Kettering University

KUdos, Kettering University's collegiate robotics team, earned the Excellence Award, VEX-U's highest honor, at the California Baptist University Open on January 31 in Riverside, California. The award recognizes overall excellence in engineering documentation, design process, communication and on-field performance. Team members included: Nathan Nguyen '26, B-Section Team Captain, Lead Designer & Fabricator, 24" Drive Coach, Pit Crew Andrew Bolthouse '27, A-Section Team Captain, 15" Drive Coach, Technician Mactar Gueye '30, Programmer, Designer, 24" Driver Daniel Buddington '30, Pit Crew, 15" Driver The California Baptist University Open marked the first time this season the team combined judged recognition with a deep elimination run and top-tier skills performance at the same event.

KUdos, Kettering University's collegiate robotics team, earned the Excellence Award, VEX-U's highest honor, at the Gear Slingers Open on January 18 at California Polytechnic State University. The award recognizes overall excellence in engineering documentation, design process, communication and on-field performance across both judged and competitive categories. "Earning an Excellence Award for the second season in a row means a lot, especially this early in the season," said Nathan Nguyen '26, team captain. "It shows how far we've come and reinforces our goal to keep improving every year as we work toward VEX-U Worlds." Team members included: Nathan Nguyen '26, B-Section Team Captain, Lead Designer & Fabricator, 24" Drive Coach, Pit Crew Andrew Bolthouse '27, A-Section Team Captain, 15" Drive Coach, Technician Mactar Gueye '30, Programmer, Designer, 24" Driver Daniel Buddington '30, Pit Crew, 15" Driver Competing as the only Midwest team in a 16-team collegiate field, KUdos finished third in qualification matches with a 7-0-1 record, advanced to the semifinals and placed second in combined autonomous and driver skills.

KUdos, Kettering University's VEX-U robotics team, opened its competitive season with a strong showing at the Illini VURC Cornfield Clash 1, hosted at the Siebel Center for Design at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign in Champaign, Illinois. Competing against 12 university teams from across the Midwest and beyond, including Purdue University, The Ohio State University, and the Milwaukee School of Engineering, KUdos earned second place overall and secured a VEX-U Worlds qualification in its first event of the season. Their robot pair, Luigi and Guido, named after the mechanics from the movie Cars, combined consistent on-field performance with a documented engineering process that stood out to judges. The team also earned second place in Skills and was recognized with the Design Award, one of the most rigorous judged awards at VEX-U competitions.

At Kettering University, robotics isn't just a competition - it's a proving ground for innovation. Kettering's VEX U team, KUdos, showcased their abilities at the 2025 VEX AI Robotics Competition Championship in Houston, where they brought home the prestigious Excellence Award and the Energy Award.

KUdos, the Kettering University VEX U team, claimed a Build Award at this season's VEX Robotics World Championship, held in Dallas from April 25 to May 3, 2024. This prestigious accolade is awarded to teams that demonstrate exemplary robot construction with an emphasis on durability and meticulous attention to detail-qualities essential for withstanding the rigorous conditions of competition. The key criteria of the Build Award are: 1) Designing a robot with attention to safety and detail. 2) Constructing a robot that is durable and robust under competition conditions. 3) Demonstrating effective communication skills, teamwork, professionalism, and a student-centered ethos during the student interview process.

In its first trip to the VEX Robotics World Championship, the Kettering University VEX U team, KUdos, captured the Sportsmanship Award. The team competed at the championship April 27-29 in Dallas. To read more, click here.