a brick, duct tape, and a championship
It’s not every day that bad aesthetics, a brick, and duct tape win a championship.
Under the blazing stadium lights, the 20x10-foot battlefield awaited. 180 seconds of precision, strategy, and relentless pursuit. No cries of pain, no sweat—just the sharp whir of motors. This was robowars, where players are as much mechanical innovation as they are metal.
As Vice President of RoboKnights, I was assigned to assist a novice at an inter-school competition. What I found there was a wobbling, lopsided mess—a robot barely built to stand, let alone compete. With seconds to spare, I troubleshooted with what I had available. Against sleek and polished opponents, defying both physics and dignity, our bot rolled onto the field. Laughter filled the room — until we won.
Our duct-taped, brick-laden bot might have been an eyesore, but it taught me this: innovation thrives in imperfection. Sometimes brilliance is all about embracing the misfit.
