of not being chosen for the show. The
fear of your robot being totally
destroyed.
Like a tsunami of dread, the
emotions long since forgotten wash
over me and I suddenly feel like I am
on a roller coaster, unable to get off;
yet unsure if I want to ride, unsure if I
can ride.
I must address my fears. You can
come along on this journey if you like,
as this article is more than a piece in a
magazine. This is my real dilemma: My
racing mind trying to decide what to
do; if I should do anything, in fact. I
am torn between letting it go, of
growing up, and focusing on being a
good dad, and of the overwhelming
urge to grab the keys to the shed and
start digging out my tools.
It is happening as I write this. I
am arguing with myself and I think I
should write it down — however
chaotic — before the tornado in my
brain disappears. Let's start at the
beginning.
Can I realistically get a working
robot into the studio for the first day
of filming? BattleBots is easy to
answer: No, I cannot. I am in the UK
and there is not enough time for me
to build and ship a machine to the
USA. That was easy, but
disappointing. Robot Wars, however, is
possible. So, let's investigate the
options.
Can I build a brand new robot on
my own in six weeks? No, don't be
silly. Okay, so where do I start ...
Do I have any robots already
built? Yes. I have four heavyweights in
fact, none of which I will name in this
article for fear of breaching
confidentiality agreements yet to be
signed, but they have not been in an
arena in real competition for almost a
decade and have all appeared on TV
before.
I will rule one robot out instantly,
as he is too dear to me to risk in the
arena with modern robots. There really
is a chance of losing him to much
more powerful machines, and he is
unlikely to be competitive.
I have visited my robots to see how
they have dealt with the years, put
away and wrapped up in plastic. It is
not the best news. There is rust, and
damp (oh no!). The sudden decision to
stop robot combat many years ago left
me with no motivation to repair my
battle damaged machines from the last
events, so this will need immediate
remedy, and is not so easy to do now
that many of my suppliers no longer
exist. I no longer have the tools I once
had, or the time and disposable
income. This is not looking good so far.
I needed guidance at this point,
so I phoned the show to ask what
kind of robot they are looking for and
what would give my application to be
on the show the best chance of
success. I should not have done that.
By name-dropping the robots I have
(who have all been on TV before as
noted), one was a clear preference to
the excited representative. I must now
consider my dear favorite robot again.
Oops.
Can I get any of my robots ready
in time? Robot 1 (we’ll call him
Crusher) is an empty shell. Most of the
parts are broken, damaged, or were
used in other machines. I do not have
the time, money, or workshop facilities
to rebuild this machine. Crusher is out
before we start.
Robot 2 (who we can call Lifter) is
working fully; in fact, he ran last
month in a demonstration at a local
school. Lifter is old, however — very
old — and will not remain square with
a modern robot bumping into it. As
cannon fodder, it may be worth an
application. However, this robot is well
known and it is unfair to sacrifice it in
such a way. My options are
disappearing quickly.
Robot 3 (my Axebot) is almost
ready to run as I type this. I only need
to pump up the tires, charge the
batteries, and fill the CO2 gas tank.
Unfortunately, the rules have changed
since this robot last fought.
The pneumatic system needs a full
overhaul and certification testing in
order to comply with the latest safety
rules (but that gives me a reason to
upgrade it and increase the power).
The batteries are most likely dead, but
certainly past their best, having first
been used in 2001.
Replacing the batteries is easy
SERVO 03.2016 27
Corrosion to critical parts of the robots has been a problem.
So much of my equipment is now useless due to rule changes.