'Ask Aaron' Website Answers 1600th Question! -- When my son Aaron and I started the Ask Aaron website, I didn't even know there WERE 1600 questions about combat robots. Aaron started the site about eight years ago to discuss robots and learn more about robotics by researching answers he didn't already know. I lend a hand with highly technical questions.

BattleBots is Go, but no ESPN Broadcast -- Every year or so BattleBots announces some prospective television deal, usually involving Disney/ABC/ESPN. None of the previous announcements have amounted to anything and I'd stopped paying any attention to them. The latest series of high-hype low-content announcements originally set May of 2008 as the date for a tournament to be aired on ESPN2 featuring college teams building robots to a 160 pound weight limit. The original tournament date first slipped to November 2008, but now appears to be ready to roll April 20-26, 2009 at Mare Island Naval Shipyard in Vallejo, California.

The tournaments will all be "taped for television", but the touted broadcast deal with ESPN2 fell thru. On April 11th, BattleBots announced that the college tournament will be seen on the little-known CBS College Sports Network (CBSC). An unstated number of episodes are scheduled to air starting in August, 2009.

The tournament configuration has changed to a 120-pound class for college teams, a separate 120-pound class for high school teams, and a 'professional' 220-pound heavyweight class open to anyone. Rules are available at the BattleBots website rules page.

Weight Class Popularity Changes -- Antweight fights drop in 2008 , Featherweight class on the rise.

The Robot Fighting League event datafile shows some remarkable changes in the make-up of RFL sanctioned tournaments in 2008. The one-pound antweight class had been the most popular combat robot weight class since the inception of the RFL in 2002, but the percentage of antweight fights dropped from 28% of all fights in 2007 to a slim 11% in 2008. The popularity of all the insect classes fell, but the drop in the antweight class was the most dramatic.

The largest gain in popularity came in the thirty-pound featherweight class. This raw number of fights in this previously obscure class more than doubled. Featherweights turned out big at the 2008 Robogames, and the class is gaining support in Brazil.

Overall, the number of combat robot matches continues to fall -- preliminary data is down more than 50% from 2007. Only the featherweight and superheayweight classes increased the raw number of fights in their class over the 2007 figures.

It's time for something new. Some elements of robot combat are just taken for granted -- but maybe they shouldn't be accepted so quickly. Why do robots fight in weight classes? Why are matches timed? Has it always been done that way?

Some of the ideas here are really half-baked, but there are some things worth thinking about: Robot Combat Paradigms.

Eight Years Ago... -- March 4th, 2009 marks the eighth anniversary of Team Run Amok's victory at Robotica. The final fight took place at about 2:30 AM and it had been a very long day. Since that time, we've won a few championships and have been on the podium at more than half the events we've entered. We've organized three Antbotica competitions, traveled to England twice, and answered more than 1400 questions about combat robotics at the Ask Aaron page. We're still filled with ideas and enthusiasm for recreational robotics, so check back with us to see what develops!

New Roaming Robots Website -- The largest robot fighting group in Europe has an exciting new website. In addition to a cool new look, the site feaatures fight videos, robot database, games, puzzles, event schedules, special features and more. Don't miss the 'Battle Zone'.

Spinner Spreadsheet -- I get a lot of requests from robot builders for help calculating the spin-up time and effectiveness of their spinning weapon design. I've written an Excel spreadsheet to calculate the Moment of Inertia, spin-up time, and total energy for spinning discs, bars, drums, and combinations of these shapes. Let me know if you find it useful.

Update: thanks to a suggestion and spreadsheet work by Michael Maples, the Spinning Weapon Spreadsheet now provides an estimate of the battery power needed to power your weapon design. Thanks, Michael!

The First Self-Righting Robot? -- Early on in the history of combat robots, builders discovered that an overturned robot was toast. The number of robots designed to overturn their opponent began to increase and countermeasures were needed. Invertible robots, able to continue operating when flipped over, are immune to an overturning attack -- but designing for invertability will either limit or complicate weapon and armor choices. A better solution might result from an active mechanical means of returning an incapacitated overturned 'bot to correct 'wheels down' orientation.

So, who was the first immobilized robot to save itself by self-righting? Several claims have been made for assorted robots under differing conditions, often relying on arena walls or intervention by another robot. Here are the best candidates, in my opinion, for first true self-righting:

• US Robot Wars 1996: Carlo Bertocchini's 'Biohazard' had just won a match against rival 'Vlad the Impaler' by pinning Vlad against the wall for 30 seconds. The match was called and Biohazard backed away. Vlad, apparently disappointed at the loss, turned and used its pneumatic lifter on Biohazard to flip and immobilize it. Biohazard was able to self-right by use of its electric lifting arm. This is generally believed to be the first display of self-righting at a tournament, but it took place after the conclusion of a match and had no bearing on the outcome.

• US Robot Wars 1997: Gage Cauchois' 'Vlad the Impaler' had a dedicated pneumatic device that could quickly and repeatedly pop Vlad back upright from an inverted orientation. The device was successfully used to self-right from an immobilized position in an early round match against Biohazard, but Vlad lost the match in a judge's decision.

