Partners of the CRCA

The Hobby Manufacturers Association’s iHobby Expo

The iHobby Expo is the international showcase for the newest electronic hobbyist technology, models, and valued miniature collectables. Held at the 840,000 square-foot Donald E. Stephens Convention Center in Rosemont, Illinois from October 18–21, the iHobby Expo is now in its 23rd year, with a projected attendance of more than 20,000 for 2007. This four-day trade show and publicly accessible event is the largest event of its kind in the world, and is covered by major news sources in television, radio, and newspapers.

Synergy Robotics Entertainment was created by Charles Arnold and Deb Holmes to support and promote robotic combat events. Arnold and Holmes previously organized events for the Robot Fighting League, which sanctioned and standardized robotic competition internationally. They have overseen the RFL’s 2006 National robotics competition, Triangle Nationals in 2003, the BattleBots Rochester Robot Rampage in 2005, and the NPC Charity Open in 2004. Many in the competitive robotics community will recognize Arnold and Holmes from the Minnesota Manufacturing Educational Resource (MMER), well-known for helping organize and produce BattleBots events and BattleBots IQ competitions.

The Chicago Area Robotics Group

The Chicago Area Robotics Group (ChiBots) welcomes anyone in the Chicago area who is interested in robotics of any kind: hobby robotics, maze solvers, BEAM robotics, robotic combat, or any other kind of robotics. ChiBots runs the Chibotica autonomous robotics problem-solving competition in conjunction with the iHobby Expo annually. At this event, dozens of the brightest amateur and pro robotics engineers compete in “thinking robot” challenges—complex tasks that show yet another dimension of the thrilling pursuit of robotic competition.