I. Vehicles
A. The four vehicle weight limit classifications are up to one pound, up to three
pounds, up to twelve pounds, and up to thirty pounds. Control pendants, cables, or other external control devices do not count against the vehicle weight. Vehicle control may be by any means not prohibited by rules 1B or 2E.
A 2.5 percent error factor will be allowed to account for variations in
scales.
B. Vehicles may be powered by any source socially acceptable for indoor use; all vehicles should be electrically powered. No internal combustion engines will be allowed.
All power sources must be 100% contained in the vehicle and packaged appropriately for the expected abuse.
C. All vehicles, must, at the beginning of each combat, be
capable of movement of at least one
foot beyond the base radius of the robot in a reasonable
amount of time.
D. No vehicle may, under any circumstances, present a hazard to the
judges, spectators, or the opposing operator(s). No vehicle may in its operation cause damage to anything other than the opposing robot or the combat surface. Any vehicle that imperils the viewing areas will be ruled ineligible for competition.
E. All entries must conform to the general rules of the
facility and the event.
F. All vehicles will be subject to a technical inspection prior to combat. Failure to disclose any operating principle will be grounds for immediate disqualification.
Judges may restrict any function deemed excessively hazardous.
G. Liquids may not be used in combat situations.
If any substance coming from a robot that, in the opinion of the judges, cannot be completely cleaned up after combat, the robot will
then be declared ineligible.
H. Robots must be singular in form. No secondary robots or self-propelled devices that detach themselves from the main robot will be allowed.
I. Slow spinners are allowed with an
absolute maximum tip speed of 20 feet per second and may
spin in any direction. The tip speed in
feet per second is calculated by this formula: Tip Speed =
RPM x Diameter x .00436. This rules only applies to
non-arena competitions; Arena competitions have no
restrictions for spinners.
J. All robots with active weapons must have a Master Kill Switch that deactivates the weapon immediately.
The robot or attachments on the robot must not move when radio signal is lost or
tether is cut. This is for the safety of the audience and the other competitors.
K. No organic elements will be allowed in any robot. (For example, you can't put a four year old with a baseball bat on top of your
bot.)
L.
Radio controlled bots entered in the 12 pound and 30 pound categories
should be able to operate on at least two frequencies (or an R/C tether combination) to avoid radio frequency
conflicts.
II. Combat
A. The combat surface will be a minimum of an 8' by 8'
square or equivalent size circle
for the 12 pound class and a minimum of 16' x 16' or
equivalent size circle for the 30 pound class and may be larger as needed by the technical layout of the
staging. The staging area for Ant
and Beetle classes will be a minimum 4' x 4' four-sided
enclosed arena.
B. The combat volume is defined as the combat surface and the airspace above it to the height of whatever ceiling is present.
C. Leaving the combat volume entirely is prohibited. Major portions of the robot may leave the combat volume provided that some part of the robot remains inside. You will immediately be declared defeated if your vehicle has entirely left the combat volume, or has come in contact with any restricted surface.
D. No contact with the ceiling is permitted.
E. No part of any operator's body may impinge on the combat volume during combat.
F. A projectile is defined as an object thrown with the expectation that its kinetic energy will affect its target.
The use of projectile weapons is not
allowed due to issues of audience safety.
G. The use of "entanglement" style devices is not allowed.
H. No flammable fuels, liquid, gaseous or solid, may be used in combat situations.
I. There is a three minute time limit for each combat round
in the 12 pound and 30 pound class, a two minute limit in
the Ant and Beetle weight classes. If neither robot has achieved a victory condition within
the time limit, the combat round is declared a draw and and both robots must begin a new round.
J. If three successive draws are declared, the
audience will be polled to decide whether both robots are
removed from competition, whether to continue the combat, or
whether the judges shall decide which robot is the victor.
K. Jamming your opponents controller, either electronically or physically, is prohibited. Any robot with ECM capabilities will be disqualified from competition.
III. Judges
A. The judge(s) shall be impartial non-participants.
B. The judge(s) may declare a contest completed at any time.
C. Judges' decisions are final.
IV. Competition
A. The competition will be one-on-one best two-out-of-three
rounds in the 12 pound and 30 pound
class, and one-on-one direct decision
double-elimination in the Ant and Beetle weight
classes, time permitting.
B. Vehicles will start on opposite sides of the combat surface with the aft end of each robot even with the edge of the combat surface.
C. Combat may become double-elimination at the discretion of the judges,
and may be arranged by random draw of a bye. The round robin format may also be
implemented, at the discretion of the judges, to even out
odd bracket pairings or if time permits such a competition.
D.
Contestants may only
enter one robot per weight class per competition. Teams
are limited to entering no more than two robots per weight
class per competition.
E.
Robots must be ready when the combat begins. Combat will not be restarted due to mistakes, radio conflicts, or other setup problems. A brief pretest may be allowed by the
judges.
F. Stage hazards, such as steel bars
or stuffed animals, may be introduced to the combat surface
at the discretion of the judges and/or organizers.
V. Victory Conditions
A. To claim victory in the 12 pound
and 30 pound classes your vehicle must show mobility and be within the combat volume. You will immediately be declared defeated if your vehicle has been rendered immobile, has entirely left the combat volume, or has come in contact with any restricted surface.
B. If both vehicles are immobile, the robot controlling mobility shall be required to release the other robot after a period of no more than ten seconds has elapsed. In cases where neither robot controls mobility, both vehicles shall receive a draw.
C. Immobility is defined as the inability to move at rate of at
least one
foot beyond the base radius of the robot in a reasonable
amount of time.
D. No vehicle shall be required to compete within ten
minutes of a previous combat. If
a robot cannot be repaired within a reasonable time, a
forfeit will be declared by the judges, solely at the judges
discretion.
E. To claim victory
in the Ant and Beetle weight classes, the robot must be
either pushed out of the arena into the designated area or
disabled. Disability will be determined by the judges.
F.
Mobility rules do not relate to the Ant and Beetle weight
classes, unless a robot has become completely immobile
through direct actions taken by an opponent.
G. A robot that sits more than fifteen
seconds without attempting to engage with an opponent will
receive a warning from the judge(s) for "lack of
aggression". Three warnings within a combat round
will result in disqualification at the discretion of the
judge(s).
E. A contestant may forfeit a
match by "tapping out", at which point both
contestants must immediately seize fighting. A
contestant who taps out and then continues to fight
will be disqualified from the entire competition.
VI.
Rule Adjustments
A. The Robot Battles ruleset is a set
of guidelines. They can, and often will, be amended to
adjust to changing technology and venue conditions. If
at all possible, feedback will be requested from
contestants, builders and audience members to make the rule
changes as fair as possible, but the final decision rests
with the event judge(s).
B.
When necessary, the Robot Battles
ruleset may be adjusted to fit in with another ruleset (such
as the Robot Fighting League ruleset) for a specific
event. Those changes hold true for only that event and
may be added to the main ruleset at a future time.
Latest update: January 29, 2008
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