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Players poised and fans hushed, the jersey-clad teams from across the globe waited, motionless, for the signal to begin.  

Then, robots built by university engineering students from seven countries pushed, shoveled and rolled hockey pucks and rubber balls around the playing field.  

“If we hadn't won, it would have been totally worth it anyway, because it was really a lot of fun,” said “Mellow Yellow” member and Berkeley resident Martin Jonikis. 

But when the clock started, robots, not humans, roared across the Massachusetts Institute of Technology field, propelled by motors made for windshield wipers and electric screwdrivers, and built from piano hinges and PVC, wooden beams and steels rods, rubber bands and magnets. 

In the end, the “Mellow Yellow” team from the United States held gold aloft at this month’s 13th annual International Design Contest, also known as RoboCon. The contest is as much an exercise in teamwork as an engineering contest, said MIT professor Alexander Slocum, who has organized the event for the last eight years.