Announcements
Competition Plans for 2026
We are planning to hold three Bot Brawl and Build Sessions in 2026. The tentative dates are January 24, April 25, and October 24. Based on interest, we will choose events from the following list based on interest and preparedness:
- Mini Sumo
- Line Follow
- Line Maze
- Cone Stalking
- Robomagellan
- Pick-n-haul (Rules being developed)
- Lawn Mowing
- Drone
- Line Drag Racing
- Circle Touch
Some events that would be nice to host are as follows. To have these events we’ll need to develop rules, buy the parts, build the robots, and find the time to do the work. One step at a time with a little luck and perseverance, we’ll offer them at some point in 2026.
- Mobile Platform Pull – RC or autonomous yard-wagons pull loads under different conditions.
- Autonomous Lawn Mowing
- Mega Sumo (3 kg)
- Hockey Sumo – Mini sumos on a ring push randomly placed pucks into their respective goals.
- Micromouse Wall Maze – Standard sized micromouse robots and course. Need to build the course.
- Something else we haven’t dreamed about yet. If you have an idea, let us know at president@circpeoria.org.
Our Bot Brawl and Build Sessions are designed to be fun and induce us & you to build hobby robots. The competitions are held in the morning, with trophies awarded to the top three competitors in each event and congratulations awarded to all the competitors. The Build Session is held in the afternoon and is a time to work on bots and talk bots and generate fantastical ideas for bots.
We request that people let us know two weeks beforehand of what events they plan to compete in. Even if you are not certain you will be ready in time, let us know of your hopes to compete so we can plan accordingly and host the event you want. Do this by emailing Bruce at president@circpeoria. The sooner the better.
We will post the final list of events on our web and Facebook pages 2 weeks before each Brawl and Build. The cost to enter will be $10 per bot per event to be paid at check-in. Lunch will be ordered from a local restaurant and a donation jar will be used to cover the cost for those interested. The location will be the clubhouse at Izaak Walton Lake on 725 Seven Hills Road, Metamora, Illinois. Visitors are welcome and there will be no cost to watch.
These competitions will be run with the emphasis on comradery, learning, and the general enjoyment of hobby robotics.
If you have questions or suggestions, email Bruce at president@circpeoria.org.
December 11, 2025 at 10:12 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Boogaloos, Competitions | No comment
November 2025 Meeting
Our November monthly meeting will be held Wednesday, the 12th at 5:00 PM in person at River City Labs [RCL] or online. If you want to attend online, email president@circpeoria.org and we’ll get a link to you. Visitors are welcome to attend and check us out. Our meeting format will be: 1) Planning and Business kept as short as possible; 2) Tech Talk- “Planning for Our Contest This Weekend”; and 3) Show & Tell lasting as long as we can make it.
November 11, 2025 at 9:47 pm | Announcements, Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment
September 2025 Meeting Online Only
Our September monthly meeting will be held Wednesday, the 10th at 5:00 PM ONLINE via Discord or Google Meet. If you want to attend online, email president@circpeoria.org and we’ll get a link to you. Visitors are welcome to attend and check us out. Our meeting format will be: 1) Planning and Business kept as short as possible; 2) Tech Talk- “TBD” of about 20 minutes; and 3) Show & Tell lasting as long as we can make it.
August 22, 2025 at 12:53 pm | Announcements, Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment
August 2025 Monthly Meeting
Our August monthly meeting will be held Wednesday, the 13th at 5:00 PM in person at River City Labs and online via Discord or Google Meet. If you want to attend online, email president@circpeoria.org and we’ll get a link to you. Visitors are welcome to attend and check us out. Our meeting format will be: 1) Planning and Business kept as short as possible; 2) Tech Talk- “TBD” of about 20 minutes; 3) Show & Tell lasting as long as we can make it; and 4) Mini Build & Test Session if interest and time allow.
