RoboGames 2010: Mech Warfare
Writing by Evan Ackerman on Tuesday, 27 of April , 2010 at 3:09 am
Last year at RoboGames was the very first Mech Warfare competition. Like, ever. And it was pretty cool. But this year was exponentially more awesome. Mech Warfare pits walking robots armed with airsoft rifles against each other in a detailed cityscape. The robots are controlled remotely, but the catch is that you can’t directly see your robot. Instead, competitors rely on wireless cameras mounted on the bots themselves to see where they’re going, kinda like the old Mech Warrior computer game. I’d tell you more about how it all went, but I’m sure you’d rather just watch the video:
Next year, things are going to get even more epic. The arena will be increased in size, and a couple new match types will be introduced, including 2 on 2 matches and attack and defense, where the defending robots will be able to use things like autonomous turrets to help keep the attackers from capturing a target. The hardcore class will be back next year too, where instead of airsoft guns, the robots will be allowed to use things like missiles and flamethrowers. You can keep up to date with all the latest happenings in the Mech Warfare world at the official website, and also on the Trossen Robotics Forums.
One or two more pics, after the jump.
[ Mech Warfare ]
Comments (10)
Category: Competitive
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Comment by Goose
Made Tuesday, 27 of April , 2010 at 10:00 am
Are the plastic BBs on the ground any problem for balance?
Comment by Evan Ackerman
Made Tuesday, 27 of April , 2010 at 10:18 am
Yes, especially for the bipeds. The arena was swept out before every match, but they still caused mechs to slip and fall, which cost them a point every time.
Comment by Andrew Alter
Made Tuesday, 27 of April , 2010 at 4:59 pm
Good to see you there again Evan!
Fantastic video, you just set the bar for our own video :P
Everyone involved had an absolute blast, and the crowd seemed to enjoy it as well.
We’re adding more and more photos of the event just as quickly as we can sort them, check out the Galley here:
http://forums.trossenrobotics.com/gallery/browseimages.php?c=20
Cheers!
Comment by Michael
Made Tuesday, 27 of April , 2010 at 8:26 pm
Great video! That event looks just friggin amazing. Must give this a try…
Comment by Danhezee
Made Wednesday, 28 of April , 2010 at 6:04 am
I love the new cityscape. Much more emergent than last year, when they used cardboard boxes.
Comment by Simon Arthur
Made Wednesday, 28 of April , 2010 at 7:04 am
The cityscape environment looks great and the robots are incredible.
The competition itself, though, lacks the visceral appeal of standard robot combat. It’s not really possible for the audience to see who’s winning.
Comment by Andrew Alter
Made Wednesday, 28 of April , 2010 at 9:33 am
Fair assessment Simon, it’s certainly not BattleBots.
We’re working on adding more feedback to the audience next year. We had a scoreboard that was visible to the audience over on the pilot table, but wasn’t visible when people were standing on the other side of the arena. There were also blue LEDs that would flash when a mech took damage. We’re going to be replacing these with multiple ultra-bright red LEDs that will flash when damage is taken, and flash constantly when a mech goes into a critical level of HP.
That said, we still managed to pack every inch of viewing area on the arena full whenever we had a match going, so it was entertaining enough for those watching even as is. Still has plenty of room for improvement though.
Comment by Robotics Toys
Made Saturday, 1 of May , 2010 at 8:24 pm
This is so cool. I haven’t built a robot in awhile, but this is definitely on my agenda.
I particularly liked the destructible cityscape, very nice addition.
It looks like the bipeds are maybe at a disadvantage due to the BBs. Are a lot more people looking to quadrupeds next year? That might be my entry if I had a choice.
Comment by Teknoguru.com
Made Sunday, 2 of May , 2010 at 7:36 am
I agree this is much cooler than last year.
Comment by Z
Made Tuesday, 13 of July , 2010 at 4:39 am
hmm yeah seems like quadrupeds would have an advantage, but bipeds are exponentially cooler!
