pretty annoying because they grip either too much or not enough. 78 00:05:18,720 --> 00:05:24,400 You can use rubber shaft collars for extra grip, but that can waste a lot of 79 00:05:22,400 --> 00:05:29,199 space. The LEGO Group solved this problem with expansion caps on all axle 80 00:05:26,560 --> 00:05:34,160 holes, a feature that VEX IQ does not currently have. To recap, the Super Kit 81 00:05:32,000 --> 00:05:38,080 comes with four motors, seven sensors, 12 in ports on the fully programmable 82 00:05:36,320 --> 00:05:42,800 brain, a radio controller, a rechargeable battery, and 850 pieces. 83 00:05:41,199 --> 00:05:47,440 This is all really impressive when you compare the VEX IQ system to its primary 84 00:05:45,199 --> 00:05:52,560 competition, LEGO Mindstorms, of which the newest iteration is EV3. The EV3 kit 85 00:05:50,400 --> 00:05:56,479 comes with three motors, three sensors, and the Brain Brick has four input ports 86 00:05:54,479 --> 00:06:00,800 for sensors and four output ports for motors, but they can't be swapped, so 87 00:05:59,039 --> 00:06:05,039 you couldn't hook up eight motors if you wanted to. And it requires double A and 88 00:06:02,880 --> 00:06:11,520 AAA batteries, which are not included. While the LEGO Mindtorms EV3 has 550 89 00:06:07,840 --> 00:06:16,160 pieces and costs $350, the VEX IQ Super 90 00:06:11,520 --> 00:06:19,039 Kit has 850 pieces and only costs $300. 91 00:06:16,160 --> 00:06:22,639 Wow, that is some good value. So, that's the hardware. Let's get on to the 92 00:06:20,479 --> 00:06:27,759 software. There are two programming options for VEX IQ, ModKit and Robot C. 93 00:06:26,000 --> 00:06:31,360 There are also several third-party alternatives, but those are not 94 00:06:29,520 --> 00:06:35,520 officially supported. The desktop version of Modkit is 50 bucks, but the 95 00:06:33,600 --> 00:06:39,919 online version is fully featured and free, so let's check that out first. 96 00:06:37,520 --> 00:06:43,840 Modkit is a purely graphical programming interface based on Scratch from MIT. You 97 00:06:42,479 --> 00:06:47,840 do have to install something called Modkit Link on your computer first, but 98 00:06:45,919 --> 00:06:51,520 at least that's pretty easy. You program in Modkit by connecting these various 99 00:06:49,840 --> 00:06:54,400 code blocks together. It's pretty straightforward. And if you're new to 100 00:06:53,039 --> 00:06:59,120 all this, there are a few getting started tutorials to help you along. But 101 00:06:56,720 --> 00:07:03,919 that's all that there is, just getting started. Once you've gotten started, the 102 00:07:01,599 --> 00:07:07,199 tutorials run out. There are no more. Where are the intermediate and advanced 103 00:07:05,599 --> 00:07:11,280 tutorials? I looked all over the place, but couldn't find any. Now, I can see 104 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:14,880 that despite its simplicity, Modkit does have a lot more to offer than the 105 00:07:12,880 --> 00:07:18,080 tutorials tell you about. But without any further guidance, I ended up 106 00:07:16,400 --> 00:07:22,639 learning Modkit through rigorous trial and error. This always works, but it's 107 00:07:20,400 --> 00:07:26,479 slow and frustrating, and you're more likely to end up with gaps in your 108 00:07:24,479 --> 00:07:29,919 knowledge. I did program a pretty cool pinball game, though. Check out that 109 00:07:28,160 --> 00:07:34,080 video on Channel Super Fun right over here. I also encountered a couple of 110 00:07:32,000 --> 00:07:38,400 bugs and missing features, the worst of which is the lack of copy paste, but it 111 00:07:36,639 --> 00:07:42,720 was nothing gamebreaking, unlike my experience with Makeb block video here. 112 00:07:41,199 --> 00:07:47,120 Let's move on to the more advanced programming option, Robot C, which has a 113 00:07:44,800 --> 00:07:51,680 10-day free trial and after that costs 79 bucks for a single seat. One 114 00:07:49,360 --> 00:07:56,720 important note, the VEX firmware updater tool that works well for Modkit is very 115 00:07:54,000 --> 00:08:00,720 unreliable for robot C. Here it looks like my firmware is updated, doesn't it? 116 00:07:58,800 --> 00:08:04,240 But it's not. I had to close the dedicated firmware updator tool and 117 00:08:02,479 --> 00:08:07,840 download firmware through robot C instead and keep that updater tool 118 00:08:06,240 --> 00:08:11,919 closed because it interferes with your serial port. Seriously, what is it with 119 00:08:10,160 --> 00:08:16,560 serial ports and connection problems? It's frustrating. Anyway, first up, 120 00:08:14,400 --> 00:08:20,479 we've got the robot C graphical mode. There are some great tutorials for this, 121 00:08:18,240 --> 00:08:24,879 which seem to be pretty comprehensive. It's kind of similar to Modkit, but it 122 00:08:22,400 --> 00:08:30,000 actually has less functionality. There are no functions and no