Mars madness takes over at annual UBC student robot competition
Mars madness took over Hebb 100 as teams of UBC engineering physics students took on an out-of-this-world challenge. For six weeks, the students of ENPH 253: Introduction to Instrument Design have worked to build autonomous robots capable of navigating a course through a simulated colony on the red planet. On Thursday, August 6, they put those robots to the test in a head-to-head competition in front of an enthusiastic audience of friends, family and fellow students.
The course, described by Department of Engineering Physics Director Dr. Andre Marziali as the most challenging in the 26-year history of the class, featured several tasks that each required a different technology to take on. Points were assigned for each successfully completed task. In addition to navigating the competition surface’s path, the robots needed to collect the one of six identical rocks that contained metal, assemble a habitat, build a radio tower, remove the cover from a solar panel and detect figures hiding on the Martian surface.
The competition kicked off with two-minute heats of two teams each. Only the eight teams with the most opening round points would advance to the knock-out stage. Different strategies were put to the test: Some teams opted for a methodical navigation of the course from start to finish, while others went straight to the high value challenges to quickly bank points. Enrique proved to be the robot to beat, finishing the opening round with an impressive eight points.
After a quick break for adjustments, the top eight teams faced off in knockout heats – the robot with the most points after two minutes moved on! Six fast paced six rounds and a small final featuring Bucky and Enrique later, only two robots were left standing: Bucky and Randy. The match was close right to the end, but with some deft assembly of the habitat pieces, Randy emerged victorious.
The ENPH 253 competition runs annually, with the challenge theme changing each year. In 2025, the robots rescued pets from a burning animal shelter. The year prior, teams built burger-assembling robots in a challenge inspired by the game Overcooked.
