We’re delighted to share that Maxinity is backing one of our team members, Josh, in his fun but unusual pastime of Combat Robotics. We not only think it’s a very cool hobby, but also one that demonstrates his creativity and technical ability – skills he also exhibits at work. Plus, we believe that having hobbies enriches our lives and makes us more well-rounded people.
Josh recently participated in the Bristol Bot Builders Beetle champs, where he competed with nearly 50 other robot enthusiasts. He did incredibly well, finishing in the top 16 and defeating the previous champion in the first round.
We were curious about how Josh got into Combat Robotics, so we asked him to share his story. He told us that he was inspired by the Robot Wars TV show and wanted to try it out for himself. He started by designing and building his robots by hand, but then he upgraded to using CAD software and 3D printing. He began with the Antweight category (up to 150g) and then moved on to the Beetleweight category (up to 1.5 kg).
The competition on Saturday was Josh’s second time at a Beetleweight event, and we’re thrilled for him that he did so well.
The fights are intense and exciting, lasting for 2 minutes and involving a three robot melee in the first round and 1v1 fights in subsequent rounds. The winner is the robot that either:
1) Renders the opposition robot(s) immobile
2) Gets them into the ‘pit’ or out of the arena or
3) If none of the above happens, the winner is chosen by three judges.
Josh’s robot is called Strongerhold, and you can watch him in action in the video below. Strongerhold is the black and blue robot with the big claw on top (and the Maxinity logo on the back) and his fights can be watched at the following Timestamps – 11:59, 58:54 and 1:11:47
