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Robotics Platforms

Prince William County Public Schools (PWCS) Robotics offers a comprehensive and inclusive robotics program built around eight dynamic platforms:

  • Aerial Drones
  • FIRST Lego League
  • FIRST Robotics Competition
  • FIRST Tech Challenge
  • SeaPerch
  • Unified Robotics
  • VEX
  • VEX IQ

Together, these programs provide students with engaging, hands-on STEM experiences that span land, sea, and air, exposing learners to a wide range of engineering, coding, and design challenges. From underwater exploration with SeaPerch and autonomous flight through drones, to competitive robotics and inclusive team-based learning, PWCS Robotics ensures that students of all ages, abilities, and backgrounds have meaningful access to high-quality robotics education. This intentional variety allows every student to find a pathway into STEM, fostering innovation, collaboration, and equity while preparing learners for future academic and career opportunities.

Learn more about competitions and view resources

Aerial Drone Competition

Aerial Drone Competition

Grades: Middle and High School

Aerial Drone Competition is a newer STEM event where middle and high school students compete in drone flight, programming, and teamwork by completing specific missions like piloted obstacle courses, autonomous code challenges, collaborative tasks, and logbook/interview-based communication, focusing on problem-solving and critical thinking while providing the skills for future drone-related careers.

Learn more about the Aerial Drone Competition.

Aerial Drone Competition Mission 2026: Time Warp

Introducing Mission 2026: Time Warp! This season, get ready to bend the rules of time and space as you guide your drone through thrilling teamwork, piloting, and autonomous flight challenges that will put your strategy and precision to the test.

The Aerial Drone Competition has four Missions for Teams to compete in:

  • Teamwork Mission
    Two Drone Teams compete as an Alliance in 90-second Matches, working together to score points.
  • Autonomous Flight Skills Mission
    Students program their Drone to operate fully autonomously, earning points by completing specific tasks during the Autonomous Flight Skills Mission. Each Match lasts 3 minutes, and Teams are allowed up to three Matches per event.
  • Piloting Skills Mission
    Students pilot their Drone through an obstacle course, aiming to score as many points as possible by flying through, under, and around various challenges during the Piloting Skills Mission. Each Match is 60 seconds, and Teams are allowed up to three Matches per event.
  • Communications Mission
    During the Communications Mission, Teams submit competition logbooks and participate in an interview with judges. During the interview, Teams will respond to questions about their Team management, coding, strategies, and career connections.

Resources

FIRST Lego League

FIRST Lego League Challenge logo

Grades: Elementary School

FIRST Lego League (FLL) is a global STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program for fourth and fifth grade students that uses fun, hands-on challenges with Legos to teach problem-solving, coding, and teamwork. Each year, the FLL game changes and offers new challenges for team members to learn.

Teams research real-world problems, design and program Lego robots to complete missions, and compete in tournaments, emphasizing core values like teamwork and gracious professionalism.

FLL is a completely autonomous robot, meaning no remote control. Teams have 2-1/2 minutes to complete as many missions as possible to score on the competition field.

Learn more about FIRST LEGO League.

Resources For Robotics Coaches

Resources for Coding and Building/Robot Design

Resources for 2025-26 Challenge - UNEARTHED

FIRST Robotics Competition

FIRST Robotics Competition logo

Grades: High School

FIRST Robotics Competition (FRC) is an international high school program where students design, build, and program industrial-sized robots to compete in an annual, themed, sports-like challenge, combining real-world engineering with teamwork, leadership, and STEM promotion, guided by mentors.

Teams have only seven short weeks to design, build, and program a robot before they are on a competition field. These are not little robots – with their custom parts, cameras, and sensors, these robots can weigh up to 120 pounds! More than robots – FRC is more than the robot – each team inspires younger students, develops its own brand, raises funds, and learns to solve complex problems under a tight timeline, fostering skills for future tech careers.

Learn more about FIRST Robotics Competition.

Resources for Coaches

Resources for Students

2026 Season - REBUILD

FIRST Tech Challenge

FIRST Tech Challenge logo

Grades: Middle and High School

FIRST Tech Challenge (FTC) is a global robotics competition for middle and high school students where teams design, build, program, and operate robots to compete in themed challenges, fostering STEM skills, teamwork, innovation, and community outreach through a sports-like model with alliances and awards. Teams use a reusable kit, program with Java, and develop strategic skills while learning about engineering, marketing, and fundraising.

