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indi™ Sphero Robotics Mission

U9 Division

Birth Date:
Sept 1, 2017 or later
Max Age:
8 as of Aug 31, 2026
Grade (USA):
K-2nd

Screen-free coding

Get to Know The Program

indi Missions offer a screen-free program where students use color tiles to program their indi robot as they navigate obstacles or terrain in the yearly theme. Working in teams, they’ll guide indi on fun adventures, create life-like features like rivers and playgrounds, and design a custom world for their robot!

What Students Learn:
• Screen-free coding
• Themed Missions that mirror real-life challenges
• Teamwork and confidence building

Download the Competitions Manual (PDF)

What Does It Cost?

Getting Started

The season registration fee for an In-Person team registration is $200. This provides an exciting way for your team to compete alongside other teams at an event hosted by amazing volunteers.

Want to participate from your school or club location?

Try an Online Submission season with a season registration fee of $100.

The yearly registration fee for both formats include the cost of entry into multiple events throughout the season. The equipment costs of the Sphero products will depend on your current on-hand materials. If you do not have the materials needed or aren’t sure, please see the required equipment and costs below.

The first year can be the largest investment, but the same robots and field are reused season after season.

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Registration

indi Missions requires at least one adult Team Coordinator to guide the students through a Student-Powered™ experience. No robotics background needed! We recommend 2-5 students per team.

  • Required: 2-5 Students – no technical experience required
  • Required: One (or more) adult Team Coordinator – no technical experience required
  • Required: Season Registration

There are two ways for the students to participate in indi Missions:
In-person events or Online Submissions (or both).

Equipment

The equipment needed for the indi Missions is listed below.

  • Required: Two indi robots
  • Recommended: One indi Folding Code Mat
  • Recommended: One Sphero Craft Pack (Or your own materials such as cardboard, construction paper, tape, stickers, and other items to build the environment for the Missions.)

Frequently Asked Questions

Who can join indi Missions?
Students age 8 or younger on August 31, 2026, which means born September 1, 2017 or later. That usually lines up with kindergarten through 2nd grade.

A team is two to five students plus at least one adult team coordinator.
With color tiles. Working in teams, students use the tiles to program indi and guide it through obstacles and terrain built around the season’s theme, all without a tablet or computer.
Two indi robots. An indi Folding Code Mat is recommended, along with craft materials (or a Sphero Craft Pack) for building the environment the robot navigates.
Season registration is $200 for an in-person or Live Remote team, or $100 for Online Submission. Either fee covers entry into multiple events through the season, and robots are a separate cost.

Plan on two to three hours a week over six to eight weeks.

Students can still compete.

With Online Submission, a team records its missions and submits them with a slide deck, and there are three Online Submission events each season: Eastern US, Western US and the rest of the world.

Live Remote events run live, with remote judges evaluating the missions.

Upcoming events and registration are on myTEAMevents.org.

Ready to get started?

Student-Powered™ means the students do the driving, the coding, and the problem solving. Team Coordinators handle registration, a room, and getting everyone there on the day.

You don’t need a robotics background. Neither does anyone else in the building.