Student engineers from two colleges or universities square off to build radio-controlled robots that are capable performing a specific task. Each team -- assisted by a single robotics expert -- has a single day to build a robot from scratch materials. At the end of the day the two robots battle it out in a timed match.
In episode 213, the Union College Dutchmen and the University of Pittsburgh Panthers have made it to the final round of the Robot Rivals Tournament. In this final contest, the teams must design and build rescue robots that can (1) navigate through a maze, (2) collect three keys and contain them on board. Finally, the robots must (3) bring the keys up a ramp to a platform where DIY's robotics experts, Brian and Buzz, are waiting to be unlocked and released from captivity. Union designs a compact robot with magnetized pneumatic clamps, while Pittsburgh builds around the idea of an octagonal base frame and a pneumatic arm with a magnet-lined scoop.
