On April 20, 2012, a mechatronic quarterback’s metallic arm threw a football into the waiting net of a nearby wheeled receiver, and history was made. It was the first-ever completed pass in a football game played entirely by robots, and it happened during the world’s first intercollegiate robotic football game.

Notre Dame’s robotic football team started four years ago as a final “design, build, test” project for a mechanical engineering class. Since then, students have been improving their designs, which include linemen, running backs, wide receivers, kickers and the all-important quarterback. This year, the mechatronic Fighting Irish took on Ohio Northern University’s Polar Bears and won, 27-6. You can watch footage of the game above — the pass happens at around 1:25.

No celebratory Gatorade bucket was dumped or champagne sprayed after the game, though. After all, each player is driven by an electric motor and powered by a 12v electric battery. Instead of a field, the desktop-printer sized robots play on an indoor court, and use a souvenir-sized ball. The rules are the same as for eight-man football, and the robots flash different colors when sensors determine they’ve been hit, tackled or injured.

The whole game is run through an ultrasonic trilateration system developed by the students, which calculates players’ positions from a trio of ultrasonic beacons — similar to how cellphone towers can be used to determine a phone’s location. The quarterback and receiver communicate via a wireless network and can determine each other’s positions through on-board microprocessors.

“This is virtually impossible to do via human control,” said Notre Dame mechanical engineering professor Michael Stanisic, who developed the concept and leads the class where the robots are built. “The sensors and computers made it possible.”

Once the system was built, the robotic pass was all but inevitable. Stanisic said that the quarterback can autonomously send the ball to a receiver with 75 percent reliability — a pass completion record that in theory dwarfs all-time NFL leader Chad Pennington’s 66 percent.

In addition to the quarterback, Stanisic said some of the most involved players are the kicker, who has to send the ball between 60 and 90 feet, and the center, who has to be able to hand off the ball. The students also worked pretty hard, spending most of the game on the sidelines, putting the robots back together again.

“Machines were damaged all game long. It’s a consequence of the impacts,” Stanisic said. “Wiring comes off and components break.” Not a single player made it through the game unscathed, which is why substitutes are invaluable. “The sideline looks like a pit crew area at an auto race,” he said.

Stanisic is hoping that the first intercollegiate game will spur a robotic football league, which he’s trying to start through Notre Dame’s official Mechatronic Football Club. More importantly, he’s already got sponsors lined up.

Video: University of Notre Dame