Designing Dogs: Engineering Students compete in the annual Robodog Race

Engineering students lined their robotic dogs up in the Holley Center atrium for the annual Robodog Race on Oct. 28. Both the atrium and the balcony on the second floor were filled with students who cheered as the robodogs raced each other. The start and finish lines were marked by strips of red tape, and the dog that reached the finish line first was the winner.

According to Ali Manzak, Ph.D., a professor of Electrical and Computer Engineering, the Robodog Race is a lab project for the Digital Design course. The race takes place once a year in the fall. Usually, participants are expected to be engineering majors, but this year admissions were open to students from The Collegiate School at FSU Panama City as well. All students are welcome to watch the race.

The robodogs had creative designs. Some were made from materials like cardboard boxes and foam, while others were designed with plastic, making them look like LEGOs. Interestingly, one dog that favored a Dalmatian ran the race backwards—or appeared to. In fact, his head was put on the wrong end of his body.

Nallee Watson, a junior in Electrical Engineering, built Roberta, a mechanical pup with a unique design featuring a plush head and soft legs and a tail.

“It was a lot of fun making Roberta,” said Watson.

For more information on the Robodog Race, contact Manzak at amanzak4@fsu.edu.