can describe is from this event.
I had mentored a team for the
last few months as they built a 15 lb
robot for this year’s competition.
The team captain was brand new to
robots and his access to tools was
very limited. He was really having
trouble with his robot at the last
minute before the competition.
Unfortunately being a volunteer at
the event, I had very little time to
help my team.
When they showed up to the
event, they happened to get pitted
right next to another brand new
team with another 15 lber from an
art school in Puerto Rico. Before I
knew it, the team from PR had taken
my team’s captain under their wing.
His robot had not only been fixed,
but turned into a winning machine
thanks to the advice and guidance
of a couple good sportsmen. He
went on to win four matches in a
row, and he now had a team of 20
Puerto Ricans roaring for him in the
Work in the pits is
fast and furious.
bleachers.
You could see that he had been
completely transformed by the
experience, his face lit up with
excitement. The Puerto Ricans had
an amazing robot that eventually
went on to win the 15 lb division.
Never once did they think twice
about lending a hand to their
competitor along the way, and that is
what makes BotsIQ so special and so
different from any other
competition.” SV
All photos courtesy of Greg Munson.
EVENT REPORT:
Mot rama 2011
The Times They are a-Changin’ (Bob Dylan)
Each February, the Northeast Robotics Club ( www.nerc.us)
hosts their biggest competition
of the year as part of the Motorama
motorsports extravaganza
and custom car show
( www.motoramaevents.com)
in Harrisburg, PA.
One hundred and twenty robots
were entered in a total of seven
weight classes from the 250 g
Fairyweights to the 30 lb
Featherweights, and 95 passed
through safety checks and actually
competed.
As Motorama is a spectator
event and the club needs to put on
● by Pete Smith
a show in return for the use of the
excellent venue, the two smallest
weight classes are fought on the
Friday before the main show opens.
These weight classes are fun to
compete in, but lack the size and
action required for a paying
audience.
The fights for these weight
classes are fought in a small 8 x 8
area (which doubles as a very useful
test box for the big bots during the
main event.)
The winter weather in
Harrisburg is not known to be very
kind, but Friday was warm and
sunny with a record high in the 60s
which made for a pleasant start to
the weekend. It was not to last,
however. There were only six 250 g
Fairyweights, but a record 27 one lb
Antweights took part.
SERVO 05.2011 31
