Machines Behaving Badly, After Action Report.

The 2014 robotics end of class tournament is a wrap.  24 robots had at it, with results ranging from comical to apocalyptic.  Sometimes in the same fight.

This cloud of plywood and styrofoam came from contact with the spinning "Chains of Doom". Another crowd pleasing hazard was this new one, the Ginsu Knife.  It also spun rapidly about.

Good crowd on hand today, and my staff of tournament minions was working so efficiently that I had a chance to wander around, even watch a few matches myself.

A number of firsts I guess.  The "Black Knight" award - typically given for foolish bravery long after any chance of victory....went to a kid named Victor.  His robot lost one of its two wheels early on but he kept on going.  Eventually his spinning weapon disabled both of his opponents in a three way match.  Never before have I handed out the award to somebody whose perseverance actually led to triumph.  But the possibility that it might is what the award is all about...We also had our largest robot free for all ever.  Machines that lost their first couple of matches were out of contention early. So we gave them a chance at winning a "Machines Behaving Badly Official Minion" shirt.

The life of a combat robot is not an easy one.  There are pits to fall into, spinning chains of Doom, knives, pneumatic poppers.  And for the unwary, there are even hazards that drop from above...

A TellyTubby, a plush Pikachu, a plastic dinosaur.  Later in the event we replaced these mostly Insult drop hazards with Injury ones.....a scythe blade, a sledge hammer, a pitchfork.  And of course a small anvil with the word ACME written on it in magic marker!