variables. And 123 00:08:27,680 --> 00:08:35,120 like Modkit, there isn't a working copy paste or undo. But you can turn your 124 00:08:33,039 --> 00:08:38,399 graphical code straight into textbased code with the click of a button, which 125 00:08:37,039 --> 00:08:42,800 certainly helps to smooth out the programming learning curve. So, let's 126 00:08:40,240 --> 00:08:46,399 move on to Robot C's textbased mode. It's worth noting at this point that 127 00:08:44,240 --> 00:08:50,399 VEXIQ comes with a free online curriculum for students and teachers. It 128 00:08:48,399 --> 00:08:54,720 explains all sorts of robot stuff in detail, but once you get to the actual 129 00:08:52,480 --> 00:08:59,440 programming, it just says become familiar with the programming software 130 00:08:56,800 --> 00:09:02,320 and doesn't bother to tell you how. Now, there are tutorials linked from the 131 00:09:01,120 --> 00:09:08,720 software page, which I've been following, but there's nothing for textbased robot C for VEX IQ. So, how is 132 00:09:07,040 --> 00:09:13,600 someone supposed to learn how to use robot C? Well, I made some phone calls 133 00:09:11,040 --> 00:09:19,120 and I got an interview with local VEX IQ team leader Sharissa. She tells me her 134 00:09:16,480 --> 00:09:23,440 students teach themselves. There's even curriculum in BC for learning C. That's 135 00:09:21,839 --> 00:09:27,839 where I have a problem because I'm not a programming teacher. when it comes to C, 136 00:09:25,760 --> 00:09:31,200 it's my my club that really gets involved in this and they take it kind 137 00:09:29,279 --> 00:09:34,720 of on their own time to learn the language and I really don't have a lot 138 00:09:32,720 --> 00:09:38,000 of a part of that. Well, then it looks like I'll have to piece everything 139 00:09:35,839 --> 00:09:43,040 together using the online documentation, the included example programs and the 140 00:09:40,160 --> 00:09:47,279 forums and wiki. That's okay, but without a dedicated tutorial to give you 141 00:09:45,040 --> 00:09:51,200 a solid foundation of knowledge in robot C, your progress will be slower and 142 00:09:49,760 --> 00:09:56,800 you're more likely to end up with gaps in your knowledge. At least that's been my experience. One suggestion I've heard 143 00:09:54,800 --> 00:10:00,399 is that you can just learn C itself. There are plenty of tutorials and books 144 00:09:58,320 --> 00:10:04,959 to help you with that and then robot C will be easy. However you do it, once 145 00:10:03,040 --> 00:10:08,959 you learn robot C, you will have full control over your robot creations, even 146 00:10:07,279 --> 00:10:13,839 though robot C is apparently not as fullfeatured as C itself. I was able to 147 00:10:11,519 --> 00:10:18,880 program some cool stuff like a PID line follower, a self-parking robot, and a 148 00:10:16,240 --> 00:10:22,240 robot that only hoards red cubes. Robot C works pretty well, but it's got some 149 00:10:20,480 --> 00:10:25,760 problems, too. the Windows can get messed up, especially when you enter 150 00:10:23,760 --> 00:10:29,839 debugging mode and the Windows freak out for a couple of seconds and you can't do 151 00:10:27,360 --> 00:10:33,839 anything. I also encountered a bug where robot C crashed when the debugger was 152 00:10:32,079 --> 00:10:37,760 launched, something I had to fix by deleting registry files and 153 00:10:35,519 --> 00:10:42,240 reinstalling. Also, I really wish that Robot C had something like the function 154 00:10:39,839 --> 00:10:46,079 screen tips in Microsoft Excel. That kind of guidance is really useful when 155 00:10:44,240 --> 00:10:50,079 you're still learning to code. However, it looks to me like not many students 156 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:53,760 will even learn to program in robot C for their VEX IQ robots. Instead, 157 00:10:52,160 --> 00:10:58,480 they'll learn it when they move on to the bigger batter VEX edr robots, which 158 00:10:56,480 --> 00:11:02,880 are aimed at older students in middle to high school. At this point, I've really 159 00:11:00,480 --> 00:11:07,519 come to understand that VEX IQ is not really intended for individuals like 160 00:11:04,560 --> 00:11:11,440 myself. It's been designed for teams and classrooms, and it's a lot easier to 161 00:11:09,680 --> 00:11:16,399 learn all this stuff if you have other people around you to help you. In fact, 162 00:11:14,000 --> 00:11:19,680 there are yearly VEX competitions with hundreds of participating teams. 163 00:11:18,160 --> 00:11:23,279 Something which provides an excellent environment that encourages students to 164 00:11:21,440 --> 00:11:26,959 learn programming, engineering, collaboration, teamwork, and so on. You 165 00:11:25,519 --> 00:11:31,120 know, it's basically a sport like basketball, but for your brain. 