north east regional extra | February 10 - 16, 2021
nemedia.com.au
1.
February 10 - 16, 2021
Robots to stage battle royale
By SIMONE KERWIN
THE strangely hypnotic sight of two robots locked in combat until one is disabled or destroyed has developed a cult TV following in recent years. Local residents who have enjoyed the series ‘Battle Bots’ - as well as those new to the concept - will get a taste of what all the fuss is about when Wangaratta Robotics Club hosts a Regional Battle Bots Competition on Saturday, February 20 from 5pm to 8pm. “It is a different weight class, at 150 grams, but it’s the same idea (as the TV show) - with two bots going into the arena to battle it out,” Lachie Carboon, one of the organisers of the event, explained. “There are two classes of robot involved - destructive and non-destructive - and they will compete in an arena which is 1m x 1m x 1m and fully enclosed to keep the bots safe, with perspex all around it to allow for viewing. “There’s a pit in the corner of the arena, and you can win by either pushing another robot down that hole, or hitting the robot enough that it can’t move.” The regional competition will be held at the Wangaratta Digital Hub (situated to the left of the Wangaratta Library entrance in Docker Street), with organisers hoping to attract entrants from as far afield as Albury and Melbourne. While spectator numbers will depend on COVID-19 restrictions, it’s hoped there will be scope to livestream the event to enable a wider audience and build interest in the pursuit.
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◆ READY TO BATTLE: Lachlan Carboon with his robot ‘Blizzard’, with which he’ll compete in the Regional Battle Bots competition in Wangaratta on February 20. PHOTO: Kieren Tilly
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