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I love robotics, but I'm more of a software person in the end because all the hardware involved turns out to be pretty expensive. But what if you could get the hardware for free?

OK, nothing's really free in life, so you'll have to work for your robots. Still interested? Read ahead.

Microsoft just launched RoboChamps, a simulated robotics league based on Microsoft Robotics Developer Studio. MSRDS is a simulation environment that provides an advanced physics engine and XNA-powered 3D environments in which you can test the programs that you write for your virtual robots on Visual Studio. Additionally, RoboChamps provides compelling challenges, ranging from mazes to the surface of Mars.

So, what's in it for you? Well, the fact that it's extremely fun and that you might just end up learning a lot, you can actually win the robot you're programming in every challenge, and, if you're really good, you might even get flown to PDC!

What if you don't program or if you're only a beginner? Honestly, you will probably not win any prizes, but it will still be a lot of fun. And if you're not comfortable writing code, the studio includes tools for non-developers to produce working code using a Visual Programming Language (VPL). 

A community and forums are being built around the robotics league, too, so this promises to be a lot of fun.

Get started here today!

And if you're still not convinced, taking a look at this Channel 8 video should do the trick.