INDD Student Wins Robotics World Championship

In April, Edgeworth and her Auburn teammates captured the title at the VEX U Robotics Competition in St. Louis, making history as the first collegiate robotics team in Alabama and the only robotics team in the state to win its division at the world championship level. The achievement capped a seven-year robotics journey for Edgeworth, who first joined a robotics club in sixth grade and began competing in VEX Robotics in eighth grade.

“Having competed at Worlds for the past five years, it feels incredibly satisfying to finally be able to say I’ve won,” Edgeworth said. “Winning Worlds has always felt like something that was almost impossible to achieve.”

The victory carried special meaning after near-misses in previous years, including losses in division semifinals and finals by only a handful of points while she was in high school. This year, Auburn finally broke through to the overall finals bracket and secured the championship title.

As the only representative from the School of Industrial and Graphic Design (SIGD) on the team, Edgeworth brought a unique perspective to the engineering-heavy competition. While functionality remained essential, she focused on creating robots with cohesive aesthetics, detailed visual documentation and strong project organization. Her responsibilities included sketching, rendering and managing the team’s engineering notebook.

“Campbell’s curiosity and exploration are consistently evident in her design studio classes,” said Associate Professor Jerrod Windham. “She is always looking for innovative solutions in material, form and assembly that offer distinct alternatives to conventional approaches.”

Edgeworth credits SIGD with expanding her understanding of the design process and strengthening her technical skills in CAD, 3D rendering, drafting and graphic design. Those skills, she said, helped improve the team’s branding, organization and workflow throughout the season.

“Campbell’s eye for aesthetics and creative thinking has positioned her well for developing human-centered innovations in industrial design,” said INDD Professor Shea Tillman. “Central in Campbell’s success is her ability to make, build and do, further enabling her to bring ideas to reality.”

Following graduation, Edgeworth plans to serve as an officer in the Air Force through Auburn’s Air Force ROTC program before eventually pursuing her interests in experiential, exhibition or museum design.

“It feels like an extraordinary amount of work from the team has finally paid off, and not just over the past year but throughout our lives,” Edgeworth said. “I don’t see it as just a win for me, the team or Auburn, but a win for the entire state.”