Soccer Robot

An early non-Lego robot build during MIT pre-orientation.

Through MIT’s Discover Mechanical Engineering First-Year Pre-Orientation Program, I built my first non-Lego robot.

In high school, my robotics program was limited to Lego Mindstorms. This event introduced me to several new tools and machines, including a band saw, a drill press, a sheet metal bender, a caliper, and a hand tap.

We were each instructed to build a base soccer robot, then given room to add other features. I added wheel guards and side scoops to guide the ball toward the robot’s paddle. On the last day, we ran a tournament in teams of four, and my team placed 2nd.

Building the robot

I built the sheet-metal chassis in MIT’s Pappalardo Lab and added wheel guards and ball guides before the final tournament.

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