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Whose robot rocks in the ring? That’s what first-year students in the Mechatronics Systems Engineering (MSE) program at Simon Fraser University’s Surrey campus will determine when their ‘bots do battle on Thursday, March 10.

The intellectual prowess of their LEGO-NXT robots will be on the line as students program their creations to compete against each other in sumo style matches.

Robots win if they can find their opponents and push them out of the ring – without getting pushed out themselves.

The meet is a first opportunity for students to partake in robotic battle. It’s a chance to refine their skills to create even stronger contenders for a final project in April.

“Students learn about engineering design through these projects using LEGO Mindstorms’ NXT kits,” says course instructor Amr Marzouk. “It’s a great way for student to learn about sensors and programming while having fun at the same time.”

The LEGO NXT systems are comprised of intelligent, computer-controlled LEGO bricks that bring robots to life and allow them to perform different operations. They are programmed to spin, determine best navigation routes, and even balance on two wheels.

The competitions take place at SFU Surrey in room 4270 from 11 – 1:30 p.m. and 2 – 4:30 p.m.

An example from last year’s competition can be seen at: http://tinyurl.com/4cp3q4a

The MSE program will graduate its first class of undergrads this spring. The popular program, one of the first undergraduate degree programs of its kind in North America, has seen demand triple over the past three years.

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