PASADENA, Calif. – Caltech held the 40th annual ME72 Engineering Design Laboratory Competition this past Tuesday, showcasing a competitive round robin stage before a heated final elimination bracket. Traditionally, the ME72 competition changes the concept of the event every year; this year was a special event as students built remote-controlled robots and battled in intense games of "Bot Hockey."

Each match pitted together two teams of three robots competing on a custom-designed 20 ft × 12 ft magnetic rink, using their magnetized chassis for precise movement, acceleration and defense while aiming to steal the puck and score goals. The theme of this year's competition was the integration of magnetically enhanced traction, challenging the teams to balance speed, agility and durability within strict size and weight limits. 
 

Aidan Hamner makes adjustments to his robot

There were four Caltech student-athletes participating in this event. Caltech Baseball pitcher Jacob Alderete (Murrieta, Calif. / Murrieta Mesa) competed with team Five Guys Plus Fries. Also representing the baseball team was catcher Aidan Hamner (Bettendorf, IA / Bettendorf) on team Wayne Botzky and his engineering teammates of Caltech Women's Soccer defender Kyla Cook (Oakland, Calif. / Athenian) and Caltech Men's Water Polo center Bram Schork (Villanova, Pa. / The Haverford School).

Team Wayne Botzky

"The ME72 competition is the pinnacle of the mechanical engineering experience at Caltech," Shork said. "It combines the intensive academic nature of the classroom with the competitive spirit of Caltech students. The opportunity to frequently work with and support my friends both in and out of the pool is something that is really special and inherent to the number of student athletes here at Caltech. I'm thankful for the opportunity to push myself and my peers in such a variety of interdisciplinary settings."

For more information on the ME72 Engineering Design Laboratory Competition, check out the website here: https://me72.caltech.edu/
Watch the full replay of the event on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/live/KheHtUqBbpU?t=360s