TUSCALOOSA, Ala. -- Sixty teams of University of Alabama College of Engineering freshmen will participate in the BAMABOT Challenge in the Auxiliary Gym of Coleman Coliseum on Thursday, Dec. 5, from 5-6:30 p.m.

The four-person teams are made of students from the five sections of General Engineering Studies (GES 131) classes taught at UA.

The contest, which has been described by UA College of Engineering Freshman Coordinator Sandy Wood as a cross between “BattleBots and Junkyard Wars” (two popular television shows), requires the freshmen to create a robot for a fictional company that must fit certain specifications and criteria. The students will present their work and the top 10 groups will compete on Thursday.

The machines have to be able to pick up and move items ranging from ping-pong ball to softball size. The students had a $20 spending limit, a 5-10 lb. weight limit, and a 15-inch size limit on their machines.

During the competition, points will be awarded based on the machine’s ability to pick up various sizes of balls and put them in a basket. Some 175 students from the classes will be on hand for the event.

For more information, contact Wood at 205/348-3234, swood@coe.eng.ua.edu.