Salem
robot wins TV contest
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JAY REITER /
Statesman Journal
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FANS
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Aaron Joerger
(center, white shirt) and his father Mark are joined by
some of Aaron’s fourth-grade classmates from Candalaria
School (from left) Rocky Williams, Andrew Duggan, Sara
Johnston and Megan Johnston while watching the Joergers'
entry in "Robotica" on TV at Mimi’s Golf Garden and
Pizzeria.
| Mark Joerger and his son defeat a Corvallis team
and others on "Robotica."
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DAN DE
CARBONEL
Statesman
Journal
April 26
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Salem’s own “Run Amok,” a gutty underdog, shocked
the robot world Wednesday night with a stunning upset in the
championship final of Robotica on The Learning
Channel.
A crowd of about 100 fans at Mimi’s Golf
Garden and Pizzeria erupted in cheers as the 161-pound
four-wheeled metal gladiator knocked “Ram Tough” off a raised
platform to win the “Fight to the Finish” and claim the
Robotica crown.
Run Amok, a wedge-shaped, remote
controlled vehicle, was built by Salem’s Mark Joerger and his
10-year-old son, Aaron. The show was taped last month in Los
Angeles.
Joerger was eager to see the final on
television. “I was so busy driving the robot, I’m not really
sure what happened.”
Joerger won $12,000 and a trophy. Made
from lawn mower spare parts, the robot cost about $3,000 to
build.
One of three robot shows currently
popular on cable television, Robotica challenges the machines
to navigate a speedway, an obstacle course and a “robot a
robot” face-off.
Early on in Fight to the Finish, Run Amok
and JuggerBot, made by Mike Morrow of Corvallis, ganged up on
Ram Force.
“Everybody hated Ram Force,” Morrow said.
“Those guys were jerks.
Morrow, fans and friends of JuggerBot
were also on hand at Mimi’s. JuggerBot now heads to a
BattleBot competition in San Francisco next month.
Joerger said it’s hard to see the season
end. “I felt a little down today,” he said. “I’ve had this to
look forward to, but now it’s coming to a close.”
Producers asked the contestants not to
reveal the outcome. Joerger said that wasn’t tough. “Telling
the outcome doesn’t tell the whole story,” he said. “It’s like
describing the Wizard of Oz in one sentence.”
A win in the speedway portion and a loss
in the maze, then a gutty win in the gauntlet earned Run Amok
a spot in the night’s final showdown.
Dan de
Carbonel can be reached at (503) 399-6714.
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To learn
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Robot Information
Central has answers to frequently asked questions about
robots, information on how to build them and links to robot
competitions.
The
Tech breaks down robotics into five main parts and
explains the degrees of motion.
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