A glimpse of the 2.007 course. Photo: 2.007 Web site

A glimpse of the 2.007 course. Photo: 2.007 Web site

The annual 2.007 Design and Manufacturing I competition kicks off tonight with a contest amongst 150 robots  to see which can collect the most soda cans and simulated bags of trash and return them to a designated recycling facility (read: milk crate). The robots have one minute to complete the exercise.

As the MIT news office reports, “The matchups are the culmination of 2.007… and it’s an MIT tradition that goes back more than two decades. The popular contest has spawned a host of imitators over the years, including the very popular FIRST competition for teams of high school students.”

A preliminary elimination round takes place tonight; finals are held tomorrow (Thursday) evening at 7 pm in the Johnson Atheletic Center’s ice rink.

Interested in watching online? Use this link for live viewing on Wednesday, May 6th: http://amps-web.mit.edu/public/courses/2/2.007/2008-2009/preliminary/

Use this link to view the finals on Thursday, May 7th: http://amps-web.mit.edu/public/courses/2/2.007/2008-2009/finals/

May the best robot win!