The nice thing about revisiting projects years later is that technology tends to move forward. A set of prongs on the front (called pontoons) was also bent inward and required a chain and a come-along to pull them out. As a testament to how these things are built, any old jack just won’t do and a 20-ton unit was acquired for the purpose. A hydraulic tire jack is the tool of choice as the damage was caused externally and needed to be pushed out from the inside. In the heat of a match these things take a lot of damage, and the frame of Overhaul 1 was still twisted and mangled. It’s no wonder plans to replace them with newly-designed wheel modules. They’re fun to watch in action in the video after the break, just make sure to turn your volume way down first. What’s in place now are “shuffle drive pods”, a cam-based system that kind of crawls the robot along. It didn’t escape the parts bin unscathed, having lost it’s wheels to another design called sadbot. Having been succeeded by newer designs (Overhaul 2 and Overhaul 3), it’s a surprise to see some work being poured into these old bones. So is the story is telling about Overhaul 1, a hulk of a robot who was last see in fighting shape during the 2015 season of the show. But once in a while, if a battle bot is really lucky, they get pulled out again and put back into working order. Where do old battle bots go to die? Well the great parts-bin in the sky corner of the workshop, where they await disassembly and use in other projects. You can read more about this interesting concept here.Ĭontinue reading “Why Make A Combat Robot That Walks?” → Posted in Robots Hacks Tagged battle bot, battlebot, battlebots, combat robot, gyro, robot, walker Even Overhaul, a 250-pound bot, has been given a new set of feet to shuffle around on. When it first debuted in February of 2021, Kitten Mittens was a smashing success! It went 4-0 in the 12lb weight class at NHRL, winning the $1,000 prize and earning its spots in the annual finals, where will compete against other finalists from the rest of the season for a chance to win the $12,000 first-place prize.īots that walk, shuffle, or crawl are becoming more of a trend lately in all weight classes. This even included custom bent titanium guards surrounding the weapon, to help in self-righting. Part of the extra weight budget was also used to beef up his armor and internal structure of the bot, so that hits from opponents would just bounce him around the cage harmlessly. is not new to the world of combat robotics, and knew it would take more than just a big weapon to win. In addition to thickness, the added weight allowance permitted a larger spinning diameter so that Kitten Mittens could hit opponents before they hit him. It is made of 3/4-inch S7 tool steel and has a custom hub motor integrated into the center, bringing its rotating weight to 5.5 pounds. So how did take advantage of that extra 6 pounds? The biggest thing was the weapon. Where competes, the Norwalk Havoc Robot League, this means that his bot can be up to 6 pounds heavier than the other competitors! A printed prototype of the weapon, showing off the integrated hub motor. Kitten Mittens fights in the 12-pound combat robotics weight class, but most leagues have weight bonuses for bots that have no wheels or use otherwise nontraditional locomotion. While this does leave Kitten Mittens much slower and less agile than competitors, it gives one massive leg up weight. Watch the video after the break to see it in action. This means that instead of traditional tank treads or wheels to move about, navigates by angling his bot’s weapon and using the angular momentum to lift up one side of the bot to “walk” forward. bot, called Kitten Mittens, is a gyro walker combat robot. So why did design his 12-pound bot with no wheels, or any locomotion system for that matter? You can find out more about this peculiar bot in his build report with more than 130 images. They are simple, work well, and if designed right they can take a bit of a beating.
If you watch it on TV or see clips on YouTube, you’ll notice that most combat robots have wheels, which would make sense.