Welcome to the Duke Combat Robotics site! For building resources and tutorials, go to our wiki page linked above.
Who are we?
The Duke Combat Robotics club is a student-run organization that strives to provide students the opportunity to enter and immerse themselves in the world of combat robotics. Ever seen Battlebots on TV? That’s essentially what we do but at a smaller scale. The club aims at providing an encouraging space for students to explore robotics without the stress accompanied by high-stake large team projects. Through working in teams to design and fabricate their own antweight (1lb) and beetleweight (3 lbs) battlebots for semesterly competition, students have the opportunity to apply knowledge learned in the classroom, expand on their technical and fabrication skills, and explore their passion in combat robotics while expressing creativity through their bot’s design.
How does it work?
The goal of this club is to help students prototype, design, build, and ultimately compete internally and externally with 1 lb. and 3 lbs combat robots. Members will learn skills around selecting electrical and mechanical components/materials, developing control logic, electrical fabrication and diagnostics, mechanical fabrication, strategic thinking, and the engineering design process. As you grow and gain experience, you will have the opportunity to work on larger robots and more complex designs.
No prior engineering experience is needed to join. Each semester, we run a series of design tutorials and info sessions to get new members up to speed on all of the skills needed to create our miniature death machines. From there, teams of around 2-4 members are formed to work together on robot designs. The club meets once per week on the weekends. This time is used to build, ask questions, test robot features, and run test matches against other robots. Outside of this, a few hours per week are generally needed to make good progress over time, especially if you’re new to robotics. Along the way, our mentors work to help teams with the design and building process of their robots. Beginner robots are “antweight” (max 1 lb.), and we use the SPARC combat robotics rules. This ruleset answers all of your crazy design questions like “Can my robot fly?” and “Can I use a flamethrower?”
Competitions & Events
We provide opportunities for members to put their robots to the test:
- Internal Competitions: End-of-semester tournaments where teams compete for bragging rights within the club.
- Local Events: Showcases and competitions in collaboration with NC State and other nearby schools
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Regional League (in development): We are currently working to create a Combat Robotics League with other North Carolina universities to expand the competitive experience.
I’m interested! How do I learn more?
- Join our club on DukeGroups to get our emails!
- Fill out our Fall 2025 interest form!
Questions? Email Cody Andres Alessio-Bunnell (President) at cca36@duke.edu or Zach Maldonado (Vice President) at zach.maldonado@duke.edu.
