From Concept to FIFA Fan Festival in 100 Days
How Lord of Robots and Humber Polytechnic built and deployed a fleet of 20 custom soccer-playing robots.
Project Documentary
Lord of Robots partnered with Humber Polytechnic to design, develop, and manufacture a fleet of custom soccer-playing robots for an interactive robotics experience that will be showcased at the FIFA Fan Festival as the centerpiece of Humber Polytechnic's exhibit.
The project was created to provide students with hands-on experience in the complete product development lifecycle, from initial concept and design through prototyping, testing, manufacturing, and deployment. Working alongside industry professionals, students gained exposure to the real-world processes required to transform an idea into a finished product.
As the technical lead for the project, Lord of Robots was responsible for the overall architecture, design, and development of the robot platform. Drawing on the company's experience developing educational robotics systems, the team created a custom fleet of 20 competitive soccer robots along with the supporting hardware, software, and game infrastructure required to deliver a reliable and engaging experience.
Throughout the project, Lord of Robots mentored Humber Polytechnic students in engineering design, product development, manufacturing, testing, and system integration. Students participated in the challenges and decision-making processes that accompany the development of a commercial-grade robotics product, gaining valuable practical experience that extends beyond the classroom.
The completed system will be featured at the FIFA Fan Festival (June 12 - July 19), where visitors will have the opportunity to compete using the custom-built robots. The exhibit serves as a demonstration of Humber Polytechnic's commitment to experiential learning, applied technology, and student skill development, while showcasing the results that can be achieved through collaboration between education and industry.
How MiniBots Prepared Students for Real Development
The SoccerBot project was not just a build challenge. It was a learning environment where students were trusted with real technical responsibility.
To prepare students for that work, Lord of Robots used the MiniBot program as the foundation. MiniBots gave students an accessible way to learn how robots are designed, wired, programmed, tested, improved, and operated. Instead of learning robotics only through theory, students worked with real systems they could build, drive, troubleshoot, and understand.
That foundation mattered. As the SoccerBot project grew, students were able to contribute to many of the systems that made the final experience possible. Their work supported the robot control firmware, the interactive ball system, automated score capture, scoreboard displays, embedded field LEDs, the sound system and interactive soundscape, charging stations for 20 robots, charging stations for 6 balls, and the final production and delivery of the complete project.
For students, MiniBots became a bridge from learning to building. For teachers, it provided a structured way to introduce engineering, coding, electronics, design, and problem solving through hands-on work. For parents, it showed what happens when students are given the tools, mentorship, and opportunity to take on meaningful challenges.
The result was more than a set of soccer robots. It was proof that when students are prepared through the right program, they can contribute to projects that are technical, creative, collaborative, and real.
