Written by David Calkins
1
KNOW CARLO BERTOCCHINI’S LAW AND LIVE BY IT
“Finish your robot before you come to the
competition!”
If it isn’t fully functional the week before the
event, it’s probably not going to pass safety or be
able to fight. If your bot’s not ready, volunteer on
another team.
2
PRACTICE DRIVING
This is the most important thing I can say. The
single greatest common denominator to winning
is driving ability. Get that?
3
BE ABLE TO SELF-RIGHT
It is not a question of if your robot will be flipped
over, it is only a question of when your robot will
be flipped over. If you can’t self-right, you'll never
make it to the finals.
4
SIMULATE GETTING ATTACKED
If your robot cannot survive a good bashing with
a sledgehammer, circular saw, and 10-foot free-
fall, it will not last in the arena. Go nuts.
5
HAVE A WEAPON SYSTEM
—
OR MAYBE TWO
It’s extremely rare for a wedge with no other
weaponry to make it to the finals. Just make sure
your weapon is allowable in the rules (no liquids,
tasers, nets, or projectiles).
6
SIMULATE ATTACKING
Spend time in the garage or junkyard testing your
weapon against a solid object. And make sure
your bot is able to push double the maximum
weight of your weight class.
7
GO TO A COMPETITION AND TAKE NOTES
You can learn more from other people’s victories
and mistakes than just your own.
8
USE GOOD BATTERIES, HAVE SPARES, AND MAKE
SURE THEY’LL LAST 5 FULL MINUTES
If the batteries don’t last the match, you’re not
gonna win.
9
DON’T LET THE JUDGES DECIDE THE MATCH
FOR YOU
If the judges think the other robot was more
aggressive and did more damage, then you’re
going to lose. There’s only one way to absolutely
ensure that you win: Go for the knockout, every
single match.
10
READ THE DAMNED RULES
Read the rulebook from cover to cover. You need
to do this for every competition — they are not the
same between two events.
DAVID CALKINS
is the founder of
RoboGames. He
also writes "Getting
Involved" on page 22.
Jon C R Bennett / JCRBPhoto
Read my unabridged set of rules,
complete with gory details, at
makezine.com/go/howtowinrobogames.
Watching literally thousands of contestants cry at the smell of burnt metal and broken dreams, I
created these rules for robot combat success. Follow them and you'll do well. If you don't, you won't.
55
make.co
HOW TO WIN AT ROBOT COMBAT
These 10 rules could turn you into a champ
M81_055_SS_10toWin_F1.indd 55M81_055_SS_10toWin_F1.indd 55 4/12/22 2:27 PM4/12/22 2:27 PM
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