combat learned of
this pint sized version
of the sport.
In the late 1990s,
the UK was
experimenting with a
variety of Insect
weight classes. They
eventually settled on
the 150 gram “UK
Antweight” (in the
United States, known
as a Fairyweight).
United States builders
learned of this weight
class while competing
abroad at the Robot
Wars UK competition
and on the popular Delphi Forum. A
discussion soon began among US
builders to adopt a version of the
Antweight at home. Andrew
Lindsey, one of the founders of
NERC (North East Robotics Club)
and Delphi Forum frequenter, recalls
that “the idea of Antweight bots
started with the UK competitors,
but there it seemed to be a
challenge of how to make the
smallest possible robots rather than
a low-budget entry class. They were
using micro servos and receivers,
and trying to figure out what the
smallest weight was that still allowed
Because of the differing
priorities of the United States
builders, they adapted the UK
Antweight to an even 1 lb weight
class, and the Antweight was
(basically) born.
Mystery arena photograph of BattleAnts bots.
Antweight TadPole at CJRC ’01 and
iHXRC ’01 (International Hobby and
Model Expo) in Chicago. Dr. Maudlin
documents these long forgotten
events at www.lazytoad.com/
teamtoad/ events.html.
Simultaneously, Sozbots was
forming in southern California.
Sozbots — which gets its name from
an abbreviation of the term “ 16 oz
bots” — held its first event February
21, 2002, according to cofounder
Eric Stoliker. Stoliker, along with
Patrick Campbell, Brian Roe, and
later Peter Abrahamson went on to
run many successful Sozbots events.
They also ran an extremely
popular Insect parts store online.
The Sozbots electronic speed
controller is arguably the
quintessential Insect component,
and became wildly popular among
Insect builders in the mid-2000s.
Then — either by coincidence or
an act of fate — BattleAnts was held
as a demonstration at
BattleBots 5.0 in May
2002. It was held
outside of the venue
for the larger
BattleBots, and was
an invitation only
event for 16 builders.
The specifics of this
event are a little hazy;
the brackets, for
example, are nowhere
to be found. By one
account, the
BattleAnts
competition used the
WAR arena and was
hosted by SECR
DeVits, as well as SECR
founding member Chris Williamson,
were key players in organizing the
BattleAnts event. Williamson, like
the Sozbots founders, also founded
a successful online parts store called
AntBotics.com which was later sold
to the Robot MarketPlace.
According to many sources
(including a 2004 SERVO article),
the founding members of Sozbots
first came into contact with the
Antweight class at this event.
(South East Combat Robotics). In the
photo, note the UI Productions logo
(the company of SECR founding
member Mark DeVits).
Excerpt from 2002
SERVO article
showing Sozbots
arena.
SERVO 04.2012 37