Twisted Metal Mayhem returns to WVC with robot battles

WENATCHEE — Wenatchee Valley College's Industrial Technology students will once again put their skills to the test in front of a live audience when Twisted Metal Mayhem returns to campus on June 11.

The free community event begins at 3 p.m. outside the Industrial Technology building on the college's Wenatchee campus and will feature student-built fighting robots, engineering demonstrations and, for the first time, a community scrap metal recycling opportunity.

Now in its 21st year, Twisted Metal Mayhem serves as a showcase for projects developed by students in WVC's Industrial Technology program. Students enrolled in the ELEC 135 Instrumentation course will present process control systems and explain the Proportional-Integral-Derivative, or PID, loops they designed as part of their coursework.

The event's main attraction will be a robot competition created by students in the ELTRO 240 Hydraulic course. The student-built machines will face off in a four-person double-elimination tournament featuring three one-minute rounds per match.

This year's event will also give community members a chance to recycle unwanted metal items. Accepted materials include steel and cast-iron cookware, silverware, metal gardening tools, faucets, sinks, pipes, automotive parts, refrigerators, washers and dryers.

Industrial Technology Professor Zack Jacobson said the annual competition challenges students to apply what they have learned in a hands-on environment that often becomes one of the most memorable parts of their education.

"I have found that these competitions and showcases require an excess of time and commitment from both instructor and student alike," Jacobson said. "They have proven to be the most memorable and concept-reenforcing exercises I assign. The depth the students will dig to 'get the job done' is always beyond expectation."

Jacobson said the projects reflect months of problem-solving, perseverance and creativity.

"It's blood, sweat and tears, ideas gone bad, ideas gone good, perseverance, our two-year-long main event, and I can't wait to see what this year's class will pull off," he said.

Twisted Metal Mayhem is free and open to the public.

Andrew Simpson: 509-433-7626 or andrew@ward.media