Robot Combat is a hobby in which two or more radio-controlled machines use varied methods of destroying or disabling the other robot. The machines are referred to as robots, but most are not actually robots by the strictest definition of the word, because they are not autonomous. Robot Combat enjoyed a period in the public eye when several television shows broadcast the robot fights. Either the public or the TV network administrators lost interest, and the shows dropped from the airwaves. The most well-known of these shows were Battlebots, Robot Wars, and Robotica. Combat robots have received mention in the press and entertainment shows from time to time as well. Autonomy is the condition of something that does not depend on anything else. ... Battlebots, also Battlebots Inc. ... Robot Wars is a 1990s phenomenon, spawning a television show, in which amateurs compete in a tournament-style contest to see whose remote-controlled robot is the best at fighting. ... Robotica Logo Robotica was a robot combat show produced for the American television cable TLC Network, a subsidiary of the Discovery Channel. ...

The construction and competition of combat robots is a hobby for all but a select few builders. Robots builders may be middle-aged engineers, or enthusiastic teenagers. Robot building can teach young people a great deal about technology, and some schools use the construction of combat robots in their courses. Some schools shy away from the violence and choose to participate in task-based or cooperative competitions such as FIRST. Second, or For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology, is an organization founded by inventor Dean Kamen in 1989 in order to develop ways to excite students about engineering and technology. ...

Robots come in all shapes and sizes, but there are certain defining lines that robots rarely stray across, thanks to official rules and practicality. The standard by which all combat robots are measured is weight; the everyday dilemma of the robot builder is to cram as much power into as little weight as possible. Robots can be as small as the 75 gram 'Fleaweight' class, and as large as the 340-pound 'Super Heavyweight' class. The common weightclasses are as follows:

Heavyweight combat robot - 'Run Amok'

• 75g- Fleaweight
• 150g- Fairyweight
• 1 pound- Antweight
• 3 pound- Beetleweight
• 12 pound- Hobbyweight
• 30 pound- Featherweight
• 60 pound- Lightweight
• 120 pound- Middleweight
• 220 pound- Heavyweight
• 340 pound- Super Heavyweight

Weight is a precious asset for robot builders. For the sake of diversity of design, the rules often give an extra weight allotment for robots that can walk rather than roll on wheels. Such robots are more difficult to construct and their drive mechanisms are heavier. Some builders opt to build walking robots, taking advantage of the extra weight to add more powerful weaponry at the expense of greater complexity and fragility. Source: photo taken by me (Mark Joerger) of my robot. ... Source: photo taken by me (Mark Joerger) of my robot. ...

Given the violent nature of robot fighting, safety is always the #1 issue at robot events. Robot fights take place in a sturdy arena, usually constructed of steel, wood, and bulletproof clear Lexan plastic. The size of the arena varies by the weightclass of the robots that are fighting in it. Some large competitions that entertain many different weightclasses have more than one arena, because 1 pound antweights don't need 50 foot wide arenas in which to fight, but 220 pound heavyweights do. Plus, tiny robots look awfully out of place and are hard to see in a giant arena. Having multiple arenas allows the event to progress more quickly. Categories: Chemistry stubs | Brands | Materials ...

Competition rules set limits on construction features that are too dangerous or which could lead to uninteresting contests. Strict limits are placed on materials and pressures used in pneumatic or hydraulic actuators, and fail-safe systems are required for electronic control circuits. Generally off-limits for use as weapons are nets, liquid, radio jamming, high-voltage electric discarge, unteathered projectiles, and usually fire. Many robot combat events have adopted the 'RFL' ruleset (see 'The RFL' below), which is adaptable to each competition that elects to use it. Pneumatics, from the Greek πνευματικός (pneumatikos, coming from the wind) is the use of pressurized air in science and technology. ... Hydraulics is a branch of science and engineering concerned with the use of liquids to perform mechanical tasks. ... Safety engineering is used to assure that a life-critical system behaves as needed even when pieces fail. ...

The Robot Fighting League (http://www.botleague.com) was created in 2002 when several builders decided that the world of robot combat needed standardization of rules and judging criteria. The majority of robot combat events in the U.S. have become RFL members, but some event organizers oppose the direction in which the RFL is taking the sport and remain independent. The topic of event standardization and has lent itself to a healthy amount of controversy since the RFL's inception.