Events · Robot Rumble
Cardboard bots, double elimination, no crying in the pit lane.
Twelve teams, a plywood arena, and a rulebook written mostly by kids. The bots are cardboard and the stakes are enormous.
- Date
- May 9, 2026
- Teams
- 12
- Arena
- 6 × 6 ft
- Admission
- Free
Robot Rumble started in 2021 as a way to make the spring technology project public. It is now the second-biggest event we run and the only one with a rulebook that kids wrote and amend at the beginning of every season. The bots are cardboard, hot glue, and a motor. Combat is pushing, not destroying; a bot that loses a wheel loses, and a kid who cries loses the next round too, which is in the rulebook and which everyone agrees is fair.
How it works
| Round | Format |
|---|---|
| Build | Four weeks, teams of two, $40 budget, one motor and one battery pack supplied |
| Weigh-in | Bots under 1.2 kg. Overweight bots get a chance to remove parts on the spot |
| Pit lane | Kids run it. Adults are not allowed behind the barrier except for a safety check |
| Matches | Three-minute rounds, double elimination, pushing or flipping to win |
| Final | Best of three, with a kid announcer and a very loud bell |
The rulebook, abridged
- No projectiles. Nothing leaves the arena except cardboard dust.
- No fire, no liquids, no magnets. Someone tried magnets. We have a rule now.
- A bot that cannot move for five seconds is out.
- You may repair between rounds, with the tools in the pit, not with a staff member's help.
- Trash talk is allowed if it is funny. Anything mean is a warning, then a forfeit.
What kids actually learn
Torque, gear ratios, weight distribution, and how to lose in front of a crowd. The last one is the curriculum. Every team loses at least once unless they win the whole thing, and most teams lose twice. We do a five-minute debrief after each elimination where the kid has to say one thing that worked and one thing they would change. The crowd claps for the debrief, which took two years to train them to do.
The best builder in the room is usually the quietest kid. The rumble is the one day a year when that kid is the loudest thing in the building.
Come to the rumble
May 9, noon to 5, in the auditorium. Free, loud, all ages.