CHICO — Robots fought using fire, flight and sharp metal at the Robotronica event at Chico State on Saturday.
American Institute of Mechatronic Engineers, or AIME, is a university club run by students that, among other technical projects, features combat robotics. The Robotronica event showcased student-built robots in a bracket of fights.
“I would say it’s a lot like boxing, but like with robots that have weapons on them,” said Tyler Gomez, AIME fundraising and events coordinator.
The robots have weight classes, and the rounds are timed like in boxing. At Robotronica, all the fighting robots were in the three-pound weight class. AIME students spent all semester building the robots and an arena for them to fight in. The arena was made fire proof so that some of the robots could use flame throwers.
“My favorite part is when we’re making things fly, hit the walls, spark and cause destruction,” said Gomez, who is double majoring in mechanical and mechatronic engineering.
In one bracket, a flying robot named “Drone” faced off against a flame throwing robot named “Flaming Wedgee.”
Within seconds, Flaming Wedgee filled the arena with fire, torching Drone and melting the poor robot. The crowd cheered as an AIME member extinguished the fire.
“If you’ve never seen it before, come by watch a fight. It’s great fun,” said AIME coleader Kevin Cabral. “It’s even more fun building the bots.
“It’s just very satisfying.”
Inclusion
Though AIME is an engineering club, students of any major are able to join. “Honestly, we don’t have any barriers,” Cabral said.
Building robots, and then destroying them, can be expensive. However, this shouldn’t deter students from trying out AIME, said Chico State combat robotics founder Jason Vasquez.
“We got a grant that we still have money from, so the robots are like fully reimbursed,” Vasquez said. “So if anybody wants to join, there’s money to build robots.”
The engineering program at Chico State boasts a small but tight-knit community, said AIME PR lead and mechanical engineering major Marina Dear.
“Here, people are trying to help each other succeed and do well. So that’s why I personally like being an engineer at Chico State,” Dear said.
Most of the Robotronica attendees were men. Engineering, like all STEM majors, is a male-dominated field.
“It’s really rough sometimes; I’m not gonna lie,” Dear said. “I definitely am intimidated sometimes, especially when I enter a classroom and I’m the only girl in the entire classroom.”
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Despite the challenges she faces as a minority in her major, Dear said it builds a strong camaraderie among the women engineers.
Working and studying with men has taught Dear how to speak up for herself, she said.
“I don’t let the boys talk over me,” Dear said. “You just have to be able to really stand your ground if you want to be in a male-dominated field.”
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