Robot combat

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Robot Combat is a hobby in which two or more radio-controlled machines use varied methods of destroying or disabling the other robot. The machines are referred to as robots, though sometimes not considered robots by certain definitions of the word, due to them not being autonomous. Robot Combat enjoyed a period in the public eye when several television shows broadcast the robot fights. Either the public or the TV network administrators lost interest, and the shows dropped from the airwaves. The most well-known of these shows were Battlebots, Robot Wars, and Robotica. Combat robots have received mention in the press and entertainment shows from time to time as well.

Robot builders may be middle-aged engineers or enthusiastic teenagers. Although building a combat robot can cost hundreds, if not thousands, of dollars, as well as many long hours, robot building can teach people a great deal about technology, causing some schools use the construction of combat robots in their courses. Robots can range from modified remote controlled toys to well engineered machines. Most schools shy away from the violence of combat robots and instead choose to participate in task-based or cooperative competitions such as FIRST.

Robots come in all shapes and sizes, but there are certain defining lines that robots rarely stray across, thanks to official rules and practicality. The standard by which all combat robots are measured is weight; the everyday dilemma of the robot builder is to cram as much power into as little weight as possible. Robots can be as small as the 75 gram 'Fleaweight' class, and as large as the 340-pound 'Super Heavyweight' class. The common weightclasses are as follows:

Heavyweight combat robot - 'Run Amok'

1 Images
2 Weight Classes
3 Building a Combat Robot
4 See also
5 External links

[edit] Images

Image:http://www.buildersdb.com/botpics/5306.jpg - A combat robot entered in a canadian 1kg event.

Image:http://www.buildersdb.com/botpics/3410.jpg - A picture of two antweight robots during an event in the United States.

[edit] Weight Classes

75g- Fleaweight
150g- Fairyweight (UK - Antweight)
1 pound (454 g) - Antweight
3 pound (1.36 kg) - Beetleweight
6 pound (2.72 kg) - Mantisweight
12 pound (5.44 kg) - Hobbyweight
15 pound BBIQ weightclass
30 pound (14 kg) - Featherweight
60 pound (27 kg) - Lightweight
120 pound (54 kg) - Middleweight
220 pound (100 kg) - Heavyweight
340 pound (154 kg) Super Heavyweight

There are some international variations in weight class - for example, UK robot builders define the Antweight class limit as 150g and the Featherweight class limit as 12kg (26 pounds).

Weight is a precious asset for robot builders. For the sake of diversity of design, the rules often give an extra weight allotment for robots that can walk rather than roll on wheels. Such robots are more difficult to construct and their drive mechanisms are heavier. Some builders opt to build walking robots, taking advantage of the extra weight to add more powerful weaponry at the expense of greater complexity and fragility.

Given the violent nature of robot fighting, safety is always the most important issue at robot events. Robot fights take place in a sturdy arena, usually constructed of steel, wood, and bulletproof clear Lexan plastic. The size of the arena varies by the weightclass of the robots that are fighting in it. Some large competitions that entertain many different weightclasses have more than one arena, because 1 pound antweights don't need 50 foot (15 m) wide arenas in which to fight, but 220 pound heavyweights do. Plus, tiny robots look awfully out of place and are hard to see in a giant arena. Having multiple arenas allows the event to progress more quickly.

Competition rules set limits on construction features that are too dangerous or which could lead to uninteresting contests. Strict limits are placed on materials and pressures used in pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, and fail-safe systems are required for electronic control circuits. Generally off-limits for use as weapons are nets, liquid, radio jamming, high-voltage electric discharge, unteathered projectiles, and usually fire. Many robot combat events have adopted the 'RFL' ruleset (see 'The RFL' below), which is adaptable to each competition that elects to use it.

The sport continues today, despite no longer being aired on television. There are many events scattered throughout the United States and Canada, ranging from small to large events.

The Robot Fighting League was created in 2002 when several builders decided that the world of robot combat needed standardization of rules and judging criteria. The majority of robot combat events in the U.S. have become RFL members, but some event organizers oppose the direction in which the RFL is taking the sport and remain independent. The topic of event standardization has lent itself to a healthy amount of controversy since the RFL's inception.