• UK Robot Wars 1998: Rex Garrod's 'Cassius' was immobilized when it was turned upside-down by a House Robot during 'The Gauntlet' phase of the competition. Cassius used its pneumatic flipping arm to jump back upright and complete the Gauntlet. Cassius avoided elimination and went on place second overall in the tournament.

Combat Robot Hall of Fame -- A lot of combat robots have fought since the first Robot Wars in 1994. Which do you think were the absolute best? I founded the Combat Robot Hall of Fame in 2003 and polled members of the robot community to select the initial inductees. Robots from both sides of the Atlantic were selected based on:

• Dominating success in combat;
• Pioneering or perfecting influential designs;
• Having great fan or entertainment appeal; or
• Otherwise making a lasting impact on the sport.

Combat Robotics Wiki -- It's back! The Combat Robotics Wiki disappeared about a year ago because of problems the ISP had running the server software. The Wiki now has a new home and is running great! Stop in, browse the articles, and add a little something of your own.

Robot Combat Tournament Trees -- Following a number of requests, I have put together the tournament trees for the Robot Fighting League championship tournaments from 2004 thru 2006. The weight-class winners and links to full match results can be found at:

There are also links to archive photos of the 1995 and 1996 Robot Wars robots. Click on any '95 or '96 weightclass 'result' and follow the photo link.

The Robot That Never Was -- Here's the untold story of a mock-up robot that just may have been the key to Team Run Amok's acceptance into the Robotica competition. The robot never had a name and it never was fully operational, but without it our whole robot combat career may never have made it off the ground.

Robotica Ring Tone? -- I've had several Robotica sound clips available for a while in .WAV format, but I just recently converted them to .MP3 to make them a better match for portable applications. The "Robots Ready" clip makes a great ring tone.

Robot Combat on iPod Video -- "It was a hot July afternoon and the finest heavyweight and super-heavyweight combat robots in the NorthWest gathered at an undisclosed location to test their mettle..."

That's the lead in for the Oregon Clandestine Street Fight video CD. This underground video has some of the rawest, unfiltered robot combat action ever recorded. The few copies in circulation have been played again and again on computer screens across the country, but the latest version of the CD also includes MPG4 format files for the video iPod!

SlamBot at the Arcade -- Wanna bash some real 'bots, but all you have is a pocketfull of quarters? MorrowBotics has developed the new SlamBot arcade game system -- real remote controlled robots in an 8 foot square arena. Beat the other 'bot to the flashing targets, or ignore the targets and just beat up the other 'bot. Watch for SlamBot at an arcade near you soon!

The Rise and Fall -- Bill Gurstelle, author of magazine articles and multiple books on fringe technology has an entertaining post on his "Notes From The Technology Underground" blog called The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Robotic Combat. It's an interesting perspective, if not entirely accurate.

What Weapons Win? -- Do spinning weapons win more robot combat matches than wedges? Are active weapons better than passive rammers? I decided to take a look at the actual records from recent tournaments and find out what the results really say. You might be surprised.

Antbotica! -- Growing just a little tired of the usual robot combat scenario? Looking for something a little more challenging? Why just trash a field of robot competitors when you can out-think, out-maneuver, and just plain out run them?

The Antbotica competition has four
different challenges for one-pound robots:

• Dodge and run in the 'Shuttle Race'.
• Chase strategy and your opponent on the 'Scramble' playground.
• Show off your power and control in 'Pushover'.
• Make gravity your friend in the 'Showdown'.

Check the rules and results and start building for the next event.

Gyros! -- Remote control combat robots have stability problems. Two-wheeled 'bots don't want to go straight, and four-wheeled 'bots don't want to turn! We can borrow a little technology from R/C helicopter pilots to make the job of driving them a little easier.

You Be The Judge -- Working as a judge at a combat robot tournament is no picnic! Get the match right and everybody nods, but if the crowd doesn't like your call they let you know. Try scoring the five example matches given here and you can see just how tough it can be.

What counts more, a flip or a bash? How many points for smoke? Rip off a wheel - does that win the match for you? Is it better to do damage early or late in the battle? What counts as 'aggression'?

Battbotica Wars -- Think that robot combat is all guts and glory? You may want to think again after you read this list of things that actually happened to Team Run Amok and our friends on journeys to robot combat tournaments in the U.S. and England.

• Did you know that laundromats are illegal some places?
• Why do my socks smell like spray lube?
• How do you feel about french beer?

Gallery Update -- My collection of pictures and info on the competitors from the inaugural Robotica competition has been a popular part of the website for a while. Lately, I've received requests for pictures and info on the competitors from seasons two and three. I've scrounged info on almost all of the competitors -- take a look, and if you have material for any of the missing competitors, send it my way!

Robotica Journal -- What was it really like to compete at the inaugural Robotica? Right after I got back from Robotica, I wrote down all the behind-the-scenes bits and happenings for my own files. There are a few things in here that have never come to light 'til now. I also put my favorite picture from Robotica in here. Take a look: Robotica Journal

Posters? -- I'm searching for posters from the early (' 94 thru ' 97) Robot Wars. Got one rolled up in your closet? Have one taped to the workshop wall? There are hundreds of these posters out there -- why can't I find any??

Team Run Amok uses a lot of parts from Team Delta. Stop by their website for battle tested parts that work.