In my years of competing in VEX Robotics, I have come to realize that success in robotics is not just about building a robot that works. It is about building a robot that works for you. That is a lesson I only truly learned after embracing both failure and success.

The core of this philosophy is simple: trial and error is irreplaceable. You cannot shortcut your way to a deep understanding of your robot. Reading guides, watching reveal videos, or analyzing CAD models can help, but they will never give you the same insight as physically building, testing, breaking, and rebuilding. Every mechanism behaves differently in practice compared to theory. An intake that looks promising in someone else’s reveal might not suit your driver’s style at all. A flawless lift design available online might be the result of hours spent on tweaking small details, and the small details may simply just not be applicable to your robot.

These lessons only reveal themselves when you take the time to experiment.

Trial and error, however, is far from easy. Time constraints are a constant enemy. It is tempting to default to the “safe” design, the one that worked for another team, just to make sure you have something functional for the next competition. And it is not just time that makes experimentation difficult. Designing robots is a team effort, and different people often have different ideas about what the “right” design should be. Some of my most memorable robotics moments were not from the competition field, but from the discussions in our build space. We spent hours debating whether to try a new intake geometry or stick with our current one.

Every single iteration, even the ones that failed, was a step forward. Each new orientation, gear ratio, or structural tweak taught us something. Sometimes it was a mechanical insight, such as how to reduce torque loss in an arm. Other times it was a strategic lesson, like understanding how a design choice might impact driver control or scoring speed. This is why I believe the ultimate goal in VEX should be to continually build better robots, not just to replicate what is already proven to work.

That leads into what I consider the “always” of robotics. Always brainstorm. Always engage with your teammates in discussion. Always bring your own ideas to the table, even if they are unpolished. Even if they are not implemented, the process of defending, refining, and testing them builds your knowledge and sharpens your problem-solving skills. Always be willing to strengthen and adapt existing ideas, because improvement is just as valuable as originality.

Equally important are the “nevers.” Never blindly copy another team’s robot. Inspiration is fine, but copying without understanding turns robotics into assembly, not engineering. Never rely so heavily on outside information that you suppress your own creativity. Innovation comes from combining what you know with what you have learned through your own work.

In the end, my VEX ideology is built on the belief that success grows from a foundation of failures you were willing to risk and lessons you were willing to learn. A winning robot is not just a collection of parts. It is the story of every trial, every adjustment, and every breakthrough that brought it to life.

Beyond VEX

FTC vs. FRC