The clashing of metal and roar of cheering fans filled Vernon Street Town Square on Saturday as the NorCal Summer Smash took over downtown Roseville. 

Billed as the largest outdoor combat robotics event in Northern California, the day-long showdown drew hundreds of spectators and competitors from across the region.

What began as a small garage project just a few years ago has now evolved into a thriving robotics community.

"We've gone from a garage team with five kids to a community of over 200 students in our competition teams alone," said Kevin Miller, Executive Director of Placer Robotics.

Students showcased months of hard work, launching robots they designed and built into head-to-head battles inside custom arenas. 

From lightweight plastic antweights to more powerful three-pound beetleweights, each match gave young engineers a chance to test, break, and refine their machines.

"So many months and weeks designing this robot and it's so great to get out there and fight," said competitor Andrew Harabor.

Also in attendance was Diana Tarlson, co-pilot of Team Skorpios from the popular television series BattleBots.

"This is my favorite environment to be in," Tarlson said. "You see all these new minds that are just seeing these things live."

For students like Harabor, it was a dream come true.

"I love watching the 'BattleBots' show," he said. "When I realized I could build these robots myself, I was amazed. I thought it'd be a great engineering challenge."

More than just competition, the NorCal Summer Smash aims to spark curiosity and build future careers in STEM: science, technology, engineering and math.

"If they want to build, there are ways for them to do it," Tarlson added. "There are places they can go, and people in the community who can help them get started."

Placer Robotics says this is just the beginning. The organization plans to launch a new robotics league later this year, expanding opportunities for students to engage in hands-on engineering and innovation.