Robotics Combat Event
WAR Hobby Expo 10.31.21
OVERVIEW
WAR Hobby Expo 10.31.21
General:
The WAR Hobby Expo event is free to watch as a spectator. It is also free to compete in (there is a suggested donation of $20). The Hobby Expo will charge an admittance fee for everyone. Parking is free and there will be food trucks on site.
Event Details:
Started in 2002, Western Allied Robotics (WAR) is a loose knit organization of Pacific Northwest combat robot enthusiasts. Three to four events are held each year in the Northwest Region of the US. This is a 2 day event with different robot classes running each day.
We have a suggested donation of $20 per bot to help cover our costs. WAR events are Free for builders but we do have storage, arena maintenance, and other event-related expenses. All of the money we collect goes to the Seattle Robotics Association which is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit. Please donate if you can but donating is not a requirement to compete.
| Saturday Oct 30th | Sunday Oct 31st |
|---|---|
| Antweight | Fairyweight |
| Beetleweight | Plastic Antweight |
| Sportsman | Hobbyweight |
Registration:
June 28, 2021 – October 30, 2021
REGISTER HERE:
Waitlist: If registration for a weight class is full or if you have more than 1 bot per driver in a weight class, you should add yourself to the waitlist. We typically get a fair amount of churn with registration so there is a good chance you will be moved over to the competition list. The waitlist is first-come-first-served.
1 bot per driver per weight class: For the initial registration each driver will be allowed 1 bot per weight class in order to ensure that there is room for new competitors. If registration doesn’t reach capacity drivers can bring additional bots. Go ahead and register all of your bots. I’ll put the extra bots on the wait-list and update things as we get closer to the event.
WAR Hobby Expo COVID Considerations:
After a few communication issues with the hobby-show organizers, it looks like all systems are go for the event. The hobby show organizers don’t believe there are any COVID requirements other than wearing masks which is a state requirement for indoor events. We’d appreciate it if everyone wore high-quality masks like N95, KN95, or KF94s. We will try and spread people out as much as possible in the space we have.
Weight Classes:
| Robot Class | Entry Fee (Suggested Donation) |
Slots |
|---|---|---|
| Fairyweight (150g) | $20.00 | 12 |
| Antweight 1lb | $20.00 | 20 |
| Plastic Antweight 1lb | $20.00 | 16 |
| Beetleweight 3lb | $20.00 | 20 |
| Hobbyweight 12lb | $20.00 | 16 |
| 30lb Sportsman | $20.00 | 16 |
WAR Hobby Expo Schedule:
Saturday, Oct 30, 2021
- 9:00am – 10:00am – Safety.
- 10:30am – 5:00pm Robot Fighting!
- 5:00pm – 6:00pm Shutdown/cleanup for the day.
Sunday, Oct 30, 2021
- 9:00am – 10:00am – Safety.
- 10:30am – 2:00pm Robot Fighting!
- 2:00pm – 3:00pm Shutdown/cleanup for the day.
Rules:
Like all RFL events, WAR’s rules are based on a rule set that is has voted on and ratified by all the RFL members. Each event is allowed to adjust certain rules to suit their specific events while keeping most of the rules the same for all events. This allows most bots built for a WAR event to compete at any other RFL event with little or no changes.
As an example, WAR events don’t allow Internal Combustion Engines (ICE) or flame effects due to safety, noise and insurance reasons.
The rules can be found here… along with the special Plastic Antweight rules and the Sportsman Class rules in section 4.2 of the SPARC ruleset.
Forefeiting aginst yourself: If a team has two robots that are scheduled to compete the bots must fight each other so you’ll need a radio for each robot. If you don’t want them to fight each other then the winner will be decided by a coin toss. If a bot truly cannot continue due to damage it will be allowed to forfeit at the event organizers discretion.
Safety:
We take safety very seriously. Even the smallest of these robots can be dangerous. Check out the Rules section of the WAR site to see what sort of regulations we have in place to make sure our events are both safe and fair. While running an event, there are a number of procedures that we follow to make sure that everyone, builders, officials, and audience members, are kept out of harms way. WAR has never had a robot related accident at one of our events that required more attention than a band-aid.
All bots will be required to pass a safety check verifying the following:
- If you have a robot or weapon design that does not fit within the categories set forth in these rules or is in someway ambiguous or borderline, please contact this event. Safe innovation is always encouraged, but surprising the event staff with your brilliant exploitation of a loophole may cause your robot to be disqualified before it ever competes.
- Compliance with all event rules is mandatory. It is expected that competitors stay within the rules and procedures of their own accord and do not require constant policing.
- Each event has safety inspections. It is at their sole discretion that your robot is allowed to compete. As a builder you are obligated to disclose all operating principles and potential dangers to the inspection staff.
- Cardinal Safety Rules: Failure to comply with any of the following rules could result in expulsion or worse, injury and death.
- Radios may not be turned on at or near events for any purpose without obtaining the appropriate frequency clip or explicit permission from the event.
- Proper activation and deactivation of robots is critical. Robots must only be activated in the arena, testing areas, or with expressed consent of the event and its safety officials.
- All robots must be able to be FULLY deactivated, which includes power to drive and weaponry, in under 60 seconds by a manual disconnect.
- All robots not in an arena or official testing area must be raised or blocked up in a manner so that their wheels or legs cannot cause movement if the robot were turned on. Runaway bots are VERY dangerous.
- Locking devices: Moving weapons that can cause damage or injury must have a clearly visible locking device in place at all times when not in the arena. Locking devices must be painted in neon orange or another high-visibility color. Locking devices must be clearly capable to stopping, arresting or otherwise preventing harmful motion of the weapon.
- It is expected that all builders will follow basic safety practices during work on the robot at your pit station. Please be alert and aware of your pit neighbors and people passing by.
- This event [does not require] your robot to have an active weapon other than the driving force of the robot. Some exceptions may be made for particularly technically advanced or fast robots. Contact your event organizer if you need an exception.
Volunteers:
See the note on “Arena Setup”, below!
We don’t have membership dues or any other obligations other than what our members choose to volunteer. If you do volunteer, you’ll find you have a whole bunch of new best friends!
Arena and Hazards:
The WAR event has a 12’x16′ arena. We’ll send out further details closer to the date but we will be doing arena setup on Friday the 29th. Having at least 5-6 extra hands makes the process go much quicker and makes it so I and the other event organizes don’t want to pull our hair out.
Tournament Style:
As with all WAR events, we will have our double elimination format with a single elimination final. If a weight class has 5 or fewer robots we will do a round-robin.
Spectating at the WAR Hobby Expo Event:
Spectators are welcome. The Event is free to watch, but the Hobby Expo will charge an admittance fee for everyone. The link for Hobby Expo online ticketing is here. There is a suggested donation of $20/bot to compete.
In Closing:
Interested in combat robotics? Want to compete? Not sure how to get started? Try an Antweight kit!
Return to ItGresa Robotics Store:
