EVENT REP RT:
Mid-American Melee
● by Michael Winek
The Mid-American Melee — the first event hosted by the student
chapter of the American Society of
Mechanical Engineers (ASME) at
Washington University in St. Louis —
was a smashing success.
Three Fairy weight, six Ant
weight, and nine Beetle weight
combat robots went head-to-head in
a newly built 4’ x 8’ x 2’ arena with
1/4” polycarbonate walls and
ceilings, and a 2’ x 1.5’ trapdoor
equipped with a drop box to catch
fallen robots.
Three robots entered the Fairy
weight division: a vertical bar
spinner named Blond Redhead; a
flipper dubbed Old Guy; and a solid
wedge ironically called Snorlax.
Throughout the round robin series
of fights, Blond Redhead’s spinner
produced strong gyroscopic forces
which pulled the bot around the
arena, allowing opponents to easily
push the hapless robot through the
opened trapdoor. Ultimately, Snorlax
took 1st place, followed by Old Guy
with 2nd place, and Blond Redhead
with 3rd.
The Ant weight round robin
tournament showcased an
impressive array of creative designs.
Highlights included Cup Bot — an
undercutter with a body based
around an athletic cup — and its
greatest opponent, Slash — an
overhead bar spinner acting as the
flagship robot for Titan Tech
Robotics.
These two bots wreaked havoc
through the brackets, repeatedly
removing wheels and breaking
axles. In an exciting match, Slash
dismantled the lifting arm of
Emoticon — a flipper built from an
aluminum can. Despite Cup Bot and
Slash’s highly destructive
capabilities, they finished
2nd and 3rd, respectively,
with Emoticon taking 1st
place.
The Beetle weight
division was fought in a
double elimination bracket.
The bout started with
several high kinetic energy
weapons that effectively
destroyed both their
opponents, as well as
themselves. Bananas — an
undercutter with an
intimidating hooked bar —
and Rainbow Road — a
wedge equipped with rubber
conveyor belts — produced the most
memorable match, during which
Bananas won the hearts of the
audience by using its eight ounce,
steel-tipped spinning horizontal bar
to smash the wheels off of Rainbow
Road.
Can Of Nuns (C.O.N.) — a
dustpan robot with a large clamping
arm — advanced through the
winner’s brackets undefeated, and
took 1st place by sweeping up,
holding down, and depositing its
opponents in the drop box after the
trap door opened. Second place
went to Big Bladed Bastard (B.B.B.)
— a rock-solid brick with a metal-plate “blade” in the front — and 3rd
place to Bananas, to the audience’s
disappointment.
SERVO 08.2011 31
