From robot battles to real-world insights

While the action unfolded inside the arena, Beckhoff was demonstrating something different just a few metres away. Using a condition monitoring and audience engagement system developed in-house, Beckhoff transformed the competition into a live, data-driven experience. The project combined real-time data collection, visualisation and visitor interaction, showcasing how Beckhoff technologies can be used to gather meaningful insights from dynamic environments.

The project also became an opportunity for one of Beckhoff's newest engineers, Dominika Stachowska, to apply her skills to a real-world challenge only weeks after joining the company.

An opportunity to innovate

The project began as part of an internal competition for early-career engineers. Participants were invited to propose ideas that could demonstrate Beckhoff technology during FightFest, a robot combat competition organised alongside Smart Manufacturing Week.

For Dominika, who had recently completed her university studies and joined Beckhoff's technical support team, the challenge presented an opportunity to build something practical from the ground up.

"I had only just started in a permanent role at Beckhoff when I heard that my proposal had been selected," explained Dominika. "The brief was to create something using equipment we already had available, with only a small budget for additional hardware. Coming from a software background, I immediately started thinking about how I could use human-machine interface (HMI) technology to create an interactive experience."

Her concept centred on monitoring robot condition before and after fights while encouraging visitors to engage with the event through live predictions and voting.

Building the system

Working alongside Beckhoff's application engineers and product specialists, Dominika developed a system that brought together several of the company's technologies within a single platform.

At the heart of the project was a TwinCAT HMI application connected to a database-driven architecture. The system collected and stored data from multiple sources, linking every measurement to individual robot fights throughout the event.

Two cameras captured images of Beckhoff's robot before and after matches, allowing visitors to compare visible damage and wear. Meanwhile, temperature monitoring provided an indication of the physical stress experienced during competition, and a sound monitoring system measured crowd reactions during battles.

"The temperature monitoring element gave us another way to understand what the robots were experiencing during competition," added Ben Sturdy, technical support engineer at Beckhoff. "By comparing measurements before and after fights, we could start to build a picture of how the machines responded to the demands of the arena."

The HMI also included interactive features designed to encourage participation. Visitors could predict fight winners throughout the event and vote for their favourite moments, creating an additional layer of engagement around the competition.

"The idea behind the sound monitoring came from researching ways to capture audience reaction," said Dominika. "I wanted to measure something that people don't usually see."

The project relied on Beckhoff's TwinCAT 3 software platform, including HMI, vision, analytics and database technologies. Although many of the components were readily available, integrating them into a single functioning system required close collaboration across the company.

Teamwork under pressure

While Dominika led the development of the HMI and software infrastructure, the project quickly became a collaborative effort involving colleagues across Beckhoff's UK operations.

The project brought together expertise from across Beckhoff, with specialists contributing knowledge in machine vision, condition monitoring and HMI development. The team combined a range of Beckhoff technologies within a single platform, ensuring that data from multiple sources could be captured, visualised and analysed throughout the event.

"There was a huge amount of teamwork behind the project," said Dominika. "People across the business shared their expertise and ideas throughout the project. It was a really collaborative experience, and I learned a huge amount from working alongside colleagues with different specialisms."

The compressed development schedule added further pressure. Much of the system was designed, built and tested within a matter of weeks while Dominika was simultaneously supporting customer applications as part of her day-to-day role.

Unexpected challenges continued right up until the event itself. "The day before the show, my database server stopped working," she explained. "At that point, I thought everything was falling apart. Fortunately, after a lot of troubleshooting and a very late evening, I managed to get everything running again."

Live at FightFest

Once Smart Manufacturing Week opened, the Beckhoff stand became an extension of the FightFest experience.

Visitors could view live condition monitoring data, compare robot images and participate in predictions and voting through the HMI interface. The system continuously gathered information throughout the event, creating a growing database of performance and engagement metrics. Meanwhile, organisers frequently directed visitors towards the Beckhoff stand to explore the monitoring platform.

The response exceeded expectations. More than 270 visitors participated in the voting activities over the two-day event, creating significant engagement around the Beckhoff display.

"We were the only sponsor offering this kind of live condition monitoring and interaction," said Dominika. "People were stopping to look at the system, taking photos and asking questions. It became a real talking point during the event."

The project also provided valuable insight into robot combat. By the second day, many robots showed visible signs of damage accumulated through multiple rounds of competition, highlighting the demanding operating conditions experienced during the fights.

More than a technology demonstration

Although the system successfully demonstrated Beckhoff's software, vision and data acquisition capabilities, its impact extended beyond the technology itself.

For Beckhoff, the project highlighted how different technologies can be integrated to create meaningful data insights and engaging user experiences. "What made the project interesting was the way different technologies came together," added Ben. "Combining condition monitoring, vision and HMI functionality allowed us to create something that was both technically valuable and engaging for visitors. It also demonstrated the value of giving engineers opportunities to take ownership of innovative projects early in their careers."

For Dominika personally, the experience became an important milestone. "Before this project, I sometimes questioned whether I was experienced enough," she said. "Building something like this and seeing it work at a major event gave me confidence in what I can achieve. I'm genuinely proud of what the team created."

The project also accelerated her technical development, providing hands-on experience with Beckhoff software, vision systems, database integration and system design in a real-world environment.

Looking ahead, the data collected during FightFest will continue to provide opportunities for analysis and storytelling, revealing which battles generated the strongest crowd reactions, how robot condition changed throughout the competition and how visitors interacted with the experience.

Most importantly, the project demonstrated how Beckhoff technology can transform raw data into valuable insights, even in one of manufacturing's most unexpected environments: a robot battle arena.

From condition monitoring and machine vision to HMI development and analytics, the FightFest project showcased how Beckhoff technologies can be combined to create engaging, data-driven applications.