Buckeye bots race for top honors on April 7

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Teams of first-year Ohio State honors engineering students will compete in 24th annual robotics competition

Celebrate National Robotics Week (April 7-15) and see robots race to be the best in the pits on Saturday, April 7, during The Ohio State University College of Engineering’s 24th annual robot competition.

The event is the culmination of a semester-long design-and-build project for 252 freshmen honors students that challenges them to design, build and program a fully autonomous robot vehicle in just nine weeks.

 

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2017 robot competition

Sixty-three teams of first-year engineering honors students will compete in both a round-robin and a single-elimination tournament competition to determine which student-built robot can best complete the required tasks. This year’s competition simulates the work needed for autonomous robot vehicles to get a racing pit and garage ready in record time.

Each team of three to four students will set their robots in motion around a student-built 12-square-foot course that simulates a racing pit. The fully autonomous robots have just two minutes to perform specific tasks, including turning a crank 180 degrees to deliver the right octane of fuel to the pit area, picking up a wrench and returning it to the garage, releasing a jack to lower a race car, pushing the correct buttons on a control panel to perform a diagnostic test and returning to the charging station.

The robots are limited in size to a 9-square-inch footprint and constructed of various materials, including sheet metal, PVC, acrylic, plywood and Erector set components.

The event is open to the public; traditionally, several hundred spectators attend.

WHAT: First-Year Engineering Honors Student Robot Competition

WHEN: 12:00-6:00 p.m. on Saturday, April 7, 2018

  • 12:00 p.m. to approximately 3:00 p.m.: Round-robin competition
  • 4:15 p.m. to approx. 5:45 p.m.: Single-elimination tournament
  • 6:00 p.m.: Presentation of awards

WHERE: Recreation and Physical Activity Center (RPAC), 337 W. 17th Avenue, The Ohio State University, Columbus, Ohio. Parking is available at the Neil Avenue Parking Garage or the Tuttle Park Place Parking Garage at an hourly rate.

Editors: Photographers and videographers are welcome to attend the event and take photos or video during the competition. Faculty and students will be available for interviews. RSVP to clevenger.87@osu.edu or 614-292-4064.

Category: Students