August 8, 2025 at 10:02 am | Announcements, Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment
Bot Boogaloo 2025 Fall
We have tentatively selected the date and events for our final Bot Boogaloo of the year. The date will be November 15, 2025. We will hold it at the same place as the last few have been held, the Izaak Walton Lake clubhouse located at 725 Seven Hills Road, Metamora, IL. Registration for each robot in each event is $10. Attendance is free to all. Once again this competition will be on the casual side with trophies given to the top three places. The focus is on us all having fun and learning from each other.
For the competitions listed, we will give out trophies for the top three places if there are enough competitors. Robomagellan and Circle Touch will require two or more competitors. The other events will require three or more. If you plan on competing or have questions, please contact us at president@circpeoria.org. Rules will be posted on the Brawls and Boogaloos page. If the rules are final or tentative, they will be marked appropriately.
- Official Competitions
- Mini Sumo
- Line Follow
- Line Maze
- Robomagellan
- Drag Race
- Circle Touch
- Demonstrations
- Autonomous Drone
- Pick-n-Haul
- Inverted Pendulum
Schedule
- 9:00 AM Registration opens
- 10:00 AM Events start
- 12:30 PM (estimated) Trophies awarded
- 1:00 PM (estimated) Lunch
- 1:30 PM (estimated) Build Session
- 4:30 PM (estimated) Pack up
Our Build Session in the afternoon is an informal opportunity for all those interested to work on their projects, talk robotics, and exchange expertise. All are welcome.
July 24, 2025 at 5:05 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Boogaloos | No comment
Final Lineup Tweaked for Bot Boogaloo 2025 Spring
- Line Follow
- Line Maze
- Mini Sumo
- Circle Touch – New contest. Run this event to have fun and see how rules stand up.
- Line Drag Race – New contest. Run this event to have fun and see how rules stand up.
- New competition idea demonstrations – Members share new contest idea and demonstrate.
- Pick-n-haul: Plan next steps
- Robomagellan – Maybe discuss club robomagellan bot.
If you plan on attending to watch or participate, please contact president@circpeoria.org so we can plan accordingly.
June 11, 2025 at 8:42 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Boogaloos, Competitions | No comment
May 2025 Monthly Meeting
Our May monthly meeting will be held Wednesday the 14th at 5:00 PM in person at River City Labs and online via Discord or Google Meet. Visitors are welcome to attend. Our meeting format will be: 1) Planning and Business – Decide Bot Boogaloo 2025 Spring events; 2) Tech Talk- “TBD”; 3) Show & Tell; 4) Mini Build & Test Session (Bring something that you want work on). We’ll order dinner at some point. Thank you River City Labs for allowing us to meet in your maker space.
May 3, 2025 at 2:30 pm | Announcements, Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment
Bot Boogaloo 2025 Spring Date Moved
The date for Bot Boogaloo 2025 Spring has been moved to June 21.
The events will be:
- Line Follow
- Line Maze
- Cone Stalking
- Robomagellan –
- Demonstrations or competitions
- Circle Touch – New event. Tabletop competition similar to Cone Stalking. Developing rules and course.
- Lawn mowing – Demonstration possibly.
- Drag Race – Developing rules and course.
- Inverted pendulum demonstration.
The line up of events may change depending on interest and preparedness. The final line up will be finalized May 14th. If you will be competing, let us know so we can plan accordingly. Contact president@circpeoria.org with questions or registration. Details will be posted here and on our Facebook page.
April 25, 2025 at 3:38 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Boogaloos, Competitions | No comment
March 2025 Meeting
Our March monthly meeting will be held Wednesday the 12th at 5:00 PM in person at River City Labs and online via Discord. Visitors are welcome to attend. Our meeting format will be: 1) Planning and Business (short and sweet); 2) Tech Talk- “Discuss Competitions for Spring Boogaloo in May and the future”; 3) Show & Tell; 4) Mini Build & Test Session (Bring something that you want work on). Thank you River City Labs for allowing us to meet in your maker space.
March 11, 2025 at 8:51 pm | Announcements, Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment
Bot Boogaloo 25 Winter Almost Here
February 18, 2025 at 1:04 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Boogaloos | No comment