tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20039256.post113519627632241093..comments2023-12-16T07:28:27.968-05:00Comments on Notes from the Technology Underground: The Rise, Fall, and Rise of Robotic CombatWilliam Gurstellehttp://www.blogger.com/profile/12504155694151207039noreply@blogger.comBlogger5125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20039256.post-1160250368211639502006-10-07T15:46:00.000-04:002006-10-07T15:46:00.000-04:00it sounds like the robot equivelant of the skatboa...it sounds like the robot equivelant of the skatboarding popularity fluctuations described by tony hawk in his autobiography. i would like to try building a robot, i've been captivated by the battlebots show since it aired, but i'm 13 and don't know that much, so i guess i need some help.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20039256.post-1143779628032664852006-03-30T23:33:00.000-05:002006-03-30T23:33:00.000-05:00>>With odds like that, the fun quotient for the av...>>With odds like that, the fun quotient for the average builder wasn’t high enough to justify a cross country trip twice a year, (the interval at which battlebots tournaments were held). <<<BR/><BR/>Oddly, participant turn out increased drastically every event through #5 with enthusiasm even from those who fell out of the prelims before the tournament started.<BR/><BR/>The organization did need the money, but a nasty lawsuit with RobotWars ended most interest for adding either shows to one's TV lineup. By the time the suit ended, the world had moved on.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20039256.post-1135810759813749562005-12-28T17:59:00.000-05:002005-12-28T17:59:00.000-05:00Actually, you have cause and effect, or at least, ...Actually, you have cause and effect, or at least, the chronology, a bit backward.<BR/><BR/>Fighting robots on a small, informal scale, came long well before any TV shows.<BR/><BR/>I know this because, as a founding member of the Denver Mad Scientists Club, I believe we essentially invented the concept with the Critter Crunch Contest at the Mile Hi Con SF convention way back in 1985. We took our inspiration from machine performances by Survival Research Laboratories and various contests at MIT's Mobile Robotics Laboratory.<BR/><BR/> At least one author of a book about the phenomenon, who has researched the subject fairly extensively, agrees and credits us with this somewhat overlooked milestone. I haven't got the title or author to hand, but I can ask on our list and find out.<BR/><BR/>What's funny and sad is that, when our little contest started to take off, one of our number said, "you know, we ought to copyright our rules, maybe even try to patent the concept or something, and get on TV." - the rest of us poo-poo'ed the very idea and claimed nobody would ever watch a bunch of nerds with fighting robots on TV. *sigh*Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20039256.post-1135718916272465892005-12-27T16:28:00.000-05:002005-12-27T16:28:00.000-05:00"In the late 1990’s, one of the highest rated show..."In the late 1990’s, one of the highest rated shows on cable television was a program called Battlebots."<BR/><BR/>Note: BattleBots first aired on Comedy Central in mid-2000, which would make it very late 1990's indeed.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-20039256.post-1135713301980782342005-12-27T14:55:00.000-05:002005-12-27T14:55:00.000-05:00Nice summary -- but I'm not sure I can agree that ...Nice summary -- but I'm not sure I can agree that "The rules for building bots were loosened...".<BR/><BR/>Combat robot rules and regulations have always been primarilly about safety. Those regulations have, in anything, become more stringent. There were some things you could get away with in 'the old days' that just won't fly anymore.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com