Student engineers from two colleges or universities square off to build radio-controlled robots that are capable performing a specific task. Each team -- assisted by a single robotics expert -- has a single day to build a robot from scratch materials. At the end of the day the two robots battle it out in a timed match.
In episode 206, teams from Princeton University and Ohio University are asked to design and build a robot that can traverse a military-style obstacle course consisting of a seesaw, a door, a sand and barbed wire pit, another door, and monkey bars. Princeton designs a four-wheel-drive robot with articulating suspension and a retractable two-stage pneumatic actuator to raise the door, while Ohio designs a four-wheel-drive robot that uses a hooked lever with gear reduction to raise the door with considerable torque and smooth control. Both robots test well during construction, but Ohio’s Sergeant E-Bob falters early in the competition. That’s all Princeton’s "P Bomb" needs to conquer the course and take the win. Princeton advances to the next round of Robot Rivals and one step closer to the J. F. Engelberger Trophy.
