Email us at BellAVR@roboticseducation.org for additional information about the Bell AVR Competition.

The Bell AVR Drone comes with a set of open-source instructions, designed to be a similar experience as building an R/C car.  We will show you where every component, screw, and wire goes!  

The documentation is intended to be comprehensive enough for teams who have no prior experience with drone design / construction to achieve “first flight” within the first few weeks of build season.  

The documentation will also include “send us feedback” links on every page - so, if you come across a step that is particularly confusing, or find a different way to approach a problem, you can let us know and we will be updating the documentation throughout the season for all teams to benefit from!

➥ Build Instructions

Teams will need the following skills in order to follow the build instructions:

• Soldering 
• 3D printing (.STL files provided)
• Basic hardware assembly (screws, standoffs, nuts, etc)
• Basic software installation and updating (unrestricted internet connection required)

The following programming languages/environments can be used:

• Bell AVR Drone
  • Python, via VS Code
  • PC, Mac
• Secondary drone (Tello EDU)
  • Scratch Blocks or JavaScript via DroneBlocks
  • PC, Mac,Chromebook, Android, iOS
• Ground vehicles (Sphero RVR and Sphero Minis)
  • Scratch Blocks or JavaScript via Sphero Edu
  • PC, Mac, Chromebook, Android, iOS

Teams should first refer to the Assembly and Build Instructions for detailed information on how to build and program their vehicles.  Further technical support regarding the vehicles and Game Manual Questions on the Bell AVR Forum.

New Team registration for this season will be $4,000 per team.  This registration fee includes:

• Eligibility to participate in the Bell AVR Program
• KOPs (Materials for competition vehicles)
• (1) Bell AVR Event Registration 

Teams that participated in the 2022 Bell AVR season are eligible for the Returning Team registration at $2500 per team. This registration fee includes:

• Eligibility to participate in the Bell AVR Program
• (1) Bell AVR Event Registration

Generally, payment is required in order to ship the registration kit. However, we understand that school purchasing delays can happen, and we will do what we can to accommodate these situations case-by-case. We would still encourage you to go through the registration process on RobotEvents.com, choose "Pay Later”. However, this route includes the following caveats:

1. Please be sure to inform your REC Foundation Team Engagement Manager upon registering.
2. There are a limited number of team seats available per region, due to kit and event size limitations. So, the best way to guarantee your spot will be to get payment in as soon as possible.
3. Proof of payment pending will help with this process, such as PO request correspondence or an accounting contact within your purchasing department that we can follow up with directly.
4. If you cannot guarantee payment at the time of registration, please contact your REC Foundation Team Engagement Manager to request an exception.

The 2023 season timeline:

• March - Team Registration Opens  
• July-August – Registration kits ship to registered teams (may be earlier depending on availability)
• August 22 – 2023 Game release and season kickoff!
• September-November – Build season
• November – Competition season (see “Competition Events” for more details)
• December 2 – Championship event

• This will vary depending on every team’s individual circumstances, but in general, it can be viewed similarly to a typical robotics competition team schedule - 3-5 days each week of after-school meetings during the build/competition season, with some teams meeting on Saturdays or during class time when available.
• Every team automatically receives registration for one qualifying event, and has the option to register for one additional event. All events are one full day and held on a Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.

• Drones used in the Bell AVR competition are designed and intended for safe educational use, as long as standard safety "best practices" are followed! 
• Teams must fly the Bell AVR drone inside of a netted enclosure, with prop guards securely mounted.  We recommend a standard netted pop-up tent or a commercially-available drone cage. 
• Drone use at competition events may only be done under strict guidelines (e.g. props must be removed in the pit areas, the drone may only be powered on in certain areas, etc). Full details & information will be found in the Assembly Guide and Game Manual. 

The minimum number is 7 students, to support the 7-student drive team. If you have fewer than 7 students, your drive team may not be able to complete all of the challenges successfully. There is no maximum, but we would typically recommend no more than 10-15 students for a single team.

• High School students
• There is no restriction if younger teams wish to participate, but it is not recommended due to the complexity of some of the challenges.
• Not intended for university students.

Yes. Please complete the registration process first and receive a generic number, and then contact your REC Foundation Team Engagement Manager to request a number change.

• A standard engineering/robotics/shop classroom should be sufficient for preliminary build and testing (plenty of lab tables, power outlets, computers, etc).
•  The absolute minimum space that would be recommended for basic indoor testing within a netted enclosure is roughly 12ft x 12ft x 8ft.
• Outdoor flight is not recommended, and must still be done within a netted enclosure.
• Although a realistic playing field is always helpful for practice, most teams do not find it necessary to build the full 15ft x 40ft x 15ft netted field.  Having enough space to simulate a “half field” (15ft x 20ft x 15ft) or focusing on individual field elements (ranging from less than 1ft x 1ft x 1ft to 4ft x 8ft x 8ft) should be sufficient for most teams.

Note: All dimensions above are listed as length-width-height, or X-Y-Z.

Qualifying events are held each of the first three weekends in November.  The specific dates and locations are tentatively listed below but are subject to change.  

Events for the 2023 season will be located in Arlington, Texas and in Grandville, MI.

Note: Events with an asterisk (*) may be added, only if needed. 

• Week 1: (Nov 3, 4, 5*) Arlington TX
• Week 2: (Nov 10, 11, 12*): Arlington TX,  (Nov 10*, 11) Grandville MI
• Week 3: (Nov 17, 18, 19*): Arlington TX, (Nov 17*, 19) Grandville MI

The season-culminating championship event is on Dec 2, 2023 in Arlington TX

One event is included in the team registration fee, and teams have the option to register for a second event for a $500 event fee.

• If a team qualifies, the Championship event in December will be an additional $500.

• Events are one day long, and are all held on Friday, Saturday, or Sunday.
• All teams play up to 4 scheduled matches over the course of the day.
• Teams will be expected to interview for judged awards.
• Teams will have an assigned pit space, roughly 10ft x 10ft, with a table and a power outlet.
• Events are free and open to the public. Spectator seating is available!

To register for an event, you will need to visit the page for the event (example) while logged in, and add your team to the waitlist.

First Event – Teams registering for their first event should be automatically moved from the waitlist to the “registered teams” list.

Second Event – Teams registering for their second event will receive an invoice for the $500 registration fee through RobotEvents before being added to the “registered teams” list.

Contact – The best resource for help with this process is going to be to contact your REC Foundation Team Engagement Manager, who will answer any questions you may have!

Note: Events this season are held over one full day. Most weekends have two events held on back-to-back days so that fields can stay remain set up overnight, but these are not actually 2-day events.

Qualification criteria will be released alongside the rest of the game materials in August!