24 SERVO 03.2016
American team: Team Riobotz from
Brazil. Their 'Touro' series of bots
dominated both it and the
Middleweight class, with other
Brazilian teams giving a very strong
showing throughout the competition.
This reflects a significant broadening
of the sport's international side — far
beyond what its creators perceived it
would grow to be.
Robot events have sprung up in
India, Russia, and Thailand, with firmly
rooted competitions in Canada and
Australia furthering the international
appeal of the sport.
So far, however, the most
important aspect of the Steel Age has
been the resurgence of televised
robotics. After over a decade of
debate, Munson and Roski managed
to get the show televised once more
on ABC — and the public ate it up.
While the format of the show was
scaled back significantly to 24
competitors in a single purpose-made
weight class, the show dominated its
time slot well enough that the
corporate executives soon authorized
a forthcoming second season for the
reboot. Mentorn followed suit by
announcing a revival of Robot Wars
for airing later in 2016.
While the showcasing of the sport
to a wider audience has certainly been
a boon, the forthcoming months and
years of the Steel Age showcase a stark
contrast to how things once were.
While arenas formerly had to be
designed to catch any chunks of loose
metal that were flung off by the hit of
a sawblade, today's largest arenas have
multiple thick layers of Lexan that can
survive a direct impact from a robot's
massive spinning weapon or fragments
of robots weighing up to 250 lbs.
Crudely patched together
creations — competitive even at a
price of mere hundreds of dollars —
have given way to intricately artificed
designs following standardized
procedures, worth tens of thousands
of dollars. It takes a special set of
circumstances for a newcomer to
become a big name in the sport, with
regards to the larger weight classes,
anyways.
As the Steel Age proceeds
onward and new builders get involved
with the sport, fewer and fewer of
builders past remain active in the
community. A shift has begun towards
continual progress. Yet the past
reveals much about what's worked,
what hasn't, and what might
sometime soon.
So long as the community never
forgets its roots as it takes a new step
each year, every competitor will look
forward to a bright future. SV
2015was a massive year for Robo Wars
Australia. Robo Wars Vivid
Sydney attracted almost
14,000 people and the
Nationals’ event had the
most robots in 10 years.
However, it hasn't always
been such a smooth ride for
the builders down under.
Robo Wars first found
prominence in 2005. The
30 lb Featherweight
competition had regular
monthly events in all east
coast states, and a
dedicated group of builders
and spectators for the
annual competition.
Unfortunately by 2010, the
sport had been in steady
decline. The TV shows that had
pumped new builders into the sport
were gone, and the same group of
builders were struggling to keep the
sport alive. Only Queensland held on
to public events, and local builder
Roboteers at
RoboWars
Nationals 2015
RoboWars Australia:
Grinding Off the Rust ● by Steven Martin