ROBOT FOOTBALL Valpo vs. Purdue Kokomo

Valparaiso University Robotics Team hosted their very first Robot Football game in their Hilltop Basketball Gymnasium on Saturday, April 25. Valpo went head to head with the Robotics Team from Purdue Kokomo (click for the team rosters). The two robotic teams were designed, built and operated by the students from each respective university. This was the first official robot football game that either team has ever played.
The goal of this robotics initiative is to use the allure of competitive football to showcase how engineering can enrich lives and provide excitement. While robotics competitions are held in soccer and hockey, football offers a much greater degree of complexity. Like the first human football game in 1869 between Princeton and Rutgers, the players participate on both the offense and the defense. The hope is that this friendly rivalry leads to more intercollegiate competitions against additional engineering schools.
With just about 300 spectators watching, Purdue Kokomo took an early lead by scoring the first 10 points. As the game progressed, both teams went back and forth earning their points with passes, touchdowns and penalties (click for a summary of the rules and scoring). The robots took some pretty hard hits, in which the teams then were allowed to work on their robots on the sideline and send them back out to the field throughout the game. Valpo took the victory with a final score of 66-25. After the game was over, both teams allowed the crowd (including children) to come out to the floor and test their robot controlling skills!