This group of BYU Engineering students enjoys learning how to be engineers by battling robots.
Beginning in Winter 2023, a small group of students started building and destroying each other's robots. What began as a small competition has become a flourishing club, and it is only growing from there.
Cole Cecil, founder and president of the BYU Combat Robotics club, described combat robotics as an extremely enjoyable challenge. Cecil is a masters student studying mechanical engineering.
“This sport’s been around for like 25 years. It's not new,” Cecil said, “However, it's finally starting to get traction, and people are like ‘I can do this.’”
Students get together in teams and work on their robots over a semester, preparing for a competition that the club puts on each semester. Students from local colleges and even a few interstate high schoolers attended the most recent competition on Dec. 7.
The BYU Combat Robotics club meets weekly on Thursdays for build nights. During these meetings, club leadership gives seminars to teach basic skills at the beginning of the semester and one-on-one help to teams if needed.
“We try and make sure that we answer a lot of the basic questions quickly so that as the semester goes on, those people aren't as stuck as they would be before,” Cecil said. “You ask for help, and we're there to help you out and to help you solve the problems you're facing.”
Members of the club learn how to use 3D modeling, design electrical circuits and battery configurations, and use resources available on campus. The club also conducts regular check-ups to keep teams on schedule, including safety inspections before the final competition.
It’s a lot of scramble, it's a lot of how am I going to get this to work, and a lot of asking for other people's help,” Cecil said. “It's a direct correlation. However much work you put in, you'll get it out.
Each team decides what combination of weapon type and weapon placement their robot will have.
The creativity that comes with building a robot to beat other robots is John Hellewell’s favorite part of combat robotics. Hellewell, a senior studying computer science, is another club leader and has been interested in combat robotics from a young age.
“There’s so many unique designs and different bots and different styles that makes it really fun to watch,” Hellewell said. “There’s always some that you never expect to see anything like it, and then they pull up and have some fun.”
“It's like a rock, paper, scissors match that you're trying to rig in your favor the entire time,” Cecil said.
Connor Hilton, a participant in the club studying electrical engineering, said that combat robotics has helped him refine basic skills.
“A lot of my personal projects, I just kinda make it so it works,” Hilton said. “This one, it was like I had responsibility to someone else and myself to do a simple thing really well.”
Working through an open-ended problem like building an original, successful robot that fits within competition restraints teaches engineering students real skills to apply to the process they may follow in their future career, Cecil said.
Currently, the club builds one-pound and three-pound robots, and club members can progress through those weight classes as they grow. Cecil and club leadership are working on building a bigger combat robot that they hope to fight against other colleges.
“Our current trajectory for this club is pretty exponential,” Cecil said. “Especially if we can get this twelve-pound working by this next semester, it will be big for BYU to have another club that's competing in larger events.”
Shae Reynolds, a member of club leadership studying pre-mechanical engineering, competes at the college level as well as in professional combat robotics leagues in Salt Lake City. She loves being able to destroy other people’s robots but also appreciates being a part of a kind and friendly community.
“If you have a part that breaks, and someone has an extra, they’ll give it to you, even if they're slated to go up against you, because they want to defeat you when you're at your best, not when you're at your worst,” Reynolds said.
Hellewell said that even though students are competing with each other, he’s been able to find close friends from the club.
Our bots are more rivals,” Hellewell said. “We're all friends, but the bots are rivals, so they get to duke it out.
Hilton recognized the collaborative nature of the competitive community, especially on build nights.
“We're trading ideas and guys who know a little more are just wandering around, ready to answer questions,” Hilton said. “This was a really good look into how to work on a team, how to divide the workload, how to talk about design and those kinds of things with someone else.”
Club members pointed out that the growth and relationships they gained from participating in this club were valuable, even in the face of defeat.
“Even though it's sad to see something you worked on for months like get blown up, it's very gratifying to be like I made this and it stands a chance against something that someone else made,” Hilton said. “That was really gratifying to kind of get over the imposter syndrome and feel like a part of something and not like an outsider.”
It builds confidence, Reynolds said.
“It's a competition with a fight to the death. There is no maybe about it,” Reynolds said. “So, you have to be confident enough to build something that will be able to withstand hits and defeat the other opponent.”
Cecil encouraged students to come and try it out, even if they have no experience, because it sets them apart on a resume with real engineering experience and will help them grow.
It sounds hard, but anyone can do it,” Cecil said. “As long as they come every build night, they can do it.
BYU Combat Robotics announced their kickoff meeting to be Jan. 15, from 5 p.m. to 6 p.m. in the Engineering Building event space. There will be a live robot fight in the club arena and information for students interested in the club.
Students with questions should email club leadership at byucombatrobotics@byu.edu.