How Do I Get Started in Combat Robotics?

Combat robotics, a blend of modern robotics and combat sports, has become one of the most talked-about  STEM-focused competitions in recent years. It is a battle of wits, enthusiasm, and skills where bots square off to knock down each other. The savage fights of this adrenaline-packed sport enthrall robot enthusiasts and incite them to get into this game of destruction.

But how do I get started in combat robotics? Let’s unpack everything you should know to start out with your first-ever battle bot and get into combat robotics.

What is Combat Robotics

Combat robotics is an extreme robot sport where custom-built battle bots, using various combat strategies, fight head-to-head to destroy, disable, or immobilize each other. These combat robots are controlled and regulated remotely by their owners while duking it out against each other to become the ultimate winner of the match.

Robot battles have been highly popular since the 1990s and 2000s when high-voltage robot combat shows like BattleBots, Robot Wars, and Robotics came on the air. 

Technically, a battle bot is an armored vehicle controlled via a microcontroller or Radio Control system that, most times, includes at least one separately powered weapon. 

While a standard or AI-enabled robot must have some degree of autonomy, a combat robot is not autonomous. 

Combat Robotics Basics

The rules can vary based on the type of competition you participate in. 

Two robots fight inside a highly-protected battle arena and are allowed to pierce, slash, or slice each other for 3-minutes – the target is to hit and destroy the opponent!

Let’s see how a bot can inactivate its opponent and come out as the ultimate winner of the battle:

Knocking Out the Opponent

If a bot fails to exhibit well-controlled translational mobility, it gets eliminated from the round once a 10-second call ends. To counter a knockout strategy, ensure your machine can be rolled and upturned or at least implement some defensive techniques in it. Thus your bot will be able to withstand massive attacks.

You have 3-different ways to knock out your competition:

• Flipping the competition out of the battle box into the surrounding ditch
• Causing irreparable damage to the enemy so it breaks down completely or remain 

immobilized for 10 seconds

• Maneuvering the competition into the ‘pit’ inside the box if it has any

The Competition Taps Out

You can also win the battle by forcing your opponent to surrender through continuous attacks. Tap-outs usually happen in a double-elimination match as the contenders don’t want a dead or broken robot that won’t be able to go to the next round. 

Pushing Out the Opponent

You can push your rival out of the battle box and maneuver it into a pit. Also called ‘Going Out Of The Arena/OOTA,’ pushing out can cause immediate damage to your enemy, and you can knock it down in no time. 

Judges Decide

If both contenders are still on their feet and neither are destroyed after a 3-minute match, the decision lies on the judging panel of three. They evaluate the battling robots based on three criteria – attack and defense strategy, aggression and damage, and mark bots ranging from 1 to 5. The team hitting the highest score is declared the ultimate WINNER. 

Combat Robot Weight Classes

Fighting robots can be categorized into different weight classes that vary with the contest you participate in. You can go through the following weight class table to get a precise idea. It also includes the energy generated by a bot of a particular weight class:

Combat Robot Weight Class	Weight in Pound	Generated Energy in Joules
Antweight (Insect class)	1	150
Beetleweight (Insect class)	3	300
Hobbyweight (Intermediate size)	12	1200
Featherweight (Intermediate size)	30	8000
Battlebot (Heavy weight)	250	100000

Types of Combat Robots

The foremost step to constructing a fighting robot is selecting the right type of machine to start with. Let’s look into the frequently built combat robots:

• Wedge: It is one of the simplest yet powerful combat bots with an inclined plane in the front to efficiently pick up and push its enemy out of the battle arena. Wedges can come in full-sized structures or be installed as static weapons as parts of other bots. You should have excellent driving skills to ace the competition with a wedge. 
• Spinner: Spinner, a comparatively heavier and massive bot, rotates at a low rpm. It hits its enemy with the kinetic energy reserved in its rotating mass using its studded disc, bar, or toothed cylinder – a spinner doesn’t cut through its opponent. It means that the opponent can hardly escape a spinner’s attack. However, you have to have a lot of spare parts with you as spinners can be destructive to themselves too. 
• Drum: This massive bot also includes a heavy rotating mass on the front to smash the opponent. It is a wide vertical spinner. A drum can hit its enemy up into the air. Plus, you can push the competition out of the battle box to cause extensive damage and destruction! However, controlling such machines is challenging while driving.
• Crusher: A crusher, utilizing its hydraulic claws, can hold, puncture, bend, and gradually crush its enemy’s frame. Crushers require you to master driving skills and have excellent reflexes to ace the competition. 

How to Get Started in Combat Robotics?

Let’s dig deeper into how to get started in combat robotics and participate in this war of wits right away:

Opt for a Robot Kit

Constructing a bot is challenging, especially if you are a beginner – you must gather and figure out a lot of things:

• Components required to make a fully-functioning bot
• Manufacturing and assembling the robot parts
• How to efficiently drive the robot?
• Choosing the power supply, etc.

Do you need to jump-start your robotic knowledge and get into combat robotics right away? A premade kit can be the best choice. Luckily, you will find plenty of quality services to purchase a robot kit and weapons from, but before that, decide on the weight class. You can obviously go with any robot of any weight class. However, we prefer starting out in lower weight classes by constructing an insectweight bot.

Hone Your Driving Skill

Outstanding driving skills and endurance can help you win any battle, no matter how massive your opponent is. The easiest way to hone your robot driving skill is to take your wedge and keep practicing. 

Though most roboticists don’t like wedges as they cannot create dramatic hits like weaponized machines, they are second to none in pushing force to maneuver opponents into pits or plowing attacks up until the enemies surrender or get immobilized. 

Don’t forget to drive your machine upside-down, turn it frequently, and play bot hockey to win over any bot. 

Attend Events

Now, it’s time to ramp up your robotic skill and partake in different events. The fight can be intense, and your robot can get severe damages – be prepared for the last-minute tweaking and repairs and have spare weapon locks, motors, drive trains, etc., in stock to survive the whole tournament.

Learn to Design Like a Pro

Designing a custom-built bot with your own chassis is real fun. But before kicking off robot building, prepare an initial layout. Hand-made sketches and initial design with accurate dimensioning counting on the weight of your bot’s subsystems before getting into 3D rendering and CAD layout for machining can help you avoid budget overrun and save a lot of time. You have plenty of options to manufacture your bot parts – full CNC, manual lathe, hand tools, milling machines, etc. 

If you run on a tight budget, opt for hand tools. In this case, you should create a full-scale CAD layout of your bot to visualize how well the parts will fit together, paste the design on the component materials, and cut accordingly. To make more accurate robot parts, go with lathe or milling machines.