In engineering and in entertainment, concepts are often
cyclical. For iterative engineering, prototyping, analyzing and refining are
successive tasks that will repair or improve past designs. This is what leads
to a new iPhone every year, for better or worse. In entertainment, there are
repetitive viewing trends. Right now zombies are "hot," just as they were in
the' 70s and '80s, before then existing as a niche genre until a new popularity
boom in the late 2000s.
The same can be said of the latest engineering and
entertainment mash-up, that being the newest incarnation of BattleBots. The
show originally ran for five seasons on Comedy Central, right around the time
of other mechanical DIY shows such as Scrapheap Challenge (aka Junkyard Wars)
and Monster Garage. The original series drew serious competitors, such as 3/5
of the Mythbusters team, and Bill Nye served as technical expert (right when he
wasn't cool, between the times he was/is).
Even though the original series (and other robot combat
shows) were cancelled long ago, it wouldn't be the end of the sport. Dozens of other
smaller competitions have existed for years (even an Olympics-the RoboGames) and in the 13
years off air some technology upgrades promise for a more powerful show. Most
notable is the vast improvements in batteries. In recent years robots have
thrown competitors straight out of the arena, so the arena-already made of
steel floors and framing with polycarbonate panels-needs to be considerably stronger this time around. The organizers called it "bombproof."
(Side note: there is some debate as the whether these are just RCs or robots. I made no distinction.)
Spinner and lawnmower-style bots seem to inflict the most
damage, but a simple wedge with powerful traction can be hard to stop too. Until
recently, flame throwers were amongst the list of banned weapons. They're now
allowed but are mostly ineffective against competitors. Other banned weapons
include radio jammers, electric shock, liquids, entanglements, lasers and
halcon gas, which can be used to extinguish internal combustion engines.
Otherwise all other weapons and implements can be used.
Robots teams spend months or years custom manufacturing
their robots. Winners ultimately receive a cash prize, but it's often not
enough to pay for the build and all the repairs. It's not just engineers
entering either, but they typically have the best developed designs. Though
they are competitors, opposing teams are often friendly and even help repair or
troubleshoot malfunctions. There is a comradery found in the mechanical mayhem
they're there to unleash, and everyone wants to put on a good show.
Is the world ready for another round of robotic rumbles? Seemingly so. Despite a chilly domestic reception, Pacific Rim--a 2013 film about giant robots that fight monsters-- earned over $400 million and a sequel. In a weird blend between BattleBots and Pacific Rim, two large robot manufacturers are set to pit their giant robots in an epic duel.
Japanese manufacturer Suidobashi Heavy
Industry will enter the Kurata, a 12-foot-tall 9,000 lb. mecha armed with bottle rockets and BB gatling guns (pictured far left). It's opponent will be the 15-foot-tall, 12,000 lb. mecha Mark II, built by U.S.-based MegaBot (close left), which is armed with twin paintball gatling guns. The exact parameters of the fight are unknown, but it's slated for summer 2016.
I wouldn't call BattleBots enlightening entertainment, but
it might be worthwhile for the engineers and technicians who don't want to
spend every minute analyzing everything on the screen. Sometimes it's fun to
just watch stuff break. It might even inspire a CR4er to build their own combat
robot.
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