166 00:11:29,600 --> 00:11:35,440 Brainball. Anyway, considering that VEX IQ is so 167 00:11:33,519 --> 00:11:39,120 classroom oriented, Sherissa's perspective as an educator is 168 00:11:36,959 --> 00:11:42,880 particularly important for this review. So, I'll let her provide some concluding 169 00:11:40,959 --> 00:11:46,480 remarks. the school board has a restriction as to like what software you 170 00:11:44,720 --> 00:11:51,200 can install on your computers. So to have a robot programming platform that 171 00:11:48,720 --> 00:11:55,680 is free and web- based is a call from the heaven. So then you would recommend 172 00:11:53,120 --> 00:12:00,640 the VEX IQ system for teaching kids. Yeah. And um I kind of like an advocate 173 00:11:58,240 --> 00:12:05,600 for this stuff. I have these very eager students. They had a hard time grasping 174 00:12:02,560 --> 00:12:08,240 programming and I feel like VEX IQ kind 175 00:12:05,600 --> 00:12:13,600 of fills in that gap. For between $250 and $299 Canadian, you can purchase a 176 00:12:11,200 --> 00:12:18,079 box that has all the pieces in it and everything necessary to build one robot 177 00:12:15,600 --> 00:12:22,000 with the construction affordability. I think it's totally there. So, there you 178 00:12:20,240 --> 00:12:25,920 have it. I recommend it. Sharesa recommends it. What more do you want? 179 00:12:23,760 --> 00:12:29,920 That all being said, I do have quite the laundry list of suggestions for 180 00:12:27,760 --> 00:12:34,160 improvements to the system, ranging from nice to have to why don't you have this? 181 00:12:32,320 --> 00:12:38,079 VEX Robotics has already proven that they listen to user feedback, so don't 182 00:12:36,480 --> 00:12:43,279 be surprised if you see some of these implemented in the future. As for the 183 00:12:40,240 --> 00:12:45,440 price, I feel like $79 is a lot to ask 184 00:12:43,279 --> 00:12:49,760 for Robot C. But compared to the alternatives, it's actually still 185 00:12:47,360 --> 00:12:54,800 competitive. The VEX IQ hardware though is a steal at its current price of $300 186 00:12:52,639 --> 00:12:59,360 for the super kit, considering how much is included. If you buy one of these, 187 00:12:57,200 --> 00:13:02,880 just make sure that it gets used and appreciated. This is not the kind of 188 00:13:01,279 --> 00:13:07,600 thing to be assembled and played with once and then left to collect dust on a 189 00:13:05,200 --> 00:13:14,240 shelf. Properly utilized, this kit can and does provide years of fun and 190 00:13:10,560 --> 00:13:16,240 education. And that is valuable. 191 00:13:14,240 --> 00:13:20,160 And if you don't like robots, maybe you'll like today's video sponsor, TING, 192 00:13:18,399 --> 00:13:26,000 because when you call Ting, you get to talk to a real person and not a machine. 193 00:13:22,959 --> 00:13:27,680 Sorry, buddy. Ting is a mobile carrier 194 00:13:26,000 --> 00:13:31,760 that's focused on customer service and satisfaction first. And best of all, in 195 00:13:29,760 --> 00:13:35,920 my opinion, you only pay for what you use, which is really how all mobile 196 00:13:33,600 --> 00:13:38,959 carriers should work. I mean, why should anyone have to predict how much they're 197 00:13:37,600 --> 00:13:43,279 going to use their phone and then be punished for predicting? Wrong. That's 198 00:13:40,800 --> 00:13:47,120 stupid. Well, no more. The average TING bill is only $23 a month per device. But 199 00:13:45,360 --> 00:13:52,000 don't take my word for it. Head over to Linus.ing.com and try out their savings 200 00:13:49,680 --> 00:13:55,519 calculator to see for yourself. Also, if you're stuck in a contract and switch to 201 00:13:53,600 --> 00:14:00,160 TING, they'll cover 25% of your cancellation fee up to $75. And when you 202 00:13:58,079 --> 00:14:06,560 sign up at our link, you'll also get $25 in service credit or $25 towards a new 203 00:14:02,480 --> 00:14:08,160 device. So go ahead and check it out. 204 00:14:06,560 --> 00:14:12,240 Thanks for watching, guys, and let me know your thoughts on the VEX IQ system 205 00:14:10,079 --> 00:14:16,800 in the comments below. And tell me, were you ever on a robotics team or have I 206 00:14:14,240 --> 00:14:20,399 inspired you to join one? Also, how do you feel about the inevitable automation 207 00:14:18,480 --> 00:14:26,480 of your job and the upcoming robot apocalypse? Let us know with a like or 208 00:14:23,279 --> 00:14:28,320 dislike. I dislike the robot apocalypse. 209 00:14:26,480 --> 00:14:31,440 Also, you can get subscribed and even support us directly by using our 210 00:14:29,600 --> 00:14:35,199 affiliate code to shop at Amazon, buying a cool t-shirt like, well, one of these, 211 00:14:33,519 --> 00:14:38,000 or with a direct monthly contribution through the community forum. And if 212 00:14:36,880 --> 00:14:43,810 you're looking for something else to watch, I suggest you check out the aforementioned bug eating pinball 213 00:14:41,360 --> 00:14:46,100 challenge. See you next time.