Battlebots at UT Arlington
Donation protected
Recently, the old competitive robotics TV show “Battlebots ” was rebooted on ABC, and is currently in its second season with increasing ratings each week and guaranteed renewal for season 3. For last season, over 200 teams applied and 60 were accepted in. The robots range in cost from around $10000 to $25000 each, and sometimes are only used for about 3 minutes during the competition. Applications are due by November and filming starts in April. Two weeks before filming is RoboGames, which carried the mantle of Battlebots while it was off air with a weight limit 30 pounds lower than the show itself but similar rules and regulations otherwise.
At UT Arlington, all mechanical engineering majors are required to complete a senior design project. Usually, these projects are small and given to the university by local corporations for the students to use, but the resurgence of Battlebots presents a unique opportunity. Other teams at UTA - Rover Society and UTA Racing- allow their teams to be used as senior design projects.
I and my team have decided to start a Battlebots team for senior design. We have some very unique ideas that we believe are feasible from our past experience with robotics competitions including FRC and industry internships. We have permission from the school to pursue the idea, but in order to build our design, our team needs money.
That’s where you come in. Whether we get in the show or merely attend RoboGames, we still need to build the robot for a grade. Any little cent helps, even spare change. If you can’t help monetarily, we also need physical help, in the form of things like machine shop time, welding, certain parts (bearings, wheels and game controllers), programs like SolidWorks and video cameras. If you can help or know anyone who can help with that, it would go a long way towards making this dream come true.
I know this isn’t a great charity thing. We’re not saving starving kids in Africa or building houses for storm survivors or even doing much for improving education. We’re just building a robot to break other robots for entertainment and for a grade. But I hope the legacy of this team will get the ball rolling for my school, becoming as viable a team as the Rover Society or the FSAE Racing team for an extracurricular, and putting our school on the national stage for quality engineering. We are fully commited to increasing the prestige of our school and helping future students have another option in expanding and applying their education.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for anything you choose to contribute.
At UT Arlington, all mechanical engineering majors are required to complete a senior design project. Usually, these projects are small and given to the university by local corporations for the students to use, but the resurgence of Battlebots presents a unique opportunity. Other teams at UTA - Rover Society and UTA Racing- allow their teams to be used as senior design projects.
I and my team have decided to start a Battlebots team for senior design. We have some very unique ideas that we believe are feasible from our past experience with robotics competitions including FRC and industry internships. We have permission from the school to pursue the idea, but in order to build our design, our team needs money.
That’s where you come in. Whether we get in the show or merely attend RoboGames, we still need to build the robot for a grade. Any little cent helps, even spare change. If you can’t help monetarily, we also need physical help, in the form of things like machine shop time, welding, certain parts (bearings, wheels and game controllers), programs like SolidWorks and video cameras. If you can help or know anyone who can help with that, it would go a long way towards making this dream come true.
I know this isn’t a great charity thing. We’re not saving starving kids in Africa or building houses for storm survivors or even doing much for improving education. We’re just building a robot to break other robots for entertainment and for a grade. But I hope the legacy of this team will get the ball rolling for my school, becoming as viable a team as the Rover Society or the FSAE Racing team for an extracurricular, and putting our school on the national stage for quality engineering. We are fully commited to increasing the prestige of our school and helping future students have another option in expanding and applying their education.
Thank you for taking the time to read this, and thank you for anything you choose to contribute.
Organizer
Aviana Knochel
Organizer
Arlington, TX
