Our friends over at the Maakplek recently started up an ant-weight robot competition that we’re big fans of at the Makerspace: it’s called Boeliebots and it features regular public matches at the Forum in Groningen. It’s free and open for registration for anyone with a curiosity for robotics: beginner or advanced, creative or technical, young or old. Kids, creatives, engineers and students all take part and compete in this micro-sized robot competition!

Always been interested in building something but never knew where to start? We know that feeling! Boeliebots might be just the excuse you need (us too!) to get started on a new bite-sized robotics project.

Among other rules, the main requirement is to stay under 150 grams in weight and within 10x10cm, in one of three categories:
1) plastic only with no weapons
2) plastic only with weapon
3) all materials + weapon allowed

Check out https://maakplek.nl/wiki/doku.php?id=battlebots for the most up to date ruleset.
(and formal registration with your robot once that opens up)

Events have been taking place every few months since oktober 2024 and are attended by a growing number of participants and spectators. At the previous match about 26 teams took part, among them lots of kids in the first two categories. It’s great fun to just watch too, so come see the next match in Forum on the 22nd of June!

Thursday night robotics club

Need a place to work on your little bot? Come to the Makerspace on thursdays after 17:00 to meet the robotics club: a loosely knit community of people tinkering with robots big and small. We can get you started, get you some bits and parts for a starter kit and of course brainstorm idea’s for awesome little bots!

(Feel free to join too for other robotics projects of course)

We’re definitely joining the next one, and we hope to see you there too!