The Gamble
BattleLab Robotica 2024 was our second year in the arena and the year we decided to gamble. Shobolinsky EVO I, our second ever sumo robot, was built around an idea that seemed clever enough to rewrite the script: a worm gear reducer, manufactured through SLM metal printing. It was compact, it promised torque, and it carried the optimism of a team that thought we could out-engineer the problem with a single bold choice.
“We thought we could rewrite the script with a single worm gear.”
Reality in the Arena
The arena was less forgiving. Under the strain of combat the printed parts began to crack and slip. The custom reduction struggled to keep up with the raw forces of a pushing match. EVO was limping from its very first fight, the drive sputtering and grinding with each movement. Pit stops became frantic repair sessions, bolts tightened, components reinforced, everything held together with equal parts engineering and desperation.
The Last-Minute Miracle
The night before the event was the worst. The robot was barely moving, and every test in the workshop looked like the end of the road. We were exhausted, frustrated, and convinced the entire project would collapse before it even reached the arena. That is when Atena pulled off what we still call the last-minute miracle. A rework of the drivetrain alignment, improvised reinforcement, and some creative adjustments gave EVO just enough strength to crawl back to life. It was not perfect. It was not pretty. But it worked.
“The last-minute miracle gave EVO just enough life to fight.”
Fighting Through
Somehow, with all of that, Shobolinsky EVO still fought its way to the semifinals. Match after match it pushed harder than it had any right to, dragging itself across the arena floor even as the worm gear protested with every turn. Fourth place, again, for the second year in a row. Not quite the podium, not quite the dream, but a result that proved we could survive in the chaos even when the hardware was against us.
Lessons Learned
BLR 2024 was not about trophies. It was about learning in public, with the world watching. We learned that even metal-printed worm gears have limits when forced into the brutality of sumo robotics. We learned how to repair under pressure, in pit stops where seconds feel like hours. We learned that even when a robot seems doomed, a late-night fix can give it a second life. Shobolinsky EVO did not win, but it showed us the importance of resilience, improvisation, and refusing to quit. It was the bridge between our shaky beginnings and the BLDC era that followed.
“BLR 2024 was the bridge between shaky beginnings and the BLDC era.”