Phalanx Robotics caps inaugural season with strong showing at VEX Robotics World Championship
Phalanx Robotics team members stay energized after successfully passing inspection at the VEX Robotics World Championship in Dallas.
Phalanx Robotics, The University of Akron’s (UA) collegiate VEX U team, concluded its inaugural season with a competitive performance at the 2025 VEX Robotics World Championship, held May 6–14 at the Kay Bailey Hutchison Convention Center in Dallas, Texas.
The world championship, organized by the Robotics Education & Competition Foundation, is the culminating event of the VEX U season and brings together top-performing university teams from around the globe. Invitations are extended only to teams that demonstrate exceptional performance and earn qualifying awards throughout the regular season.
Phalanx Robotics' autonomous robots line up at the start of a match, aiming to score early points and gain an advantage.
Phalanx Robotics competed in the Technology Division, widely considered one of the most challenging based on average match difficulty, scoring metrics and programming performance. Out of 55 elite teams in the division, Phalanx secured the No. 16 seed following the qualification round with a record of five wins, three losses and one tie.
As the final team to enter the single-elimination bracket, Phalanx faced one of the top-ranked teams in the opening round. Despite a narrow loss, their opponent went on to become a division finalist. The close match underscored the UA team’s rapid growth and competitiveness in just their first year.
Phalanx Robotics team members watch the final ceremonies as top teams compete for the world championship title.
Phalanx also participated in the Skills Challenge, a solo event that tests both driver control and autonomous programming. The team placed 22nd out of 109 collegiate teams, marking another significant milestone for the rookie program.
The appearance in Dallas capped a season that began with success. In December, Phalanx made its collegiate VEX U debut at the West Michigan Holiday VURC High Stakes Tournament, advancing to the quarterfinals and earning the Design Award — presented by the REC Foundation for excellence in engineering documentation and process.
Blu and Roo, Phalanx Robotics’ competition robots, under the championship arch at the VEX Robotics World Championship.
“To compete and win against some of the world’s top collegiate robotics programs — many of which have been operating for years — is something we’re incredibly proud of,” said Jacob Yost, Phalanx Robotics president. “This competition has validated our team’s hard work and shown us what’s possible moving forward.”
With a successful debut season behind them, Phalanx Robotics is already preparing for next year, aiming to build on their momentum and continue establishing themselves as a competitive force in collegiate robotics.
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Media contact: Cristine Boyd, 330-972-6476 or cboyd@uakron.edu.