Greetings fellow Australian bot-builders, I hope you don't mind me crashing your forum .

I'm in the process of pulling together a very special 'bot event in the UK for September 2009 and we'd be interested to know if anyone would be interested in coming along to represent the Australians with their feather (it is an Ashes year after all!).

At the moment the details are being finalised, but at some point you've got to ask if anyone's interested to know if you should include the concept in the overall plan. We would look to provide contribution towards funding and accomodation.

If lots of people are interested, one idea that crossed my mind was there's nothing stopping you holding your own competition to decide on an attendee ?

Anyway, I've flown into Sydney sorting out some other bits at the moment - but thought I'd mention this here (apologies if it's in the wrong bit of the forum, couldn't quite work out where to put it!). Happy to meet or chat with any of your guys if you're local !

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.com
Robot Wars World Champions

I'm interested. Already had a pom come to our house so I have to go there in return one day.

Hey thanks for the vote of support, I have to say I was expecting a slightly more enthusiastic approach from you guys in Oz - is there something that I've missed, or is there simply no interest in coming to compete in the UK next year with your creations ?

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.com
Robot Wars World Champions

double post :S
_________________
www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

Last edited by Glen on Wed Dec 10, 2008 4:18 pm; edited 1 time in total

just a quick glance the cheapest airfare is a bit over $2100 one way. i think $4100 in airfares alone is a bit too much to handle to go to an event when we have great ones here and that money would literally build us a mobile arena.

maybe it'd be better if you UK guys meet up in the us next year for the next robogames then we can spank the americans again as well as some other countries (airfares only $1600 to san fran which is a little easier to handle)

where abouts are you staying atm? might have to have a robot meet up or something pre-robowars
_________________
www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

Do people not read

Quoting from my original post

"We would look to provide contribution towards funding and accomodation."

... and yes, my fare here was in excess of $10,000 AU so know it can be expensive, hence the specific inclusion of the point above

I'm currently staying in at Darling Harbour - if anyone fancies a drink drop me a mail ed@teamstorm.com

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.com
Robot Wars World Champions

I am unsure of next year but yeah after i would be keen to visit the UK and bring a featherweight to compete with.

Where r u in Sydney currently, if we all have a get together would you be keen to come out and say hi.

Huge fan of your robots and would be great to meet u and chat.
_________________
Andrew Welch, Team Unconventional Robotics

I'm down at Darling Harbour, always happy to meet up - just drop me a mail.

Oh, and I've found the fare for $2300 return - bargain

Ed
http://www.teamstorm.com
Robot Wars World Champions

ah yeah sounds like a good deal few more details as they come to be would be good but if the contributions are favourable enough id definitely be interested

edit - weight limit still 12kg over there?
_________________
www.demon50s.com - Minimoto parts
http://www.youtube.com/user/HyzerGlen - Videoooozzz

I would be interested by my stupid uni changed there timetable so i have exams late septermber
Not everyone may have seen this yet as to the low reply or looking into it further before posting.
It woudl be good if we could atleast send one of our high ranked bots over to teach the world a thing or 2

I replied first, so I get first dibs

I haven't read the UK rules in depth, but most of our spinners would be illegal over there. Not that I'm stopping anyone, but I think its cheaper to go to Robogames

My understand is you only need prior aproval

"10. Rotational weapons or full body spinning robots

Full body spinning robots with an eccentric mass or ‘twackbots’, are excepted from this

section unless they spin over 500 revolution per minute [RPM].
10.1.
The spinning element of any rotational weapon must spin down to a full stop in under 60
seconds.
10.2.
Rotational weapons exceeding any TWO of the three limits below must be submitted for
review and be pre approved by the event organiser
10.2.1.
The spinning element is more than 20% of the robots total weight. (This includes any
directly coupled motor components rotating on the same axis)
10.2.2.
The spinning element spins above 500 RPM
10.2.3.
The spinning element is greater than 24 inches in diameter."

Most Ausi spinners would stop within 60 seconds woudln't they?
If you are orgonising an international event surly they would have an arena capable of handeling some spinners.

Im sure Ed can clarify things anyway

They might make some exceptions, but generally the UK has rather limiting spinner rules, which is why flippers have flourished so well over there. The UK seems to have even more risk-adverse insurers then here and the US, so the EOs in UK and Europe don't seem to have much choice. The US guys build their arenas to take extreme punishment, but that costs an insane amount, which the UK guys may not be able to justify.

Having rules like

"The spinning element is more than 20% of the robots total weight. (This includes any directly coupled motor components rotating on the same axis)"

Is really restrictive; I would have to weigh the gears and output shaft in Scissorhands, even though they add very little KE to the weapon.

The next version of Scissorhands will probably exceed all three of those criteria mentioned

Actually spinners are banned at most UK events because they are so harsh with their arena specification rules. Under their system no arena in Australia is aloud to run spinners, including the NSW arena. So if no events allow spinners then no one builds them, which is why they are better at building flippers and other robots types.