Discover Mechanical Engineering pre-orientation · 2019

Sheet-Metal Soccer Robot

A first non-LEGO robot, built from sheet metal during MIT pre-orientation, that placed second in the team tournament.

Through MIT’s Discover Mechanical Engineering pre-orientation program, I built my first robot that wasn’t made of LEGO. My high school robotics program used LEGO Mindstorms, so this was my first time using a band saw, drill press, sheet-metal bender, caliper, and hand tap. Each of us built a base soccer robot in the Pappalardo Lab and then added our own features. I added wheel guards and side scoops to guide the ball toward the robot’s paddle. In the final tournament, played in teams of four, my team placed second.