Rice Robotics Club: Battlebots

The BattleBots team is dedicated to designing innovative and robust combat robotics. We engage in comprehensive research to inform our designs and strategies, participating in regional and national competitions like the NASA Moon2Mars competition and the Cougar Cup. Currently, our focus is on a nimble 1-pound bot, with a concentration on creating a knowledge base for larger and stronger designs in the future.

Battlebots robot is built in the shape of a pentagon with a blade attached to the end of it

The Robot

Our battlebots's name is Pancake! The most recent version of Pancake features a 7", asymmetrical, steel spinner as its main weapon. The chassis is built out of carbon fiber plates, 3D printed ABS structure, and threaded aluminum standoffs. It uses two TPU wheels with grip tape on their perimeter in order to move, as it slides around on the front (ABS) sleds. It weighs a few grams (~10 iirc) short of a pound, per the weight class requirements.

Rice Robotics members surround a girl holding a controller looking down at the battlebots robot

Rice Robotics member holds controller, looking down on battlebots robot inside glass arena

The Competitions

2024 Cougar Cup Competition

April 13, 2024

2024 NASA Moon2Mars Challenge

March 16, 2024

An overhead shot of a battlebots competition. There are four areas visible. The arenas are all wooden at the bottom with four glass walls.

Demonstration

Here's Pancake in action at Cougar Cup '24!

The Team

The 2023 Rice Robotics Battlebots Team

2024 Battlebots Team Leads

David Almanzan

Justin Impelman

Giovanna Veras

Rice Robotics Battlebots team members pose for a photo with the battlebots robot.