Penn State ASME Combat Robotics Tournament to Showcase Engineering Innovation

University Park, Pa. – The Penn State chapter of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers (ASME) is preparing to host a large-scale combat robotics competition this spring, bringing together 12 student teams from across Penn State’s University Park and Harrisburg campuses. The event will showcase custom-engineered robots designed, built, and battled by students.

Event Details

The ASME Combat Robotics Tournament is scheduled for April 11, from noon to 3 p.m. On the Engineering Quad Lawn outside the Engineering Design and Innovation Building at University Park. In the event of inclement weather, the competition will be moved inside the Engineering Design and Innovation Building.

The event is free and open to the public, with ASME encouraging attendance from local K-12 robotics programs, alumni, sponsors, faculty, and students across Penn State. Attendees are encouraged to RSVP.

Event Itinerary

• Noon – 12:45 p.m.: Robot Showcase, Mixer, and Free Pizza
• 12:45 – 1:00 p.m.: Opening Presentation
• 1:10 – 2:45 p.m.: Competition
• 2:45 – 3:00 p.m.: Wrap-up

Participating Teams

Teams participating in the competition represent a diverse range of engineering societies and clubs, including:

• ASME (5 teams)
• Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (2 teams)
• Society of Women Engineers (1 team)
• E-House (1 team)
• Society of Hispanic Professional Engineers (1 team)
• Wind Energy Club (1 team)
• Penn State Harrisburg ASME Chapter (1 team)

A Collaborative Engineering Challenge

The competition is modeled after televised combat robotics events, such as BattleBots. George Kuney, president of the Penn State Chapter of ASME and a third-year mechanical engineering major, emphasized the collaborative nature of the event. “This competition is more than just an engineering challenge,” said Kuney. “It is a large-scale collaboration between College of Engineering clubs and organizations. To me, it embodies what Penn State is all about: unity and creativity.”

Participants are responsible for all aspects of their robot’s development, including mechanical design, materials selection, electrical systems, and control strategies. The event provides practical experience in systems integration, rapid prototyping, and iterative testing, mirroring real-world engineering workflows.

Fostering Multidisciplinary Engineering

Landon Zimmerman, the ASME Design Lead and a second-year student studying mechanical engineering, highlighted the opportunity for multidisciplinary engineering projects. “I proposed the combat robotics tournament to ASME because there is a huge opportunity to build up our engineering college through multidisciplinary engineering projects,” Zimmerman stated. Zimmerman added, “ASME has enabled this incredible competition, and the College of Engineering is welcoming it. I hope this success will lead to more Penn State clubs collaborating together to build the next generation of engineers and raise the college up in the process.”

Penn State’s Commitment to Robotics Research

Penn State is actively involved in robotics research, including operate on construction robots that can interpret human intentions through brainwave analysis. Researchers at Penn State are developing robots that can respond to workers’ thoughts with up to 82% accuracy, aiming to improve human-robot collaboration in complex tasks.