Seth Schaffer
54 makezine.com
CAGE MATCH!
ROBOT RUMBLE! DIY Arena/Winning Robot Combat
Build a DIY arena for safely watching robot mayhem
My ultimate goal with my business and my
YouTube channel is to spread my love for the sport
of combat robotics and to get others involved. So
I designed an arena suitable for 1lb full combat
antweights, plastic ants, and smaller bots with a
completely free and open-source design for
anyone to replicate, so more combat robot events
can be held around the country and the world,
safely and without too great an expense.
The entire arena plus streaming and safety
gear can be built for under $1,000 without
expensive or fancy tools. You can get the full
Antweight Arena plans, bill of materials, 3D files,
and construction guide for free or with an optional
donation at justcuzrobotics.com/shop.
KEY FEATURES ARE:
• 6mm polycarbonate plastic (Lexan) walls/
windows. Never use acrylic (plexiglass), it is
unsafe and will shatter.
• 80/20 aluminum extrusion for the frame. This
can be ordered cut to size by many suppliers.
• Steel kick plates to protect the Lexan from
most common low-weapon hits.
• Locking door with top hinges and bottom latch.
• LED light bars and cameras for clear viewing,
recording, and streaming. Position on the
frame or ceiling as desired.
• Leveling casters with deployable feet provide
mobility and a solid base for fights..
You can build this arena with little more than
a cordless drill, some measurement tools, a
hacksaw, and hex drivers. The toughest part is
drilling holes in the steel kick plates, which would
be greatly aided by the use of a drill press and
quality drill bits.
Don’t need a whole arena but still need to test
dangerous kinetic weapons? Build a test box with
a ¼" or 6mm polycarbonate top for as little as $70,
following my video at youtu.be/qdSkZc4kfAw.
Written by Seth Schaffer
SETH SCHAFFER is a mechanical
engineer at DEKA Research and
Development, the founder of
Just ’Cuz Robotics, builder of the
feared beetleweight, Division, and
a member of BattleBots Team
Bots ‘n’ Stuff Robotics, builders of
Bloodsport and the new 2021 robot, Retrograde.
M81_054_SS_DIYarena_F1.indd 54M81_054_SS_DIYarena_F1.indd 54 4/12/22 10:54 AM4/12/22 10:54 AM
..................Content has been hidden....................
You can't read the all page of ebook, please click here login for view all page.