ASU Robotics Club Heads to VEX World Championship

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A student engineering club from Arizona State University's Polytechnic campus, the Rossum Rumblers Robotics Club, has qualified to compete in the 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship in St. Louis, Missouri in late April. The club, comprised of engineering students, earned their spot through a combination of competitive performance and skills challenges.

Why it matters

The rise of university-level robotics teams like the Rossum Rumblers highlights a growing trend in collegiate robotics competitions. Currently, only four VEX University teams represent Arizona, but the success of ASU's club could inspire further expansion across the state.

The details

This year's VEX Robotics Competition, titled 'Pushback,' requires teams to design and build robots capable of strategically collecting and sorting balls within a 12-by-12-foot arena while competing head-to-head against another robot. The annual change in competition rules forces teams to completely reimagine their designs each season, fostering rapid innovation and problem-solving skills. Success in VEX Robotics depends on both the quality of the robot build and the skill of the human driver controlling it during the competition.

• The 2026 VEX Robotics World Championship will take place in late April in St. Louis, Missouri.
• The Rossum Rumblers Robotics Club recently earned the 'Excellence Award' for their performance.

What they’re saying

What’s next

The Rossum Rumblers Robotics Club aims to restore its pre-pandemic strength by re-establishing regular meetings with industry partners to provide students with valuable networking opportunities and connections to potential employers.