Information on the Discovery TV network program 'Robotica' -- Season 1.

Big go-cart pancake motors, a bundle of NiMh batteries, and a Vantec speed controller combine for plenty of speed and power. The radio gear is bundled in foam to isolate it from vibration and noise, and omniwheels in the front (ASR120/Polyurethane) provide stability and smooth gliding. Killer B page

Weighing in at 172 lbs., Run Amok is powered by a single Bosch 750 motor and features automotive-style steering. The aluminum front wedge is removable for additional clearance when needed. Much of the chassis and running gear came from an old riding lawn mower!

More info on Run Amok may be found at the Team Run Amok Home Page.

Half stealth fighter, half eagle. Designed to deflect opponent's blows, Spring Breaker would be the winner of the 'best paint' award at any 'bot competition. Is there enough power under that armor to keep up with the challenges?

Spring Breaker at the Robotica Wiki.

Six-wheel drive with variable ratios, steel armor, a whirling blade-o-death, and a very nasty carbide spike. Not what anyone would want to meet on a small platform eight feet off the ground! Team Suspect (archived).

The hydraulic piercing jaws are built to chomp thru a 'bot before the operator even has time to scream. Ouch! Does it have enough speed and contol to put the weapon to good use?

Grimlock at the Robotica Wiki.

Powerful and maneuverable, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers from UCLA's Boelter Hall needed just a little more ground clearance to be competitive. Are those wheels from a baby buggy??

Robotica Video Clip!

It's fast, it's pointy, and it's even magnetized for added traction. Innovative steering mechanism allows both smooth turning and zero turn radius via a powered omni-wheel variant. Secret weapon? A rubber net!

Hot Wheels at the Robotica Wiki.

With a chassis made of thick, bulletproof Lexan and lots of power to the 4-wheel drive, Ram Force is a multi-configuration wonder. The custom-built battery pack was nicknamed 'Mr. Fusion'. This team was out to win.

Team Force Robots (archived).

Weight: 202 lbs., Payload Capability: 300+ lbs, Top Speed: 10.5 mph, Drive: 4 - 24v electric motors with 16:1 gearing, 2 - 10x5 inch gocart slicks. Weapons: 36 inch steel Rotor of Death (900rpm), 9 inch stainless steel spike. Power: 3-12v Odyssey PC545's. Armor :1/16" stainless steel and 1/2" lexan. Control: Hitec 7ch PCM remote, 4QD Pro-120 speed controllers.

litewav.com (archived).

Weighing in at 165 pounds, Pandora had the biggest batteries in the competition (45 amp hours!). An unusual design, Pandora featured a steel-ball flail, kitchen sink armor, and an innovative steering servo made from automotive scrap. Pandora was dismantled at the end of the competition, and her parts given freely away to other builders.

Pandora Web Site

Solar Flare is a wedge shaped vehicle made entirely out of aluminum with a top speed of only 3 MPH. It weighs in excess of 125lbs and has four 12" wheels at the rear and caster wheels on the front. The main weapon is a propane powered Flame Thrower that can shoot a flame over 2 feet. The control system for this vehicle is a home-made design using Motorola 68332 microcontrollers as the brains for the transmitter and receiver.

Solar Flare Web Site

Veteran robot fighters Team Minus Zero came in with a no nonsense design: a front lifting fork powered by twin worm gear reduction motors plus all-wheel drive power from 8 modified Jensen motors with forced air cooling. The control system required three transmitters and two drivers!

Team Minus Zero (Archived).

210 lbs, two 24 volt gel cell batteries plus a 6 volt SLA battery, a Vantec ESC, two 24 volt electric wheelchair motors, a 12 volt linear actuator, a 12 volt electric wheelchair motor, two Team Delta R/C h-bridges, aluminum, steel, and 6 wheels! The weapon consists of a stainless steel pitchfork with an added spike used for stabbing or impaling the other robot. There are also two tusks in the front that travel up and down to lift the opponents.

i-Droid at the Robotica Wiki.

