“BattleBots is unique, it is one of the biggest robotics competitions. The game is fun to watch and attracts a lot of viewers, especially the last few years. Other robot competitions are usually small, national or closed.” Andrej Medvedev is Student at the Fontys University and he started a team to build a robot for the BattleBots Competition: “This competition is open to everyone. You only have to bring a team with a robot with a weapon. Like a gladiator, the robot will fight in a box. Its weapon should not be too dangerous, we use a pneumatic flipper, and there are also speed and weight restrictions.”
The competition
“We started in June 2018 with the BattleBots project, I had the idea in mind for a while. My plan was to gather a group of students and form a team from Fontys University, but we also want to invite students from other universities, like the TUE. It is completely off curriculum by the way, not tied to one university.”
“The next BattleBots competition will be next year in Long Beach, California. Since 2016, it has always been in California. The competition is global, but it was never joined by a student team from the Netherlands. We wanted to be the first. Most student teams are from the USA, like from MIT.”
“I joined a robotics team before, where I was involved in the mechanical construction. I am interested in everything that has to do with robotics. A few years ago, we had a robotics project that got me hooked.”
The team
“Our team consists of eight people: three mechanical engineers, two electrical engineers, one software engineer, one HR manager and a mascot. Most of us are from the Fontys Mechatronics department, but not from the same year. We want to have a constant team, although members can switch.”
“We first built the drivetrain, because we wanted to train the movement before attaching the weapon. The frame is now most important. We are looking for a welding company that can help, because the welding is very complex. After that we will do the testing: the robot and the weapon.”
MCB’s help
“The steel materials that MCB supplies are important, because of the strength we need. We developed a concept like a tank, which meant it needed a rigid frame. We are also looking for strong solutions for the armor, so we need beams and plates.”
“The basic idea behind the team is not only to compete, but also to connect with companies. One of our sponsors is interested in young technical talent, so we provide them with access to interns and potential employees. This way we will learn more than about robotics only, which is good. As long as we can fight, haha.”
The team :
• Mechanical engineers: Hidde Schot, Edo Buijs, Robert Stasulli
• Electrical engineers: Petar Yotov, Anton Ivanov
• Other: Software Engineer Felipe Xhavier, HR & Mascot: Afonso Marques