The Greatest Invention Ever: Robot Wars

    Students from any other AUT courses can also enter up until the day before the event.
    SoSE president and fourth year mechanical engineering student Leith Simpson says the robots can be pretty dangerous.
    “Some have weapons like flame throwers, circular saw blades and a hydraulic spike.”
    However, they are checked beforehand to ensure they have no projectiles and weigh less than 40kgs.
    Alan Grimmer’s team has won the competition twice. The fourth year electronic engineering student is currently attempting to make better speed and steering controls for all the robots this year.
    “In the past we’ve had it so that if you go forward it’s just full forward, and so people go straight off the side.”
    The teams are mostly made up of three or four students from electronic or mechanical engineering.
    Mr Grimmer says the competition combines the skills from both majors but competition is fierce between them.
    “It’s a fun project,” he says, “you get to smash up other robots and try to beat the mechanical students!”
    Mr Simpson and Mr Grimmer say that although they are working on the robots now, in typical student fashion they still leave a bit to the last minute.
    “I’ve been up all night working on a robot before the competition for the last few years,” says Mr Simpson.
    He says they have invited the University of Auckland to compete each year but they have declined. Their association, AUES, runs its own obstacle course instead.
    The wars have run since the SoSE started up four years ago and the club now has 400 members.
    The competition date has not yet been set but will be announced on the SoSE website.

To find out more go to www.sose.co.nz or email Leith at This e-mail address is being protected from spam bots, you need JavaScript enabled to view it