Builder J.D. Streett is a movie special effects guy, and he built plenty special into this entry. It's a wedge, it's a cable cutter, it launches magnetic nets. Is there anything this 'bot doesn't do?

Crisis Management at the Robotica Wiki.

A 210 lb. monster that has two large eyes and a mouth capable of developing 1000 pounds of force. Jawbreaker's mouth can open and scoop other robots into his jaws and then hold them with eight titanium teeth. When Jawbreaker isn't eating other robots - he enjoys munching on stage curtains and Levi Strauss jeans worn by the pit crew.

www.TeamJawbreaker.com (archived).

JuggerBot: Over 200lbs of pure speed and power. The all-wheel drive system is powered by Hawker G13s through fully redundant electrical systems. An internal steel combat chassis delivers the full 10+ mph blow of drive motors mounted in external interchangeable drive modules. To contend with Robotica challenges, JuggerBot has over 2" of ground clearance and a 45 degree angle of approach/departure. The frontal battering ram doubles as a modular weapons mount for blades, wedges, and other unpleasantries.*

*mercy not included. Your actual carnage may vary. juggerbot.com

Name: Hamerschlag Weight: 90 lb. Drive: four 18v Dewalt drill motors. Wheels: six 5" wheels with 1/2" thick cogged v-belt screwed in. Chassis: 3/8" lexan cover, 1/4" aluminum wedge, 4" x 4" x 1/8" aluminum tubechassis. Build Hours: 200.

Hamerschlag at the Robotica Wiki.

I REALLY don't like the idea of having to deal with that saw! Built for combat, the compact Krypler is challenged to overcome the obstacles that it must overcome to reach the final fight, but the driver has a lot of R/C experience.

Krypler at the Robotica Wiki.

Big powerful motors, six big tires. What can go wrong with a combination like that? Todd Mendenhall was president of the Society of Robotic Combat, and he builds scary things. Photo by Ray Ebert.

Panzer at the Robotica Wiki.

A 90 pound wedge topped by a titanium spinner with one pound 'thwackers' on the ends. The weapon spins at 1000 rpm and can transmit 2 kilojoules of energy on impact. Powered by Nicads, EV Warrior motors provide the drive. It's two wheel drive and armored with aluminum, Lexan, and titanium. The name Malvolio is from a disagreeable character in Shakespeare's Twelfth Night.
Archived website.

You have to love Kyle Rader's Evil Beaver. The main body is an old computer case, the dual weapons are a chain saw and a terrifying cordless screwdriver. What it lacks in sophistication it may make up for with determination.

Evil Beaver at the Robotica Wiki.

Six wheels of terror! The 'bot is indestructible and the driver is cool as ice. Great combination! Viper is 8" high, 40" long and 26" wide and weighs 206 lb. The six wheels are driven by two wheel chair motors running at 24 volts.

Viper at the Robotica Wiki.

The builders were worried about the waterfall in the Maze, so the monocoque aluminum frame is completely waterproof: all shafts, panels and switches had rubber seals. I'm told it even floats. Power is supplied by two PacSci 3/4 hp motors @ 24v running Victor speed controls. Top speed: 12 MPH. Did not compete.

Glen Sears built a robot that should have done well: four wheels, a pneumatic jaw, and twin arms to lift the machine clear of obstacles. It did not qualify for Robotica, but went on to fight at other combat robot events.

John Adipietro's low and simple robot did not qualify for Season 1, but a few modifications later it did get a spot in the season 2 field. See their details in the Season 2 Gallery.

BattleBots veterans Team Wetware built this twin-spinner 'bot for Robotica, but failed to qualify. The 'bot appeared to share design elements with their middleweight robot 'The Emasculator".

The Learning Channel broadcast Robotica on Wednesday evenings at 9:00 PM. Prior to the first episode some entertaining TV commercials and print media adverts appeared that featured a two-armed robot named 'Shrapnel' with a gripping claw and a rotary saw blade for hands. Shrapnel was purely an advertising prop, but I think he deserves a spot here in the Gallery as the Robotica mascot. Here's a bigger picture.