As technology advances, so does entertainment. Every year, multiple high schools in the state compete in a robot fight competition and it is a sight to see.
Dubbed “Robot Rumble,” the contest is held by Wheeling High School and involves 14 Northwest suburban high schools, including schools from District 214 and District 211.
The art of creating these robots takes time, energy, determination and brains. Robots have to be fast enough to maneuver to dodge hits but still have to be just heavy enough to deal damage while following guidelines. Held in a square ring, robots are set against each other. This fight tests the engineering, designing, wiring, power and hard work of each team.
Last year, sharp blades tore into another robot, slicing and dicing a robot into shrapnel. Multiple robots with a heavy mallet, crush other robots into pieces, spectators even saw weapons break off last year in a showdown.
This year, the senior bot, Bwax (pronounced Boo-wox), received an overhaul going through three different versions with upgrades.
Ethan Pikscher, a graduating engineering club student, explained the process of making Bwax. This new and improved creation is based on the two previous bots, Slamazon Prime and Boris.
“The third version, Bwax, was again, built to address the faults of Boris, those being speed and the weapon, Pikscher stated. “Many teams in the competition have begun switching to metal frame bots, and as a result, our weapon was useless.”
The team had to redesign the weapons to inflict damage into the metal frame bots. “To counteract other weapon upgrades, the major change for Bwax was an AR500-based weapon specifically manufactured to have a sharp edge to tear up metal,” stated Pikscher.
When asked about the design, team member sophomore Ayush Patel stated “The reason behind the two ramps was that it allows us to have two directions of pushing or flipping an opponent. It was just an expansion of the ramp idea from last year.” The competition and science posed other challenges to our students. “Designing was hard as well, we had to make sure there was enough clearance for parts like the motor mount and the drivetrain,” said Patel.
Both Pikscher and Patel agreed the engineering club was both helpful in finding interests and fun. Pikscher explained “You develop a lot of great skills in the club as well. Teamwork is essential to properly designing and building a bot, as well as communication. You don’t need to have any prior experience to join the Engineering Club, as you will learn everything you need there!”
Ayush added “ I think someone should join because it’s a fun club for anyone with an interest in STEM, you can learn how to problem solve and again how to work with a team which is vital for any field in engineering.”
The tournament is always live streamed for free on YouTube, no ticket prices or fees required. Although you may not be able to help create the bot, you can always cheer your fellow Saxons on!