Page 51 - Build Your Own Combat Robot

Build Your Own Combat Robot
32
First
hat got me Person surfaces. Also, the fact San Francisco. Spike actually did a
into combat that if Spike got flipped pretty good job in his first time out.
Wrobotics in on his back, the fight He won a few matches, got dinged
the first place was my friend, was over, was one problem that up a bit, and even burned out an
Andrew. He had read online needed to be addressed in a hurry. electronic speed controller. In the
about Robot Wars, a gladiator- It was back to the garage and end, he lost by getting pinned up
style competition between remote- back to work. A sleeker, slimmer against the wall. Even so, we had
control robots of varying weights, bot came out of the six weeks of a great time.
and needed help building a bot. I time and work invested. Spike I came home with a bot in
checked out the Robot Wars version 1.1 could right himself if need of repairs and over a dozen
Web site and was very impressed. flipped using the spike that was his rolls of film to be developed. We
Andrew showed me his design for namesake, the driveability issues vowed to return the next year for
a bot called Spike. It looked very were taken care of by changing more, and spent our time wisely
cool, and the whole idea of dueling the wheels, and Andrew and I revising the design and looking
bots fascinated me, so I said I made an overall change in body for sponsorship. Frank at Central
wanted in. It wasn’t long before I styling. We tested how well Spike Metals Fabricators in Red Bank,
was hooked. could handle the road by test- New Jersey, agreed to help machine
Andrew and I worked for driving him on the poorly maintained Spike Version 2.0 for free as his
several months building Spike street I lived on. If Spike could way of sponsoring us. Frank thought
version 1.0. This prototype never handle those lumps, bumps, and the whole idea of battling bots was
made it to Robot Wars.We debris and still move well, we were cool, too, and viewed his work on
thought it would be a good idea sure he could handle the arena. Spike as a portfolio-building item.
to test the design before bringing Spike passed the drive test. Next Andrew got a few parts suppliers
it to California, so we entered the came the weapon test. The “spike” to give us items for free or at a
machine in a Robot Wars-style itself did well against cans and heavy discount, so we managed to
competition held at DragonCon other metallic objects that we save some money on construction.
in Atlanta, Georgia. rummaged from the junkyard, For the next Robot Wars
We got creamed. so we were pretty confident it would competition, Andrew managed to
Our ideas were good, but we handle itself well against what talk his employer into paying his
had some more work to do before would be its first Robot Wars airfare to California, but I was not
we brought this bot warrior to competition in the Lightweight so lucky and had to pay my own
California in August. The drive Division. way. I was willing to do whatever it
train had to be reworked to make Because we had no sponsors, took to get myself back to California
it more maneuverable and less Andrew and I tapped our bank for the next competition.
difficult to control on rugged accounts to pay for the airfare to —Ronni Katz