Valparaiso University’s Robotic Football team is gearing up to compete in the 12th annual Collegiate Robotic Football Conference (CRFC) National Championship Tournament, set to take place on Saturday, April 5, at Saint Mary's College Angela Athletic Center in Notre Dame, Indiana. This highly anticipated event will bring together teams from universities across the country to showcase their engineering prowess through an innovative twist on traditional football — one where custom-built robots take the field instead of human athletes.
Robotic football closely mirrors the traditional sport, with a few modifications. While scoring for touchdowns, kicks, two-point conversions, and field goals remains the same, teams can earn additional points for completed passes. Each game features eight robots per side, competing to advance down a 30-yard field. A comprehensive list of the official robotic football rules is available on the CRFC website.
This annual competition is an exciting opportunity for students to apply their engineering and programming knowledge in a dynamic, hands-on environment. Sami Khorbotly, Ph.D., chair and professor of electrical and computer engineering and Robotic Football team faculty advisor, emphasizes the value of the experience: “Robotic Football is one of many opportunities for Valpo's College of Engineering students to connect what they learn in the classroom to real-life. The build team consists of students from all class levels and various disciplines working together to brainstorm, design, and manufacture football-playing robots. The drive team consists of students who create a playbook and practice driving the robots to compete with other teams from different universities.”
The team is looking forward to showcasing their skills on the field. “I'm most excited to see the way our team plays with some of our new positions and lineup!” said Lilly Blanton, Valpo Robotics co-president. “We've had a few changes from last year's lineup, with a couple of people graduating or transferring and have also had some new people join the team.”
This year’s tournament has also introduced new rule changes, requiring teams to adjust their strategies and equipment. For instance, new regulations mandate color-coded walls for each university's team, which required Valpo Robotics to spend a large portion of the fall semester constructing new walls and switching them out. Additionally, only robots carrying the football are now required to have lights, which led to modifications in their design.
The drive team has also been adapting to new gameplay rules, including a requirement that, in certain situations, a fourth bot must be positioned on the offensive line. “Our receivers have been training to quickly join the line if necessary, despite the different responsibilities and quick response our coach may require in a situation like that,” said Blanton.
As the tournament date approaches, Valpo’s Robotic Football team is fine-tuning its robots and strategies to ensure a competitive showing at Notre Dame. The team invites the Valpo community to follow their journey and cheer them on as they take the field in this thrilling display of engineering and teamwork. The event is free and open to the public. For more information about the tournament, visit collegeroboticfootball.org.