Event: Avengers robot competition
Date/Time: Thursday, August 8 from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m.
Location: Room 2201, Life Building, 6138 Student Union Boulevard, University of British Columbia, Vancouver V6T 1Z1 (map)
Parking: North Parkade, 6115 Student Union Boulevard V6T 1Z1 (map)
Event details:
Sixteen teams of engineering physics students worked through the summer to build fully autonomous robots from scratch. On August 8, each robot will be assigned either to the forces of evil (Thanos’ side) or the forces of good (led by Thanos’ good twin, “Meta-Thanos”) in an Avengers-themed battle for the fate of the universe. Eight pairs will face off on the competition course, racing against time—and their opponent—to collect as many Infinity Stones and Avengers as they can. The team that collects the highest points will be judged the winner.
“The students have been averaging about 12 hours per day in the lab and it’s incredible to see the progress they’ve made,” says Dylan Gunn, the director of UBC’s Engineering Physics Project Lab. “For some of them, this is the first time they’ve used hand tools, and now they’ve built a fully autonomous machine that can interact with the world. This is the start of a practical and theoretical skill set that will carry them through to careers at the forefront of technology. Our students go on to work in quantum computing, artificial intelligence, spacecraft design and biotech, all fields that require a deep understanding of physics combined with practical engineering skills.”
Assignment editors: Event starts at 10 a.m. sharp; please arrive at least 30 minutes early to set up cameras.
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