ROBOTS built by international teams will clash in a contest to the finish at the University of Derby tomorrow

The Derbot Challenge, an annual fixture of the university's calendar, will see eight teams pit their robots against each other in an obstacle-course time trial.

The event includes students from Libya, Belgium, Zimbabwe, the Isle of Man and England and will take place from 11am to 12.30pm at the university's Markeaton Street campus.

Derbots are independent robot vehicles, guided not by a human controller but by a built-in mini computer.

The winning team will receive £90 and new equipment. The team in second gets £60.

Contestants are drawn from the university's electrical and electronic engineering, sound, light and live event technology, music technology and audio system design degree courses.

Tim Wilmshurst, university head of electronics and sound, who designed the Derbots, said: "Making students of different nationalities work together in teams is important as, once in the industry, they could be working in a development team including people from many countries."