Defcon Robot Wars?

[pezz]

admit defeat now....Pezzinator will win

[guano]

Originally posted by DrStrangeCheese
The program lists four possible categories:

Overall Coolest Robot

Best Covert Robot

Insectoid Obstacle Course

Best Design

Are there any other specifics?
For example, "how big"?
The pictures in the booklet look like 1/2" to 1" robots (finger size). But people in this thread seem to be talking about a converted hummer or equally large beast.

Second question: Remote controlled or AI?
I remember doing micro-maze races -- AI robots about shoe size that navigated a fairly large maze. (Each grid was 1-foot square.)

For the insectoid obstacle course, size and intelligence really does matter. (I'd hate to see a human-size robot try to enter a table-top race.) Alternately, I can see someone getting mad that a remote control unit keeps interfering with the con's wi-fi.

Third question: indoors or outdoors?
Outdoors means solar power, and that can really reduce weight (especially useful for finger-size robots). Then again, both indoors and outdoors will require space, and Defcon this year was pretty crowded as is... (Then again, finger-sized robots don't need much more than a table-top.)

Forth question: Land, air, or water?
The coolest robot race I saw was balloon driven.
Land is easy (table, parking lot, any open area).
There's a swimming pool... How about water?

To summarize my questions:
1. How big?
2. How smart?
3. Inside/outside?
4. Land/air/water?

As an aside, you just know someone's gonna take one of those mini-radio controlled cars, paint it black, and enter it as a 1337 robot...

[blackwave]

hmm... now I want to build my apache-chopper-bot ... this motherfucking bot would kick ass period... though in an alcohol induced state I am picturing it lopping off a few heads here and there... or at least sticking into a few necks... yeah this baby is gas powered with 5 foot blades... completely wireless... hopefully the rules don't call for it to be on the ground at all times... :/

[KeLviN]

don't make me build the stealth camanche bot to counter your punny apache bot.....!

[russ]

I would like to get in touch with Battle Bots or Robot Wars and see if we can get them to come on site for the contest. Show off their stuff.

Originally posted by blackwave
... we can dream. <evil grin>

[russ]

These are some excellent ideas! I'd like to see "some" intelligence, but I don't think all of the categories need to be intelligent. My concept for the covery insect bots was to have small bots with covert capabilities that can overcome obstacles to monitor their target.

Things like that. I like the water bot idea. Keep em coming.

Originally posted by guano
Are there any other specifics?
For example, "how big"?
The pictures in the booklet look like 1/2" to 1" robots (finger size). But people in this thread seem to be talking about a converted hummer or equally large beast.

Second question: Remote controlled or AI?
I remember doing micro-maze races -- AI robots about shoe size that navigated a fairly large maze. (Each grid was 1-foot square.)

For the insectoid obstacle course, size and intelligence really does matter. (I'd hate to see a human-size robot try to enter a table-top race.) Alternately, I can see someone getting mad that a remote control unit keeps interfering with the con's wi-fi.

Third question: indoors or outdoors?
Outdoors means solar power, and that can really reduce weight (especially useful for finger-size robots). Then again, both indoors and outdoors will require space, and Defcon this year was pretty crowded as is... (Then again, finger-sized robots don't need much more than a table-top.)

Forth question: Land, air, or water?
The coolest robot race I saw was balloon driven.
Land is easy (table, parking lot, any open area).
There's a swimming pool... How about water?

To summarize my questions:
1. How big?
2. How smart?
3. Inside/outside?
4. Land/air/water?

As an aside, you just know someone's gonna take one of those mini-radio controlled cars, paint it black, and enter it as a 1337 robot...

[DISINGENUOUS]

Here's an idea I came up with:

People for teams (liek other contests), then all teams are given a box of goodies. The idea being that they build something over the next 4 hours, with teh judgeing sometime on Sunday.

In teh box you'd have something like: Medium sized Erector set (raw material), wheels, heavy rubber bands, servos, micro-motors, wire, wireless web cam, basic logic chips (gates), resistors, caps, transistors, 128k eprom, photo cells, led's, batteries, microphones, speakers, micro switches, relays, etc.

All teams get the same stuff. The trick is to see what you can build with it. The idea being the bot needs to do "something" (show simple shape to robot and it moves on floor in same patern) and it needs to be self contained. We could refine this box of stuff over several months leading up to the contest. Like, if a team knows they want a certian part, they keep in mond all teams will get it.

The other idea is to keep the cost as low as possible. Cheapest set of parts. Maybe extra points for minimalism.


This just seems to me like hacking in its purest form.

ideas ideas ideas... :D :D :D


--S

[blackwave]

Originally posted by Shatter
Here's an idea I came up with:

People for teams (liek other contests), then all teams are given a box of goodies. The idea being that they build something over the next 4 hours, with teh judgeing sometime on Sunday.

Very slick Shatter, i remember seeing the university games where such mechanisms were put into play... that would be a hella lot better than people bringing death machines, especially for people taking planes back and forth...

Check out this link for New Mexico ROBORAVE© SPRING 2003
http://www.nmroborave.com/2002_2003/robot.htm
http://www.nmroborave.com/2002_2003/rules.htm
the main site has some handy info as well :)

Different levels of competition, 1 day of construction, or only x hours of construction... all would most certainly rule.

[pezz]

My what strange things I am sure would appear in the box....thanks to suggestions from BW

[blackwave]

hell... we can start our own discovery show called M0N573R H4X0R-B07Z... entertain your brain.

[kraa26]

Originally posted by octalpussy
Obviously y'all didn't read the entire announcement. These are the same reasons mentioned in the program as to why it's NOT going to be a robot-wars style contest.

Octalpussy, I was just messing with RussR.. He will probably "outlaw" all my ideas before the contest rules even get announced.. he has already veto'd a few :) hehe

[guano]

Originally posted by Shatter
Here's an idea I came up with:

People for teams (liek other contests), then all teams are given a box of goodies. The idea being that they build something over the next 4 hours, with teh judgeing sometime on Sunday.

In teh box you'd have something like:
...

I really like this, but perhaps the box could contain an 8051 BASIC stamp rather than an eprom and resisters. (I can program anything, but I only know how to spill a drink on hardware.) :-)

Having said that, I have made neural networks (perceptrons) that work on an 80C51. We can make them smart and learn...

I'm thinking about those LEGO robot contests -- each team has the same parts and a specific goal (or set of goals). After a few hours, they get to see if they built something to solve the goal. Goals can be simple: move a 3" plastic sheep into a box (navigating around obsticles), move a dildo into a hole and vibrate it (alignment and accuracy), inflate a balloon and attach it to a bottle of beer (complex task), etc.

But I like the box of random junk rather than LEGO. Make sure the box contains "duct tape" and "chewing gum in a foil wrapper". :-)

[kallahar]

How about a bot that could streak through Grifter's talk and give him a hug?

[DrStrangeCheese]

This is my prediction for next year’s competition, at least one bot made from a dildo or pocket pussy.

[murakami]

I want to build fellatio bot.