SparkFun AVC 2017, hosted at Maker Faire Denver, is our largest event ever (both in terms of the size and the number of bots competing)!
Nearly 190 bots and vehicles are registered for this weekend’s event. Fifty-three of them are student teams from local schools and universities like Utah State, San Diego State, Georgia Tech and the Colorado School of Mines. For the first time, we will allow human riders on autonomous vehicles (also for the first time, they will be shooting at targets while riding those vehicles).
For the first time in the combat bots tournament, we will be hosting 12-lb and 30-lb bots in a new 16’x16’ arena. We have also added a new 1-lb division, Plastic Ants, which requires bots to be built mostly out of plastic components.
Our sponsors - Digi-Key, Wurth Electronics and LulzBot - have generously contributed prizes and will be onsite helping competitors with extra tools and materials for last-minute repairs.
Maker Faire Denver, now a Featured Faire, will welcome makers from 23 states, pulling from both coasts (and a maker traveling from London!). Meow Wolf will be joining the festivities, as well as 14 different makerspaces from across the state of Colorado, the largest of any global Maker Faire.
Tune into our combat bots livestream this weekend, and keep on eye on our Twitter, Facebook and Instagram channels to catch key moments in our autonomous vehicle races. And, if you're planning to stop by Maker Faire and watch all the madness, be sure to get your tickets ahead of time here.
See you there!
"the third largest combat robotics tournament in the world"
That begs the question: What are the largest two combat robotics tournament in the world?
Transformers (Bay, 2007) and Pacific Rim (Del Toro, 2013) ;-)
RoboGames is currently the largest event. They host hundreds of robots all the way to 220lbs. Right behind that is Motorama, they had nearly 200 robots last year and consistently have a high turnout.
Thanks! That's what I wanted to know. Now to binge out on robot battles!