Page 33 - Build Your Own Combat Robot

Build Your Own Combat Robot
14
Season Two
During the second season, the preliminary events changed from three events to
two events. The first event was the Gauntlet. In this new version of the Gauntlet,
the bots had to run through a diamond-shaped track. Both bots started at the same
point but went in opposite directions. They had to crash through a number of ob-
stacles on the first two legs of the diamond track, including a wall of wood,
weighted cans, a wall of bricks, and then a cement wall. After all this destruction,
the bot then had to crash through the debris field created by the other bot. Once
the bot completed the diamond track, it then climbed a ramp to destroy a series of
glass columns. When all the glass columns were destroyed, the bots had to climb a
final ramp to the victory zone. Bots got points for each obstacle successfully navi-
gated. The bot with the most points won the event.
The second event was the Labyrinth. The bots had to navigate through a series of
challenges, after each of which was a glass wall to be broken through by the bot.
The challenges included a 20-pound box, a suspension bridge, spikes shooting up
from the floor, a flip ramp, a sand pit, and a set of steel cargo rollers. When all chal-
lenges were successfully navigated and all six glass walls were broken, a seventh
glass wall was revealed. The first bot to break the final glass wall received bonus
points. To make things more difficult, a set of Robotica “rats” with buzz saws are
constantly attacking the bots to impede their progress. Points are awarded for each
obstacle successfully navigated, and the bot with the most points wins that event.
The bot with the most points after the two preliminary events moves onto the
Fight to the Finish event. As with the first season, the bots try to push each other
off the ring. The first one falling out of the ring loses the overall match.
As you can see by the different events, Robotica is more challenging than a purely
destroy-your-opponent type of robot combat. But in order to win Robotica, it still
comes down to having the strongest and most powerful bot.
The official Robotica Web site is at www.robotica.com.

FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology)
FIRST does not condone competitions where two bots try to destroy each other.
However, we are including FIRST in this list because their competitions are very in-
tenseandaggressive,andarebecomingextremelypopularamongrobotenthusiasts.
The FIRST Robotics Competition is an annual design competition that brings
professionals and high-school students together in teams to solve an engineering
design problem. One of the goals of competition is show students that science, en-
gineering, and inventions are fun and exciting, so they will be inspired to pursue
careers in engineering, technology and science. A big part of the event is having
students work directly with corporations, businesses, colleges, and professionals
to help support them in building bots for the competition. This is a fast-paced
competition that starts shortly after the beginning of a new year. Each team has