UCLA's Battlebots Team Prepares for (Controlled) Destruction

Within UCLA'due south Boelter Hall, the university'south Battlebots squad works on several categories of robots, including sixty-pound and three-pound drum spinners, "thwackbots," and horizontal spinners—all gainsay robots, with both drive and weapon systems—for arena-style battlescapes.

This is the chief projection of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) educatee section at UCLA. The team comprises mostly mechanical engineering undergraduates, although all disciplines are welcome to bring together. Anybody learns how to conceptualize, draft, and project plan, gets hands-on experience with industrial machining tools (factory and lathe), and becomes proficient with Finite Chemical element Analysis and CAD (Reckoner-Aided Blueprint).

UCLA ASME Battlebots Team

I of the UCLA ASME teams just returned from this year'due south RoboGames—the "Olympics of Robotics"—in the Bay Area where, later on a tough competition, they reached the 3rd round with their gainsay robot, "Wedgie." This is the furthest they've gotten so far, and now they desire to regroup and starting time planning for 2022.

Here's the squad talking nigh Wedgie, explaining how it works, some of the challenges they faced, and what they hope to build for 2022. We too saw them take the robot for a exam out in the courtyard behind their workshop (without the weapon running for safety reasons).

Seen in the video are the following students:

Ryan Poon, President UCLA ASME, 3rd year Mechanical Engineering science
Kevin Chang, Technical VP, quaternary yr Mechanical Engineering
Michael Cui, Battlebots Lead, tertiary year Mechanical Engineering
Calvin Shih, Battlebots Lead, 3rd twelvemonth, Mechanical Applied science
Joshua Valerio, FADE Lead, third twelvemonth, Mechanical Technology
Sam Gessow, Flagship Team Member, 2nd year, Mechanical Engineering

If you want to see the UCLA ASME Battlebots squad in action, with whatsoever gainsay robot they build between now and so, mark your agenda for RoboGames 2022.