Robot size

Just checking, and putting it in a thread where hopefully the next person to ask will be able to find it...

Size limits for events. Do the FRA impose the 2m x 1.2m limit that Mentorn had? Its not in the FRA rules, AFAICT - should it be mentioned, and if not whats the reasoning? Is it so event specific? (Perhaps the arena spec should mention door size?)

Equally, is the height limit still unspecified, beyond the contact us if youre very tall bit?

I know what the Mentorn rules say, but since Im building for live events, not Robot Wars, if theres an advantage to having a 2mx2m or 3mx1.2m robot, Id like to know whether I can think about it.

Also clarification on the whole issue of how its measured - must it have a longest dimension of (say) 2m and be no more than (say) 1.2m in a perpendicular dimension, or must it fit in a (say) 2m x 1.2m box (allowing a 2.33m diagonal).

Sorry to do this to death, I know its come up umpteen times before, but I thought having it somewhere obvious would help. (If it *is* somewhere obvious and Ive just failed to find it, oops.)

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Fluppet

Oh yes, thats the other thing. Any different restrictions on robots of different sizes? (More for superheavies? Something not going to dwarf the arena for antweights? Something so that bench space can be planned for lightweights and feathers?)

Not that thats a heavyweight question, but still.

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Fluppet

I went to Preston with a robot measuring 900x1280mm, it was easily the largest one there and lots of people commented on its size. It didnt fit properly on the benches supplied, so I expect youd have quite a bit of trouble with a 2mx1.2 robot...

The more experienced teams all tend to build smaller and smaller each reincarnation or newly build robot.

Big robots, lots of surface to armor.

you forgot one thing Jim the target on the front for Thor :)

Give me some power tools and Ill make something stronger and smaller. With only a cordless drill thats the best I could do.

Nice machine, and with the modifications made by Thor looks like a big yellow Chaos 2.

Jim, with what you have achieved with cordless drills, you really need to get to local industrial estates and ask the engineering companies to sponsor you workshop time. Showing Cayenne, and Origano (or whatever your new spice girl is called) would be enough I think to prove to the engineering bosses that you are more than capable of returning their investment and faith with fantastic machines.

All the best robots are small it allows them to put thicker armour on so that they take less damage.

However the best armour Ive seen is air. If you have a large gap between your outer armour and your internal components then it doesnt matter if your armour gets cut or crushed.

Its a balance you have to be small so the armour is strong enough to stand up to most weapons without being to heavy. But with air gaps in vunerable locations so that if they are hit by a really good weapon it will not immobolise them.

Unless you have bottomless pockets and can afford 6mm titanium alround like storm II.

Richard
Team Mayhem

Storm II

15cm high
50cm wide (not including the angled skirts)
70cm long

I personally like tiny robots. The smaller the bot the shorter your chassis spans, the more weight you can concentrate into your chassis and the thicker armour you can carry - this all equals a stronger bot at the end of the day.

And just for you richard, we were running 1/2 titanium on ths sides in the heat rather than only 6mm :P

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.comhttp://www.teamstorm.com

does that make my robot Trinity better than Storm 2?

height 6 cm
width 20cm
length 30 cm

ok, so its a featherweight.

(awaits witty comeback from ant builder.

BTW, Mr Ed, how big is your featherweight storm 2?

Well, Trinity is relatively speaking more compact than Storm II. A featherweight is roughly 1/8 the mass of a heavy so an equivalent robot would be half the size in all three dimensions (1/2 x 1/2 x 1/2 = 1/8). Trinity is less than half the dimensions of Storm II.

... from a mathematical, rather than practical point of view.

*doing the snoopy dance*

damn, someones built a bot smaller than my latest one :sad: lol

Thank you all for telling me why no-one would want to build a robot up to the size limits (*cough* Tornado *cough* ACW), but is there an official rule on what they actually are?

If it makes people any more sure of my sanity, Id like to point out that Gravity and Wheely Big Cheese would be a lot less effective with smaller flippers, and TaN is only effective for so long as it can reach around its opponent.

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Fluppet

Tanto is 600mm wide by 550mm long by 300mm tall including wheel height

What about TAN then? :)

Jim if thats the sum of your facilities I think you have done bloody marvellous, well done mate thats what Robotwars should be all about,

tony Bulldog

Mute
Width - 620mm
Length - 950mm (including Rear spikes at approx 100mm long)
Height - 220mm

Inside we have 4 rams, 2 off 2kg gas bottles, full high pressure system and at the moment were still under weight.
Weve always preached smaller is better, even from the first time we turned up at Debenham 3 years ago, everyone thought it was a middle weight.

Steve, TAN is not so big as you think. 2 hollow boxes, joined with massive hinges.Thats about it.And it looks big, as that is the weaponpart.
But the powerpart of the robot can be fitted in StormII,except the disposable wheels.
But remove the second reduction of the gearbox, and fit 150mm wheels,and you still fly around,making the powerpart even smaller.

Mario - can I ask what TaNs widest reach is? (i.e. what would be the largest diameter of cylindrical robot which would fit in the jaws at their most open).

Since nobodys said, can I presume there is no current official size limit (unless the event organizer says otherwise)? Im entirely on board with the small-and-well-armoured theory (give or take the air-as-armour alternative), but Im asking on the grounds of large weaponry, like TaN. And also so the next person who wants to make something mythical out of fibreglass has the answer. :-)

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Fluppet

The last time I messured it would be about 96cm between the jaws.
But we have seen that wider robots fit also.Just ram hard enough.

ROTFL. Thank you, Mario.

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Fluppet

you know what they say about men obsesed with size Andrew?

:)

Even when theyre asking whether something is too big to be legal? ;-P

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Fluppet

yike!
poor man :sad: