Announcements

bot(brawl && build)[2026, Fall] Planning

We are further along with planning for our Bot Brawl and Build for October 24, 2026. Our Brawl & Builds are competitions and build sessions that are focused on satisfaction and enjoyment. In the morning we compete against each other for bragging rights with trophies awarded for the top three finishers. In the afternoon we work on our projects and talk robotics.

The events that we will have will be finalized from the following list at our October meeting on Wednesday, October 14th. If you would like to enter one or more events listed below, let me know at president@circpeoria.org to ensure that we have it. The likelihood that an event is offered is shown.

Mini Sumo: probable
Line Follow: probable
Line Maze: maybe
Line Drag Racing: definite
Circle Touch: definite

The final list of events will be posted in mid-October.

If you’re not going to compete and are interested in attending, by all means attend. Attendance is free. We will host this event in the Metamora, Illinois area.

Contact Bruce with your questions at president@circpeoria.org

September 18, 2026 at 3:21 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Build Sessions, Competitions | No comment

October Monthly Meeting

The October monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday, October 14th, at 5:00 PM at River City Labs [RCL]. Visitors are welcome to attend and check us out. Our meeting format will be: 1) Planning and Business- Choose the events to host at our Bot Brawl && Build on Saturday, October 24; 2) Tech Talk- “How to use a remote to adjust values in a robot’s onboard programming using the SONY infrared remote.”; 3) Show & Tell lasting as long as we can make it; and 4) Mini Build Session.

The Meetings tab has more information on our meetings.

September 18, 2026 at 11:23 am | Announcements, Competitions | No comment

September Monthly Meeting

The September monthly meeting will be held a week later than normal on Wednesday, September 16th, at 5:00 PM at River City Labs [RCL]. Visitors are welcome to attend and check us out. Our meeting format will be: 1) Planning and Business that we keep as short as possible; 2) Tech Talk- “TBD”; 3) Show & Tell lasting as long as we can make it; and 4) Mini Build Session.

August 31, 2026 at 10:10 pm | Announcements, Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment

May Meeting to be May 6th

We have moved our May meeting to a week earlier than normal, May 6, 2026.

Our monthly meeting will be held on Wednesday at 5:00 PM at River City Labs [RCL]. 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- “Overview of the Micromouse Competitions”; 3) Show & Tell lasting as long as we can make it; and 4) Mini Build Session.

April 27, 2026 at 10:40 pm | Announcements, Monthly Meeting Recaps | No comment

bot(brawl && build)[2026, Spring] Events Finalized

We are hosting the following events for this year’s Spring Bot Brawl and Build on Saturday, April 25. Our Brawl and Build’s are a competition in the morning and a Build Session in the afternoon. Non-members are welcome to enter and to watch. There is no charge for attendance.

Competitions

Mini Sumo
Line Follow
Line Maze
Line Drag Racing
Circle Touch

Demonstrations

Autonomous Drone
Autonomous Lawn Moving

Possible Future Events

Cone Stalking
Robomagellan
Pick-n-haul (Rules being developed)
Drone
Micromouse Wall Maze
Mega Sumo (3 kg)

Our Bot Brawl and Build Sessions are designed to be fun and induce us 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. This is a time to work on bots and talk bots and generate fantastical ideas for bots.

We request that people let us know at least two weeks beforehand of what events they plan to enter. If you are not certain you will be ready in time, let us know anyways of your hopes to compete so we can plan accordingly. Do this by emailing Bruce at president@circpeoria. Thank you.

The cost to enter is $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.

March 11, 2026 at 10:08 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Build Sessions, Competitions | No comment

bot(brawl && build)[2026, Spring]

We are getting organized for our Spring Bot Brawl and Build on Saturday, April 25, 2026. Our Brawl & Builds are competitions and build sessions that are focused on fun. This will be the second one of 2026. In the morning we compete against each other and in the afternoon we build and talk robotics.

The events that we will have will be selected from the following list at our March meeting on Wednesday, March 11th. If you would like to enter an event listed below, let me know at president@circpeoria.org so we make sure to have it:

- - Mini Sumo:
  - Line Follow:
  - Line Maze:
  - Line Drag Racing:
  - Circle Touch:
  - Drone: Demo
  - Cone Stalking:
  - Robomagellan:
  - Pick-n-haul (Rules being developed):
  - Lawn Mowing:
  - Other one?

The final list of events will be posted Wednesday, March 11th.

March 4, 2026 at 10:32 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Build Sessions, Competitions | No comment

CIRC Bot Brawl and Build Session for January 24th

We will be hosting the CIRC Bot Brawl and Build Session 2026 Winter on Saturday, January 24, 2026 at the Izaak Walton Lake clubhouse located at 725 Seven Hills Road, Metamora, IL 61548. Registration will begin at 9:00 AM. We will start events at 10:00 AM. Competitions will be over about noon.

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. Trophies are awarded afterwards. 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 beforehand of what events they plan to enter. Even if you are not certain you will be ready in time, let us know of your hopes to compete. We ask this so we can plan properly. Do this by emailing Bruce at president@circpeoria.org. The sooner the better.

Below is the final list of events. 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.

Events:

Mini Sumo
Line Follow
Line Maze
Line Drag Racing
Circle Touch

Rules can be found on our Brawls webpage.

January 15, 2026 at 12:41 pm | Announcements, Brawls & Build Sessions, Competitions | No comment

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 & Build Sessions, 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