Battle bots bring the noise in Tech Week arena event

Fighting robots are set to smash, bash, cut and pummel on a bloodless battlefield this weekend.

Marlborough’s youth will compete in the region’s first battle bot arena at MySpace, on Redwood Street, as the opening event in Tech Week.

And a world champion battle bot engineer will be sharing his expertise in robot destruction.

Robot Rampage director and robot engineer Jack Barker’s team, End Game, were the 2020 champions of the hit TV show, BattleBots.

Their bot, also named End Game, then went on to win the 2021 Champs Invitational; Jack wouldn’t say if they won in 2022, that season is yet to air.

Now a software engineer for Amazon, Jack says getting involved with his high school robotics club is what inspired him to become an engineer.

His Robot Rampage programme teaches kids and adults about the cool side of engineering; “it's not just equations and maths,” he says.

“They’ll build and then get to fight them.

“We have drive modules, weapon modules and a bunch of parts.”

Jack says their made for purpose modules don’t require power tools to assemble or a degree in electrical engineering.

“We’ve made all the parts really accessible – we've tried to lower the barrier to entry,” he says.

“The electronics can look scary and be fairly complicated – but we’ve tried to make it really easy.

“The idea is people move into more complicated control systems as they get more into it.”

Organised by Marlborough Chamber of Commerce, and sponsored by a bevy of local businesses, the event is hoped to ignite a spark of passion in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) subjects.

When he founded the End Game team, 27-year-old Jack says he had to do a bit of everything. Since then, the team has ballooned to seven Kiwi members.

“The manufacturing is done by other people who are better at it,” he laughs.

Jack compares being part of a robot combat team to being in Formula One.

“It’s similar to Formula One in that it’s an engineering sport; everyone’s trying to do the same thing, but better.”

Working as a team is a large part of any aspiring roboticist’s success, says Jack.

“The teams have complete freedom on how their bot looks like.

“A big part of it is teamwork – the team decides how it will look and perform.”

The rules are simple – no explosives and nothing wet.

“Basically, if it’s going to be difficult to clean up, it’s not allowed,” he says.

“You can have swords, flamethrowers, one [BattleBots] robot shoots a big slug.”

Unfortunately, Robot Rampage does not have a flamethrower module.

End Game, which will be on display at the Saturday event, has a vertical piece of metal spinning at about 400 kilometers per hour as its primary weapon.

But its real secret is in how low to the ground it is.

Jack says for the last few years, it’s been really important in competition to get underneath your opponent.

“We’re so low this year we’re actually scraping paint off the floor. To get lower than us, you have to be under the floor. We’re well known for how low we can get.

“It gives you control, the opponent can’t drive – so it can’t escape or maneuver. It’s hopeless against your weapon.”

Igniting Innovation: Combat Robotics is at MySpace on Saturday from 9.30am to 3pm.

Registration is vital if you want to take part and is available for ages 12-24.

The free event begins with a three-hour robot building phase, followed by battles at about midday.

For more information: https://business.marlboroughchamber.nz/eventcalendar/details/igniting-innovation-combat-robotics-event-878441