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Official Q&A: VEX U Robotics Competition 2025-2026: Push Back
2703: VUR9 and commercial fasteners
<VUR9> states that commercially available fastener hardware is legal only for fastening components together. Which of these, if any, fall under the definition of fastening?
A. Holding together two or more components at a set angle from each other, such as a small angled bracket. This bracket does not provide substantial structure or shape to the mechanism, but it is necessary to hold the mechanism together.
B. A shaft hub that is used to secure one or more components in place along a legally fabricated shaft. The components would screw into the shaft hub, and the hub would tighten onto the shaft with an additional screw.
Additionally, would it affect the legality if i) the shaft is used as a structural element, and multiple shaft collars are used to position various components along the non-rotating shaft. ii) the shaft is part of a rotating mechanism, and the components being secured by the shaft collar are some form of transmission or wheel.
C. A shaft collar that secures itself to a shaft in order to axially constrain one or more components. The shaft collar is not directly fastening two components together (assuming you don't count the collar itself), but it does indirectly fasten a component to the shaft by preventing relative motion.
Note: Part C of this answer was revised on March 12, 2026.
A) A bracket is not considered a fastener for the purposes of <VUR9>.
B) A shaft hub is not considered a fastener for the purposes of <VUR9>. The screws used to assemble components to the shaft hub would be considered fasteners.
C) A shaft collar is considered a fastener for the purposes of <VUR9>.