The return of RoboGames
Organizer David Calkins and robot battle legend Ray Billings talk about RoboGames.
After a four-year hiatus, RoboGames returns April 6-9 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA. RoboGames is the world's largest robot competition with over 54 different events - ranging from tiny Rubik's Cube sized Sumo robots that act autonomously to humanoids that play soccer. The big thing is still the 250 pound robots in our 40 foot by 40 foot, 130,000 pound arena.
Tickets are $45 at Robogames.net. Use the Maker Faire discount code, which is "Maker", to save $5 on each ticket.
When I asked David Calkins towards the end of this interview how he was able to bring RoboGames back after a four-year absence, he first said that his arena had been so badly damaged in 2018 he couldn't afford to rebuild it. An anonymous contestant offered him $1 million to bring RoboGames back. (If there's anyone out there who would love to bring Maker Faire Bay Area back and can offer that kind of support, let me know!)
David is also joined by Ray Billings who has been competing in combat robots for 22 years. His "Last Rites" robot was a previous winner at RoboGames, and this year he'll feature "The Mortician" (pictured above), which is another twist on the offset horizontal spinner. Ray has some great advice for those considering competing in battlebot competitions: "Start small." However, no one seems to follow this advice.
David is proud that 22 different countries are represented at RoboGames this year.
Podcast Video
David Calkins wrote "How To Win at Robot Combat" for Make: Volume 81 — a set of rules for winning at robot combat.
Brand: Magazine, Volume 81 - Print
Brand: Volume, 81 - Robot Rumble! Put your bot-building skills to the test as you battle your best friends in weapon-loaded, radio-controlled robot battles... It's Robot Rumble time! From ant weight to heavy weight and much more!
Organizer David Calkins and robot battle legend Ray Billings talk about RoboGames.
After a four-year hiatus, RoboGames returns April 6-9 at the Alameda County Fairgrounds in Pleasanton, CA. RoboGames is the world's largest robot competition with over 54 different events - ranging from tiny Rubik's Cube sized Sumo robots that act autonomously to humanoids that play soccer. The big thing is still the 250 pound robots in our 40 foot by 40 foot, 130,000 pound arena.
Tickets are $45 at Robogames.net. Use the Maker Faire discount code, which is "Maker", to save $5 on each ticket.
When I asked David Calkins towards the end of this interview how he was able to bring RoboGames back after a four-year absence, he first said that his arena had been so badly damaged in 2018 he couldn't afford to rebuild it. An anonymous contestant offered him $1 million to bring RoboGames back. (If there's anyone out there who would love to bring Maker Faire Bay Area back and can offer that kind of support, let me know!)
David is also joined by Ray Billings who has been competing in combat robots for 22 years. His "Last Rites" robot was a previous winner at RoboGames, and this year he'll feature "The Mortician" (pictured above), which is another twist on the offset horizontal spinner. Ray has some great advice for those considering competing in battlebot competitions: "Start small." However, no one seems to follow this advice.
David is proud that 22 different countries are represented at RoboGames this year.
Podcast Video
David Calkins wrote "How To Win at Robot Combat" for Make: Volume 81 — a set of rules for winning at robot combat.
Brand: Magazine, Volume 81 - Print
Brand: Volume, 81 - Robot Rumble! Put your bot-building skills to the test as you battle your best friends in weapon-loaded, radio-controlled robot battles... It's Robot Rumble time! From ant weight to heavy weight and much more!
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