Robot Club

Where creativity meets controlled chaos

The Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology (CEB)’s Robot Club is an annual engineering competition that brings together students, researchers and staff to design, build and battle robots.

Whether you’re a complete beginner or an experienced builder, Robot Club is an opportunity to develop practical engineering skills, work as part of a team and take on a creative technical challenge in a relaxed and supportive environment.

Sign-ups open each academic year – check back to join the next competition

How it works

Robot Club runs throughout the academic year, with teams designing, building and testing robots before competing in the annual tournament. Participants can choose from template designs or develop their own machines from scratch. More experienced builders are often paired with newer members, creating opportunities for mentoring and shared learning.

Participants have access to:

Weekly workshops
The CEB Makerspace
Technical support and guidance

A typical commitment is around two to three hours per week.

The competition

All teams compete in a single annual tournament held towards the end of the academic year.

The competition begins with separate round-robin stages for beginner and veteran teams. This allows newer participants to compete against others with similar levels of experience, while experienced builders test their designs against established competitors.

The strongest teams from both leagues then progress to the knockout stages, where the tournament comes together to determine the overall champion.

All robots have a maximum weight of 1.5kg, known as beetleweights.

Beginners league

Parts supplied by the organisers
Designed for first-time builders

Veterans League

Team-managed build budgets
Designed for more experienced competitors

→ Download the rulebook

Sign up and eligibility

Robot Club is open to all members of CEB, including undergraduate and postgraduate students, researchers and professional services staff.

No previous engineering or robotics experience is required. Individuals are welcome to sign up and will be placed into teams where appropriate.

Places are allocated on a first-come, first-served basis.

"How can you not have a fantastic time watching robots - built by our students - create chaos and blow each other up? And learn a whole lot about engineering and solving problems while you're at it."

Josh Easy, Makerspace Manager

From pilot to project

Robot Club began in CEB in 2023 as a technician-led initiative designed to bring students, researchers and staff together through hands-on engineering challenges. Since then, it has grown into a thriving annual competition and received support to help expand the model across the wider University.