The shoreline of Lake Champlain will be filled with ChampBots once again this year as 13 teams navigate their homemade, remote controlled lake monsters through a series of buoys and obstacles to earn points and impress the crowd.
The ChampBot Challenge is an opportunity for participants to show off their technical and creative skills — completing the obstacles requires precision and practical know-how, while designing or modifying an ROV (remotely operate vehicle) will showcase aesthetic skills.
The bots may use sound effects, lighting, pyrotechnics, and/or visual wizardry to put on a show. Champs must be between 3’ and 6’ in length, move under their own power, and may be scary, humorous, stylish, or something completely different, as long as they use the lake monster “Champ” as the theme.
The course will consist of buoys around which the bot must navigate, and optional challenges that teams may choose to complete. These include igniting a target, placing an object onto a floating target, bot submersion, and putting on a visual spectacle. Points will be awarded for design and completion of the course and obstacles.
The winner of the $2,500 grand prize will be the bot with the highest total score. Prizes will also be awarded for second and third place, as well as several honorable mention categories. Robots for Kids Too were the winners of the first-ever ChampBot Challenge in 2014, when seven teams created homemade ChampBots to navigate the series of nautical obstacles and challenges.
The Champlain Mini Maker Faire will be held at the Coach Barn at Shelburne Farms on Saturday, September 26, from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. and Sunday, September 27, from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Explore and be inspired by over 50 DIY projects, presentations, and workshops from Vermont Makers.
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