Has anyone here been watching the "robot combat" shows that have popped up
on TV? BattleBots and Robot Wars are big hits. I've been following them
for the last year and a half and I've wondered, "What would Chunky have
built to compete in these events?" I got my chance to find out...
Back in December, I was selected as one of 24 contestants to compete in a
new show on The Learning Channel (TLC). We were each given seven weeks to
build a robot that would compete in tests of speed, agility, power, and
durability. Challenges would include a figure-8 race, a maze filled with
obstacles, a race bursting thru a series of increasingly dense walls, and a
sort of Sumo event on a platform eight feet off the ground.
As a life-long fan of Collin Chapman, I built a very Lotus-like vehicle:
simple, 20% lighter than the weight max, tubular space-frame like
reinforcements, and extensive use of over-engineered off-the-shelf
components. I even think it looks a little like a Mk. 3 Lotus. I was
tempted to put a green-and-yellow badge on the nose. More info on my
web-site: http://www.open.org/joerger/
Does Chapmanesque engineering work for a combat robot? Does agility
overcome brute force? Does "simplificate" work in high-tech competition?
The seven-part series is called "Robotica", and it starts in prime-time this
Wednesday, April 4th, on The Learning Channel (TLC). My robot (named "Run
Amok") and I are featured in the first episode. Check your local listings
for time.
Mark Joerger
Salem, Oregon
Westfield Eleven #JB-W11-32
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