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Daytona Beach, FL 32114-3900

For more information, contact:
Pam Small
Phone: 386-226-6157
Fax: 386-226-6158

Embry-Riddle Hosts National Robot Combat Competition

Daytona Beach, Fla., March 23, 2005 -- As many as 100 robots from California and Puerto Rico and everywhere in between will converge on Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University the weekend of April 2-3 for Battle Beach III, a national-level robot combat tournament.

The two-day Robot Fighting League national qualifying event will feature several weight classes, from five ounces to 340 pounds.

Robot combat is a burgeoning sport, with more than 90 competitions held in North America in the past two years. The sport boasts an impressive level of technology and action in the arena.

“This informal, free event will allow fans to mingle with builders and learn more about the latest advances,” said Dr. Darris White, assistant professor of Mechanical Engineering.

Embry-Riddle’s Mechanical Engineering program and the university’s chapter of the Society of Automotive Engineers have teamed with Brian Nave, president of Battle Beach LLC, to stage the event. Nave is the co-host of the student robotics television series “Robot Rivals”on the Do It Yourself Network.

The competition will be held in the Lehman Engineering and Technology Center from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. each day and is timed to coincide with Embry-Riddle’s “Sneak Preview” admitted student open house.

Details of the robot tournament, including directions to Embry-Riddle, can be found at www.battlebeach.com. Most North American events are listed at www.buildersdb.com and the Robot Fighting League’s website at www.botleague.com. For more information, call Darris White at Embry-Riddle at (386) 226-7036.

Embry-Riddle, the world’s largest, fully accredited university specializing in aviation and aerospace, offers more than 30 degree programs in its colleges of Arts and Sciences, Aviation, Business, and Engineering and meets the needs of students and industry through its educational, training, research, and consulting activities. Embry-Riddle educates more than 30,000 students annually in undergraduate and graduate programs at residential campuses in Prescott, Ariz., and Daytona Beach, Fla., through the Extended Campus at more than 130 teaching centers in the United States, Canada, Europe, and the Middle East, and through distance learning.