FIRST Tech Challenge students work together with their mentors to design and build dynamic robots to compete in an exciting game released every September. On and off the field, students develop STEM skills, engage in community outreach, practice engineering innovation, and build confidence to help them succeed.

Learn more about FIRST Tech Challenge.

Information for FTC Coaches

Resources for Builders

Resources for Coders

Resources for 2025-26 Game - DECODE

SeaPerch

SeaPerch logo

Grades: Middle School and High School

SeaPerch is an international robotics competition for middle and high school students to learn engineering, design, and problem-solving by completing underwater challenges and missions, fostering interest in marine and ocean engineering careers. Teams navigate obstacle courses and complete themed mission tasks, often related to real-world scenarios.

ROVs are tethered, unmanned underwater robots controlled from the surface, used for exploring, inspecting, and working in deep or hazardous marine environments without risking human lives.

Learn more about SeaPerch.

Welcome to the 2026 SeaPerch Season! Join us as we explore this season's theme, Storm Response: Technology in Action for Recovery and Relief.

Select the link for Pool Challenges for more details. Have a great SeaPerch season.

For International SeaPerch Challenge (required if attending) - updated November 24, 2025

Technical Design Report

Link for optional submissions for the International SeaPerch Challenge

Information Shared by Coaches

12V Motors

Kysan Electronics sells the exact same motor that Jameco sells; the specifications are the same and they have the same motor series number. The company is sending a price quote for 150 units and it's $2.50 per motor, which beats Jameco's price.

Kysan SKU: 1111035 Mfg: MD5-1885
MOTOR,DC,27.5MM,12V,12500 RPM NO LOAD
9820RPM MAX,0.74A,53.5G-CM,5.39W,60.73%
250G-CM/3.48OZ-INCH STALL

Toggle Switch

Film Canisters

Unified Robotics

Unified Robotics logo

Unified Robotics is an innovative platform newly introduced to the school division, making it the only division within the Commonwealth to offer this forward-thinking program. The initiative promotes inclusion and equity by bringing students served in specialized programs and general education students together in a collaborative robotics learning environment, where each student’s strengths are valued and utilized. Through this partnership, students develop problem-solving, communication, and teamwork skills while learning from one another in authentic, hands-on ways. Unified Robotics ensures equitable access to robotics education for all students, removing barriers to participation and fostering a culture of belonging, innovation, and shared success across the division.

VEX

VEX logo

Grades: Middle School and High School

VEX Robotics (V5) is a global STEM education program and series of competitions for students in middle and high school, which offers hands-on learning through designing, building, and programming robots to solve challenges, fostering skills in science, technology, engineering, art, and math, alongside teamwork and leadership. Participants use modular kits with a variety of metal pieces to select from for the team to design and create robots for annual games.

VEX V5 is built with metal, a variety of motors, sensors, and is both an autonomous and controller- driven robot. The robot is coded with drag-and-drop blocks for beginning teams, while experienced teams move to learn to code in Python and C++.

To learn more about VEX Robotics.

VEX V5: Coaches Resources

VEX V5: Building and Coding Resources

VEX V5: 2025-26 PUSH BACK Challenge Resources

VEX Additional Resources for Teams and Event Partners

Online Challenges

Online challenges will be available in November 2025.

Engineering Notebook Sample Templates

Example of Outstanding Notebook Featured by VEX Robotics (PDF) (Team 1575A Athena - Woodbridge High School)

VEX IQ

VEX IQ logo

Grades: Elementary School and Middle School

VEX IQ is a STEM education platform for elementary and middle school students that uses easy-to-assemble, plastic, snap-together parts to build robots for game-based engineering challenges, teaching programming (Blocks, Python, C++), teamwork, and real-world problem-solving skills through hands-on fun and competitions. It offers a fun, accessible entry into robotics with components like a smart brain, sensors, motors, and a controller, making STEM concepts tangible.

Learn more about VEX IQ.

References for Coaches

References for Programming

References for the Mix & Match Challenge 2025-26

Updated Documents for Current Game

Updates coming soon.