Combat robotics · Grades 6–12

BattleBots
Robotics

Design it. Build it. Send it into the arena.

Our competition team takes a crew of 3–5 kids from a blank sheet to a real 1 lb combat robot — CAD, machining, wiring, code, and driving included. Then we put it in front of an opponent.

Join a Team How the team works

A Forge student building a robot at the workshop bench.

0–5

students per team

practices each week

0–12

grades, two divisions

How the team works

A team, a season, a real robot.

This is the deep end of the shop — a small team building one serious machine over a season, then competing with it.

Forge students assembling a competition robot together.

Two practices a week.
Teams meet twice a week for 1 hour 40 minutes each — researching, designing, machining, wiring, coding, and driving. Optional weekend build sessions ramp up before competitions.
Everything's included.
Practices, build materials, robot components, and competition entry fees are all covered by tuition. Show up ready to build.
A real competition.
This isn't a class that ends with a worksheet. Over the year each team designs a bot from a blank sheet, builds and iterates prototypes, and takes it into a real combat arena — we build toward a spring competition.

Roles on a team

Everyone owns a piece of the build.

Just like a real engineering team, each student leads a part of the robot — but the roles are lanes, not walls. Everyone pitches in across the build, and anyone can pick up a new skill.

Strategic Lead

Coordinates the team, sets deadlines, orders parts, and steers the build's strategy and research.

CAD Lead

Owns the robot's CAD model and delegates the modeling work across the team.

Code Lead

Owns the robot's code and delegates programming tasks to teammates.

Hardware & Electronics Lead

Runs main assembly and wiring, and keeps the hardware, software, and electronics in sync.

Driver

A floating role — whoever has the sticks when the bot rolls into the arena.

Students who join an established team pair with a lead as a co-lead to learn the ropes — then grow into a role of their own.

Tuition

$585/ month

Covers both weekly practices, all materials and robot parts, and competition fees.

Join a Team

Teams now forming

Enrolling

Three teams for 26/27, all meeting 4:40–6:20 PM. Teams cap at five, so spots are limited by design.

Team AHigh SchoolMon + Wed
Team BMiddle SchoolTue + Thu
Team CMiddle SchoolWed + Fri

Before you join

BattleBots questions.

Who's it for?

Students in grades 6–12, split into middle-school and high-school divisions. It's the right fit for kids who want to go deep on one serious, long-running build with a team.

What will they build?

A real 1 lb antweight combat robot — the whole thing, from design and CAD to machining, wiring, and code. Both the middle-school and high-school divisions build in the antweight class.

Do I need experience first?

No prior robotics experience is required, but it helps to be comfortable in a workshop and ready to commit to the team's schedule. We teach the design, CAD, fabrication, electronics, and code from the ground up.

When do the teams meet?

All practices run 4:40–6:20 PM. Team A (high school) meets Mon + Wed; Team B (middle school) meets Tue + Thu; Team C (middle school) meets Wed + Fri.

What does tuition cover?

$585/month covers both weekly practices, all build supplies and robot parts, and competition fees. There are no surprise add-ons to compete.

Ready to build something that fights back?

Spots on each team are limited by design. Come tour the shop and meet the team, or claim a spot now.

Join a Team Book a free tour

BattleBotsRobotics