The IUPUI Robotics Team is a student organization whose purpose is to conceive, design, and construct robots for competition. Our group was formed in January of 2002, and is open to all students attending our university.

Senior mechanical engineering majors initially designed our current model, Paydar, during a semester of senior design. From September through December of 2001, thirteen undergraduate students organized as three separate teams, worked to determine what Paydar’s prototype would be.

During the semester of design, it was decided that our robot would have a strategic advantage in competition if it were more maneuverable and agile than current “tank” style methods of steering would allow. To that end, we determined to design a robot with differential motion—capable of turning circles, rotating, and translating.

After senior design, a core group of team members wanted to build and compete the robot. We determined our budgets, detailed a schedule, and enlisted the help of corporate sponsors. On January 8th, 2002, we made a presentation to the management and faculty of the School of Engineering and Technology, and were granted approval to begin construction.

Paydar was built over the spring of 2002 and entered Battlebots Season 5.0 in San Francisco in May 2002. While our performance was heartbreaking considering the countless hours of work we had put into the project, we learned a lot and came out of the competition full of ideas.

We are now working in three major areas in order to get back to competition. First, Paydar is being improved in several ways with a new weapon system, new steering motor, new wheels, and possibly a new frame and armor. Secondly, a new lightweight or middleweight robot is being designed. Finally, we have built a practice robot so that we can train drivers against a live opponent.

The IUPUI Robotics Team invites you to follow our progress and, for those interested in attending a premier engineering school, we invite you to join our team as we continue to improve and develop winning designs!