Comet Robotics at UT Dallas
Comet Robotics is a UT Dallas student robotics club and 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, builds, and competes with combat and competitive robots across multiple weight classes, serving UT Dallas students and running K-12 STEM outreach. Revenue comes solely from corporate sponsorships and donations.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded2021
- HeadquartersRichardson, United States
- Headcount11–50
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingServices
What Comet Robotics at UT Dallas does
Comet Robotics is a student robotics organization at the University of Texas at Dallas, operating as a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 93-3183820). Founded in 2021 as a revival of the UT Dallas BattleBots club (which traces its heritage to the 2004 BattleBots World Championship-winning 120lb robot "The Blender"), the organization was rebranded to Comet Robotics in summer 2023 to reflect an expanded scope. It is structured into a Combat Robotics Division (1lb, 3lb, 12lb, and 15lb weight-class robots, including SXSW BattleBots competitor Desserts) and a Competitive Robotics Division (VEX U, Solis Rover / University Rover Challenge, ChessBots, and SumoBots). Technical infrastructure includes the Plant Series progressive training curriculum built around entry-level Plastic Antweight projects, a custom Combat Blocks 3D-printed outreach kit, and a 1,000-pound 8ft x 8ft x 8ft battlebox housed at the UTDesign Makerspace on the UT Dallas campus in Richardson, Texas.
The organization serves UT Dallas students regardless of major or prior robotics experience, with outreach extending to more than 300 local middle and high school students across six events in 2023-2024. Comet Robotics does not sell products or services commercially. Revenue is generated entirely through corporate sponsorships and tax-deductible donations from a named sponsor base including SolidWorks, Gene Haas Foundation, Igus, Polymaker, Elegoo, Altium, BetterCNC, Repeat Robotics, and SurfacePrep. The club maintains a Discord-driven community, weekly Monday meetings at 7pm at the UTDesign Makerspace, and active social channels on Instagram, LinkedIn, and YouTube, with a GitHub repository and a wiki for technical documentation.
In the 2023-2024 season the organization competed at 12 public combat robotics events with 9 podium finishes, received an invitation to compete at the SXSW BattleBots event with its first 15lb robot, and fielded a VEX U team that qualified for the VEX Robotics World Championship in its inaugural year. It is governed by elected student officers and project managers under both a student organization constitution and separate 501(c)(3) bylaws, and is supported by a host-institution relationship with the University of Texas at Dallas.
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Comet Robotics at UT Dallas
- Legal name
- Comet Robotics
- Website
- https://cometrobotics.org
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 2021
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 11–50 employees
- Short description
- Comet Robotics is a UT Dallas student robotics club and 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, builds, and competes with combat and competitive robots across multiple weight classes, serving UT Dallas students and running K-12 STEM outreach. Revenue comes solely from corporate sponsorships and donations.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Robotics Education
- NAICS
- Computer Training (611420)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX) (EDAMADAE)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Robotics After-School & Enrichment Clubs (EDAMADAA), Robotics, Engineering & Makers Camps (EDAMALAE), Robotics Learning Platforms (EDAFANAB)
Keywords
Where Comet Robotics at UT Dallas is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Richardson
- HQ country
- United States
- HQ region
- North America
Offices1 record
Markets served
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Services
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales
Revenue model
- Sponsorship and Donations: The club is a registered 501(c)(3) nonprofit (EIN: 93-3183820) that receives support from corporate sponsors including SolidWorks, BetterCNC, Repeat Robotics, Gene Haas Foundation, Igus, Polymaker, Elegoo, Altium, and SurfacePrep
Go-to-market motion1 record
Distribution channels1 record
Marketing channels8 records
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Comet Robotics is a UT Dallas student club and 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, builds, and competes with combat and competitive robots across multiple weight classes, while providing hands-on engineering education through a progressive training curriculum. The club operates two divisions — Combat Robotics (entry-level Plant antweights through full-weight fighting bots) and Competitive Robotics (VEX U, Mars rover, chess-playing and sumo robots) — and runs STEM outreach events for local middle and high schoolers using a custom 3D-printed Combat Blocks kit.
Product overview
Comet Robotics is a student robotics club at UT Dallas organized into two divisions. The Combat Robotics Division includes battle robots like Blender (120lb world champion), 3lb Impulse, Blended Donut, and Proxima Centauri, along with the entry-level Plant project for Plastic Antweight robots. The Competitive Robotics Division includes VEX U, Solis Rover Project, ChessBots, and SumoBots. The club also produces the Combat Blocks 3D-printed educational kit for outreach. The Plant Series documentation platform provides educational resources on combat robotics.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Combat Robotics Division Division of the club that designs, builds, and competes with fighting robots across 1lb, 3lb, 12lb, 15lb, and 120lb weight classes, including the Blender, 3lb Impulse, Blended Donut, Proxima Centauri, and Desserts. Open to UT Dallas students at all skill levels.
- Competitive Robotics Division Division of the club that runs non-combat competitive robotics projects including the COMET VEX U team, Solis Rover Project, ChessBots, and SumoBots, with emphasis on mechanical engineering and software control systems.
- Blender BattleBot The 120-pound world-championship-winning BattleBot that founded combat robotics at UT Dallas, anchoring the club's heritage since 2004.
- 3lb Impulse Combat Robot 3-pound weight-class combat robot project designed and built by club members for beetleweight competition.
- VEX U Competition Team VEX U competition team that received an invitation to compete at the VEX Robotics World Championship in its first year based on performance.
