Old Barker Redbacks team at a VEX U competition field

VEX U Robotics

Team OBR

Old Barker Redbacks is the VEX U team supported by Barker Alumni Robotics, continuing Barker robotics through university-level competition, design, manufacturing, and software development.

Robots Built

Matches

in Austraila

Awards Earned

What is VEX U?

What is OBR?

Old Barker Redbacks is an alumni robotics team created by graduated students from Barker College's 4613 robotics program. The team gives former Barker students a way to keep designing, building, and competing after school.

OBR also stays connected to the school program. Team members mentor Barker's VEX V5 middle school teams, support events,

Old Barker Redbacks VEX U robots at competition

VEX Robotics

How a competition season works.

VEX Robotics is a competitive robotics program where a new game is revealed each season. Teams then spend the year designing, building, programming, testing, and driving robots to play that game at events.

Barker College competes in VEX V5. These school-level teams work within a defined ruleset using VEX parts, motors, sensors, and code. The robots are student-designed and built with teams learning how to turn an idea into a working machine using the Vex building parts system.

Game Reveal

A New Challenge

Each year starts with a new game and rulebook. Teams study how points are scored, then choose a robot strategy for that season.

Building

Design, Test, Improve

Teams build a robot around the game, test it, repair it, and keep improving before and between competitions.

Competing

Autonomous, Drivers, Skills

15s

Autonomous

1:30

Driver Control

Skills

Solo Score Runs

VEX U

The same competition pathway, with fewer restrictions.

VEX U is the university-level division of VEX Robotics. It keeps the same yearly game structure as VEX V5, but removes many of the school-level restrictions. Teams can use more sensors, more complex software, external processing, and completely custom designed and manufactured parts.

The match format also steps up. VEX U has a longer autonomous period than VEX V5, and teams run two robots that must work together as one system. That makes software, robot interaction, and strategy much more important.

Old Barker Redbacks VEX U robot at competition

Why It Matters

A higher ceiling for alumni engineering.

OBR gives Barker alumni a place to keep developing advanced mechanical design, manufacturing, controls, software, and competition operations beyond school.

University Tier

Higher Ceiling

VEX U is the step up from VEX V5: fewer restrictions, faster robots, higher scores, and more demanding engineering.

Match Format

1v1 Teams

Each side controls two robots, so a team has to design machines that share roles, timing, space, and strategy.

VEX U

Custom Robots

Teams can use custom manufactured parts, more sensors, external processing, and more ambitious software.

Competition

Harder Hits

The robots are often faster, stronger, and more specialised, making matches more physical and mistakes more expensive.

Our Seasons

Season history.

Each season has a different game, robot, and competition result. These recaps show how OBR has developed from an early alumni team into a VEX U program competing nationally and internationally.

2026-2027