UCI ACE Robotics

Shear Force

30 lb combat robot

Role: Chassis Engineer
When: Jan 2026 – Present
Where: Irvine, California

Weight class: 30 lb
Weight, Sept 2026Measured: 29 lb 14 oz
Drive top speedPredicted: 15.51 mph
Weapon: Angular drisk

Overview

The robot and my part

The robot

Shear Force is a 30 lb combat robot built by Anteater Combat Engineering (ACE) Robotics at UC Irvine, and UCI's first robot in the 30 lb class. Its weapon is an angular drisk.

The build started on January 12, 2026, aimed at SCAR's Carnage at the Cube in April. During a final test on the day of that competition the weapon speed controller caught fire, so the robot did not compete there. A summer team of three rebuilt it, and it competed at Open Sauce 2026 in San Francisco in July.

My part

I am a chassis engineer on the robot. My main work was the wheels and the molds they are cast in. I also worked on drivetrain calculations and on manufacturing, including grinding the edges of the titanium armor supports after they were plasma-cut.

I was not at Open Sauce; the summer team ran the robot there.

My main area

Wheels and molds

Shear Force from the front: a dark grey cast wheel sits inside the left rail, next to the weapon — Front view, Open Sauce 2026. The dark grey wheel inside the left rail is one of the cast wheels.

Drive top speedPredicted: 15.51 mph
Time to 15 mphPredicted: 1.08 s

Predicted by the team's drivetrain model.

Cast wheels

The robot drives on four cast wheels. I worked on the wheels and on the molds they are poured in.

What changed after Open Sauce

The wheels got two changes after the event:

The wheel hubs were redesigned to carry more tread.
The molds were rebuilt for VytaFlex with a draft angle, which lets the cured wheel release from the mold, and a pour funnel to fill it.

Drivetrain calculations

I also worked on the drivetrain calculations. The full drivetrain model, which set the wheel sizes and pulley ratios, is on teammate Kaden Dadabhoy's Shear Force page.

Build

Manufacturing

Before cutting metal, the team printed the whole robot to check the fit and run early drive tests. Outsourcing the titanium side armor supports was too expensive, so we made them ourselves: plasma-cut from Ti-6Al-4V plate, then ground to clean up the edges. The grinding in the last photo is me.

The 3D-printed Shear Force prototype in yellow and black on a workbench, next to a smaller 12 lb robot — 3D-printed prototype, next to a 12 lb robot

CNC plasma table cutting titanium plate — Plasma table

Plasma-cut titanium side armor supports on a cutting mat — Cut Ti supports

Aita, in a mask and safety glasses, angle grinding the edge of a titanium part; sparks fly toward the wall — Grinding the edges

Timeline and results

Competition

Jan 12, 2026
Kickoff
Winter quarter start, eight-person team
Jan – Apr 2026
3D-printed prototype
Fit, drive and inversion tests
Jan – Apr 2026
Titanium supportsMy part
Plasma-cut and ground in-house
Apr 2026
Carnage at the Cube
Weapon ESC fire on competition day; did not compete
May – Jul 2026
Summer rebuild
Team of three, new electronics
Jul 17 – 19, 2026
Open Sauce 2026
San Francisco, two matches
Aug – Sep 2026
Post-Open Sauce fixesMy part
Rods, wheel hubs, molds, red blades
Next
Next competition
To be decided, likely December 2026

Requirements

Shear Force requirements, targets and results
Goal	Target	Where it landed	Status
Competition
Weight	≤ 30 lb	29 lb 14 oz at the September 2026 weigh-in	Met
Weapon tip speed	< 250 mph	244.67 mph predicted maximum	Met (predicted)
Safety inspection	Pass	Passed safety checks at Open Sauce 2026	Met
Self-imposed
Drive top speed	15+ mph	15.51 mph predicted; 15 mph in 1.08 s	Met (predicted)

Open Sauce 2026

July 17 to 19 in San Francisco. The summer team of three ran the robot; I was not at the event.

Match 1 Jul 2026
vs Professor Wasp
The drivetrain pulleys were not strong enough (they needed epoxy), and the weapon rods failed.
Match 2 Jul 2026
vs Winning TicketLoss
Shear Force lost; the battery was punctured.