The muffuletta sandwich is wide and low. Itís packed with cheese and ham and olives and improved by the mechanics of the squish.

My robot is old school. Wind him up and he lurches across the desk, orange tin arms swinging, red tin boots shuffling, black tin eyes deep in concentration. And though he makes excellent company, I'm glad I didn't invite him to the robotics competition. Frankly, things have changed.

Packed into stadium bleachers, hundreds of young engineers in bright T-shirts and funny hats cheered on their creations.

These robots were low and wide, smooth on their wheels and dexterous — they could pass, shoot and score. Not one blinked or grimaced. No faces.

Building the bot had taken six weeks in a sweaty basement. It took wrenches, screwdrivers, safety glasses. It took mathematics, elastics, pneumatics. It took calibration, cooperation, concentration. It took many, many sandwiches.

Home from the match, I engineered a muffuletta. The sandwich is wide and low. It's packed with cheese and ham and olives and improved by the mechanics of the squish.

It's hearty enough to keep a whole robotics team on track. And simple enough to please the old-school fan of the windup.

Preparation: 30 minutesWait: 90 minutesServes: 62½ cups Olive Salad (recipe follows)1 (1-pound) loaf round Italian bread4 ounces thinly sliced provolone4 ounces thinly sliced ham4 ounces thinly sliced mozzarella¾ cup grape tomatoes, quarteredSlice: Slice the bread in half horizontally. Open it and pull out some of the crumbs (save for breadcrumbs another day).Stuff: Pile half the olive salad onto the bread bottom. Layer on cheese, ham and cheese. Stir the tomatoes into the remaining olive salad and pile on top. Cover the filling with the bread top.Squish: Wrap the sandwich securely in plastic. Balance something flat on the top and weigh it down with something heavy. Let the muffuletta rest at room temperature for 30 minutes.Serve: Slice into six wedges. Munch.Olive SaladMakes: about 2½ cups¾ cup finely chopped green olives¾ cup finely chopped black olives¾ cup chopped roasted red peppers1/3 cup finely chopped fresh parsley leaves2 tablespoons olive oil2 tablespoons fresh lemon juice1 tablespoon drained and rinsed capers2 teaspoons finely chopped fresh oregano1 clove garlic, de-germed and finely chopped¼ teaspoon crushed red pepper flakesMix all the ingredients. Cover and let the salad rest at room temperature, 1 hour.