ROAMING ROB TS
GOES TO QATAR
● as told by Kevin Berry
John Findlay — head honcho of
the United Kingdom’s Roaming
Robots — was commissioned to do a
show in the Middle Eastern country
of Qatar. He graciously provided
details and photos to Combat Zone
for this article.
Roaming Robots — after two
years of preparation — hauled a
planeload of bots to Doha, the
capital of Qatar. Besides their
biological support staff, heavyweights Ripper, Envy, Tilly Ewe2,
Scorpion, DTK, Mighty Mouse,
Velocirippa, and Hammertime went
on this jaunt, along with featherweights Pain in the Asp, Pillow
Torque, Mini Mighty Mouse, Iron
Side, and Rip.
The venue was a major
shopping center, basically one of
the ubiquitous malls similar to those
in any country, world-wide.
After two continuous days of
setup, the arena and display area
The Doha crew.
The Doha robots.
was ready. Over the next seven
nights, between 5 pm and 10 pm
the shopping center was echoing
with the sound of robots battling!
The first night was a bit hectic,
John explained. The unrehearsed
format not only had featherweights
and heavyweights, but there were
12 roboteers to drive robots and
run two robot building workshops
during each night. As the week
continued — with slight changes
to the format — it was clear that
the robots were a hit with the
locals. They hadn’t seen anything
like it before, and were blown
away with the excitement of the
event. Despite being in a tourist
mecca, it was a typical life for an
event organizer. Apart from a quick
morning swim, most time was
spent in the shopping center
preparing for the show each night.
After the event, the workers did
find time for some R & R when they
headed to a lovely resort by the
sea for swimming, jet skis, and
quad biking!
The Doha pits.
The Doha arena.
John specifically
mentioned Fahad and
Rabi, their two drivers
and helpers who were
fantastic throughout
the week. Whether
obtaining more CO2
or taking the crew to
a bar for a few drinks,
they were always
available. John also
raved about Marwan,
their host and
sponsor. Roaming
Robots just signed a
five year deal for
educational work in
Singapore, and is in
final negotiations for
a five-day event
early next year in
Kuwait. SV
32 SERVO 10.2008
