Kettering University

Students from Kettering University's KUdos robotics team earned the Innovate Award at the VEX Robotics World Championship after developing a unique competition strategy that helped them stand out on the global stage. The team designed two robots, Rafiki and Simba, to connect at the start of each match and climb together for maximum points, an approach team members said had never been attempted before in VEX competition. KUdos members balanced the demands of robotics competition while alternating between classes and paid Co-op work experiences through Kettering's 50/50 model. Students collaborated remotely across academic and Co-op terms using CAD software, shared documentation, and virtual meetings. The Innovate Award recognizes teams that introduce creative engineering solutions and original approaches to competition strategy.

KUdos, Kettering University's robotics team, won 9 of 10 qualification matches at the 2026 VEX U World Championship in St. Louis. The team also earned the Innovate Award and advanced to elimination play in the Opportunity Division. Across those early matches, KUdos showed clean cycles, sound decision-making, and fewer errors than their opponents, which carried them into bracket play. In this year's game, Push Back, teams focused on maintaining control as blocks move frequently and scores can shift quickly. KUdos handled that dynamic well, remaining steady as matches tightened and avoiding the late errors that often determine outcomes.

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.

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.

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.