On May 6 and 7, 2003, the Department of Mechanical Engineering hosted its 33rd annual Design 2.007 contest in the Johnson Athletic Center.

The mother of all robot competitions, 2.007 is an elimination tournament in which robots designed and built during the semester by students in 2.007 (Introduction to Design and Manufacturing) compete in 45-second rounds. This year's contest is titled "Two Tables."

"You haven't lived until you've experienced the Two Tables contest," said MacVicar Fellow Alexander H. Slocum, professor of mechanical engineering, the head instructor for 2.007 and the contest's emcee. "Two tables, separated by a chasm yet spanned by a rod of hope, challenge this year's mechanical wizards. After leaping, charging or flying across the gap, they must score first with balls or pucks before they can seek to confuzzle their co-celebrator's attempts to score."

"Robots revving up for 2.007 contest" by Sarah H. Wright, MIT News (4/30/03)