The MIT Combat Robotics Club (CRC), founded in 2001 and rebooted in 2023 at the MIT Edgerton Center, lives by the motto “build, battle, destroy, repeat.” Members focus on building fighting robots, learning through destruction. Team captain Ryan Duarte (2025‑26) explains that the goal is to make a robot as indestructible as possible to crush an opponent’s “indestructible” creation, and the winner is often evident from the condition of the robots after a match.
CRC sub‑teams compete in the National Havoc Robot League (NHRL) Professional Robot Fighting League, with events roughly every two months, including on‑campus “House Battles.” Past robots include Uppercut, SawBlaze, the Dentist, and Overhaul. The current flagship, ARES—named after the Greek god of war—competes in the 30‑pound class. It features a vertical “Beater Bar” spinner, a compact dual‑redundant poly‑V belt brushless weapon system, and a high‑performance brushless four‑wheel drive on a chassis of lightweight aluminum, titanium, and ultra‑high‑molecular‑weight polyethylene. 2026‑27 captain Abi Dixon describes ARES as “made from steel, titanium, aluminum, and passion.” Although ARES entered the 2025 NHRL World Championships as a top seed, it fell short against two opponents with similar weapon types that its under‑developed armor could not withstand. The team treated the losses as opportunities for improvement, later earning second place in April and third in October.
CRC is open to all MIT students regardless of year, major, or prior experience, and is entirely student‑run and collaborative. Participants gain hands‑on experience in computer‑aided design, finite element analysis, CNC machining, and welding, seeing a project through from concept to finished product. Member Eleni Morales notes that CRC gave her the first chance to independently lead an entire engineering process, solidifying her desire to become an engineer.
This fall, CRC welcomed 54 new members. As an onboarding exercise, three‑person teams build 1‑pound “ant‑weight” combat robots, ensuring each member feels technical ownership. The club will host its third annual MIT Combat Robotics House Battle on November 14 at the new Met Warehouse.
Review: MIT CRC turns the cycle of building and destroying into a powerful learning loop, forging both technical expertise and resilience in future engineers.