Kentucky high school sport combines engineering with combat robotics

Matthew Townsend, a 17-year-old senior graduating from Russell County High School in 2025, is the team captain of the Russell County Robot Gladiator League combat robots.

Robot Gladiator League is a new STEM-based high school team sport, originating in Lexington, that combines engineering with combat robotics. The full-contact, spectator sport allows high school teams to design and build battle systems to compete in melees against other Kentucky teams.

Students showcase their engineering skills by designing and building their own robot gladiators. The robots battle against competing schools in a specially designed arena, demonstrating not only technical expertise but also strategic thinking and teamwork.

Keith Hollifield, a spokesperson for Newton’s Attic, the Lexington organization where the sport originated in Kentucky, said there are combat robotic teams across the country. But he’s not aware of one that focuses on a team sport for high school students.

Newton’s Attic is a Lexington-based nonprofit with a mission to stimulate interest in science and engineering through hands-on projects, classes, and summer camps.

“Robot Gladiator means a lot to me because it allows students ...to work together,” Townsend said.

“This program is not just something I find remarkable because it is fun, but it allows students to see and do real-life jobs, anything from marketing to welding.

“Robot Gladiator shows students what is like to work in the future careers they are learning and pursuing in schools. I have yet to see a program in high school that demonstrates a real job better. The difference that Robot Gladiator League makes as a program is not in the competition but in the learning opportunities it provides students,” Townsend added.

His school joined the Robot Gladiator League at the start of its first season in January, he said.

“With us joining late in the season, we had missed out on the training camp they hosted over the previous summer, which gave us less experience than some of the other teams. However, with the simple instructions included in the manual, we caught up with the other teams fairly quickly,” Townsend said.

Townsend said last season he was a mechanic on one of three combat robots Robot Gladiator League had given them, required to fix the bots during the competitions and help build battle systems on the robot with his teammates.

There are many different jobs a student can do: Some students control the robots, some students market the robots, and others build the robots. One of his team members went to a radio station to announce a home game they were hosting.

The combat robots allow people to come together and work on their interests, Townsend said.

“In our school, we have students on the football team who help pilot the Robots, make strategies/plays, constantly promote us, gather funding , weld parts together, and (make) parts for our battle systems,” he said.

Created by Newton’s Attic and supported by the Center for STEM+eXcellence at Morehead State University, Robot Gladiator League is a high-energy, robotics-based sport that exists at the intersection of technology, engineering and entertainment, according to Hollifield.

The season kicks off in September and runs through April, culminating in a state championship.

“Season II of the Robot Gladiator League expands on our mission to empower students with hands-on STEM experiences. Through this league, students not only enhance their technical skills but also develop teamwork and strategic planning abilities critical for their future careers, Leeann Potter, Assistant Director for the Center for STEM+eXcellence at Morehead State University, said in a news release

Robot Gladiator League has a strong focus on workforce skills development and a curriculum that aligns with current federal and state science and engineering standards.

“The Robot Gladiator League brings the energy and excitement of traditional high school sports like football and basketball to a new arena, combining teamwork, competition and school pride,” Hollifield said.

Students from 16 schools engage in deep learning by building and battling their own robots. Along the way, they develop valuable problem-solving abilities and hands-on engineering skills including fabrication, soldering, welding and electronics troubleshooting, Hollifield said.

“The league not only sparks creativity and technical expertise,” he said, “but also unites school communities in a shared celebration of innovation and achievement.”