Robot Wars

Model Engineering, you bet!

The BBC series Robot Wars **LINK** has always fascinated me as a mix between model engineering, materials, tactics and skill.

Quite enjoyable if one is into mayhem but to me the most interesting part was the innovation of the designers to design a better robot that was reliable but packed a big punch,

Flippers are OK but spinning discs are deadly especially if they work when one is upside down.

I cannot fathom why the BBC abandoned this great adventure as it was a great incentive for young people to become interested into robotics, electronics, materials and engineering.

Adding an Arduino or a Pi with sensors could take this to a whole new level.

* Danny M *

Edited By Danny M2Z on 21/01/2020 08:19:29

The BBC abandoned it because it had too much robotics, electronics, materials and engineering, and young people were getting inspired....not much good when you are trying to get away from anything gritty and hands on.

Its been on and off since 1998, different series and different channels so its on hold...it will be back.

It's on at the moment, BBC2 I think, Sat mornings, I think. ("I think" because I don't go specifically looking for it, but if I find it then I watch it.)

TBH, I don't find todays robots particularly inspiring since they seem to rely on brute force. Ok, the engineering might well be well above my pay grade, but I really do prefer the days of Chaos2 etc, days where the designers were limited in weight and thus had to be very ingenious and skilful to overcome their opponents. Who can remember when George Francis accidently managed to throw his opponent out of the ring, and Kim Davies with his Panic Attack?

Peter G. Shaw

One problem with this type of show is safety and liability. With multiple teams and no recognised build standard it's bit of a nightmare to control. The "rules" on the later BBC show would not have allowed some of the robots on other later series as "high emergy rotors" were not allowed.
Always remember these shows are for entertainment, not to promote engineering or even a fair competition. I've been innvolved with a couple of shows and what went on screen was not always what really happened.

Robert G8RPI.

The show got awkward when some of the spectators were damaged !! The chap at the beeb who was elf and safety was also a bit awkward. Rex Garrod, who would have come first in the very first BBC series, if the guy who won hadn't added to the wieght of his robot, related to me how when Rex appeaered with a flip type robot, using CO2 as the force behind the flipper arrangement, the efl and safety guy went nuts, saying CO2 was dangerous...yet the fire extinguishers had it in ??? Rex set the flipper to 1/10th of its power, as he had calculated it could have sent a Transit van over the roof of his house, had it been fully loaded. The efl n safety man also checked Rex's router, left plugged in, but off at the wall and on the router, when doing a wooden floor at the BBC, when Rex returned from his lunch and plugged it in it ran right across the newly laid wooden floor, as the elf n safety guy had very unsafley left the router on, when he pat tested it. (It already had a pat test pass, btw,)

If I believed in conspiracy theories I would suggest that it has something to do with "The cultural status of (future) engineers ..........."

JA

Edited By JA on 22/01/2020 19:35:16

The series like this which I used to enjoy was Techongames. It was a sort of mechanised Olympics, with machines designed to swim, climb ropes, kick balls and a host of other sports. I did build a prototype swimming machine to enter, but the series ended before I was ready.

James.

Edited By James Alford on 23/01/2020 07:26:07