- Solis Rover Project Mars rover project being developed to compete in the University Rover Challenge, focused on demanding mechanical requirements and software control.
- ChessBots Competitive robotics project involving chess-playing robots, integrating mechanical design, electronics, and game AI.
- SumoBots Competitive robotics project involving sumo-style robot battles.
- Combat Blocks Outreach Kit Custom 3D-printed modular combat robotics kit used in 6 annual outreach events to introduce 300+ middle and high schoolers to robotics and the engineering design process.
- Plant Series Training Curriculum Progressive robotics training curriculum covering combat robot weight classes, electronics, CAD design with SolidWorks, 3D printing, soldering, and the Plastic Antweight entry-level project, used to onboard new members before they build full combat robots.
Quantifiable outcome
- 9 podium finishes at 12 competitions (75% success rate)
- +2 more outcomes
Companies that use Comet Robotics at UT Dallas
Customer profileNamed customers2 records
Segments2 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed Yes
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature3 records
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Two partnerships are on record, tiered major and core.
- SolidWorksmajorSoftware sponsor providing CAD licensing for club members to design and model combat and competitive robots
- University of Texas at DallascoreHost institution providing facilities including UTDesign Makerspace, student organization support, and campus resources. Club is registered as a student organization under the Student Organization Center.
Scale indicators5 records
Recent moves6 records
Expansion highlights6 records
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas competitors and assessment
Company assessmentDirect peers
- RoboGames: Multi-event robotics competition featuring combat, autonomous, and other robot categories. Comparable as a competition organizer where Comet Robotics' combat robots have competed.
- MIT Robotics Team: Premier university robotics club at MIT with competitive programs across multiple disciplines. Direct peer as a high-performing student organization combining competition participation, training infrastructure, and corporate sponsorships.
- Georgia Tech Robotics: University robotics organization with competitive teams and industry sponsorships. Comparable to Comet Robotics as a top-tier student-led robotics organization with similar competitive ambitions.
- BattleBots: The premier U.S. combat robotics competition that Comet Robotics has been invited to compete in. Direct peer as the governing organization for elite combat robotics events.
- Stanford Robotics Club: Stanford's student-run robotics organization covering multiple competition disciplines. Comparable in combining competitive teams, educational outreach, and corporate partnerships.
- National Havoc Robot League (NHRL): Combat robotics competition league hosting events across 3lb, 12lb, and other weight classes where Comet Robotics competes. Comparable as a primary competitive venue and ecosystem organizer.
- UC Berkeley Robotics: UC Berkeley's student robotics programs across competitive and research-focused teams. Comparable as a peer university robotics organization with multi-disciplinary competition teams.
- CMU Robotics Club: Carnegie Mellon's student robotics organization with parallel structure of competitive teams, training programs, and industry sponsorships. Comparable in scale of ambition and breadth of robotics disciplines pursued.
Broad incumbents
- FIRST Robotics Competition: Largest international K-12 robotics competition with thousands of teams. Overlaps with Comet Robotics' VEX U and outreach missions but operates at vastly larger scale as the dominant STEM robotics competition.
- VEX Robotics: Organizer of the VEX U college competition that Comet Robotics participates in. Comparable as the governing body for one of Comet Robotics' core competition tracks and a sponsor partner in the training ecosystem.
Market position
Strengths4 records
Weaknesses4 records
Competitive moat4 records
Key risks5 records
Key highlights6 records
Customer concentration
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas social profiles
Digital presenceComet Robotics at UT Dallas compliance and trust
Trust signalCompliance1 record
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Profiles14 records
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Comet Robotics at UT Dallas
What does Comet Robotics at UT Dallas do?
Comet Robotics is a UT Dallas student club and 501(c)(3) nonprofit that designs, builds, and competes with combat and competitive robots across multiple weight classes, while providing hands-on engineering education through a progressive training curriculum. The club operates two divisions — Combat Robotics (entry-level Plant antweights through full-weight fighting bots) and Competitive Robotics (VEX U, Mars rover, chess-playing and sumo robots) — and runs STEM outreach events for local middle and high schoolers using a custom 3D-printed Combat Blocks kit.
Is Comet Robotics at UT Dallas a public or private company?
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas is a private company. It is classified as nonprofit foundation owned and is currently operating.
When was Comet Robotics at UT Dallas founded?
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas was founded in 2021. It employs 11 to 50 people.
Where is Comet Robotics at UT Dallas based?
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas is headquartered in Richardson, United States, in the North America region.
How does Comet Robotics at UT Dallas make money?
One revenue line is on record: sponsorship and Donations.
Who are Comet Robotics at UT Dallas's main competitors?
Direct peers on record are RoboGames, MIT Robotics Team, Georgia Tech Robotics, BattleBots, Stanford Robotics Club, National Havoc Robot League (NHRL), UC Berkeley Robotics and CMU Robotics Club. Broad incumbents are FIRST Robotics Competition and VEX Robotics.
Does Comet Robotics at UT Dallas have an API?
No public API is recorded for Comet Robotics at UT Dallas.
What industry is Comet Robotics at UT Dallas in?
Comet Robotics at UT Dallas's product category is Robotics Education. Its primary akta.pro industry code is EDAMADAE, Competition Robotics Teams & Coaching (FLL/FTC/FRC, VEX), with a secondary code of EDAMADAA, Robotics After-School & Enrichment Clubs. Its NAICS code is 611420.