Please note: this news is really, really old...as you may be aware, the Battlebots TV show contract was not renewed following the run of Season 5.0 on Comedy Central network. This was not due to poor popularity - Battlebots was Comedy Central's 2nd highest rated TV show at the time (following South Park). A decision was made by the network management that Battlebots was not consistent with their TV show lineup (can't really argue that one). Battlebots (the company) has continued to hold their IQ tournaments for high school and college students, and have informed the robot building community that they are close to making a new TV deal with a new network and have high hopes for another large scale Battlebots tournament by the end of 2004.

In the meantime, work continues...although slowly...introducing the lessons learned into the new designs of Iron Soldier and ACME Surplus.

Team ACMX returns from competition

The most exciting event yet! A great time was had by all, although participation was limited this time around. Unfortunately due to some technical difficulties, both Iron Soldier and ACME Surplus Fighting Robot had early exits. More details to follow in the event report.

Highlights from this event will be aired on Comedy Central in early 2002.

Official Iron Soldier stats on Battlebots website

The official statictics, photos and bio information for Iron Soldier have been posted in the Meet the Robots section on the Battlebots web site. As reported earlier, the site also lists the historical rankings of all Battlebots to date - in the middleweight division, Iron Soldier is currently ranked 61 out of 158 total middleweights. For the upcoming Season 4.0 tournament, Iron Soldier is seeded at number 41 out of a total 122 middleweights competing.

Progress report

Its crunch time, with less than 2 weeks remaining before the next Battlebots tournament. We've run into some weight problems and assembly concerns that prompted a couple of 11th hour redesigns. We made some compromises, but the good news is that we believe that the updated designs will perform even better than the originals.

We have just about all the parts we need for the modifications to Iron Soldier and construction of ACME Surplus. The bulk of the assembly should occur this week. The mechanicals are coming along nicely, as is development of the new the electrical systems. Our experience from last time is helping us a great deal.

With any luck, we'll have both units operational within the next week.

At this point, our biggest obstacle will be getting everything to the tournament. We're finding that in light of recent events, the airlines are changing their policies almost daily regarding what kinds of things are acceptable to be packed in checked baggage. Batteries are the hot issue - we were actually forced into cancelling reservations and changing airlines after one airline changed their mind. If it happens again, we'll have to make other arrangements.

Good to go...

Team ACMX received approval from Battlebots for Iron Soldier and newcomer ACME Surplus Fighting Robot to compete in the November 2001 tournament on Treasure Island.

The event has been dalayed a day because of other activities happening on the island. The official start date is now Sunday, November 4, 2001.

2001.09.25

Its robot fighting time!

An official announcement was made today regarding the details of the next Battlebots tournament which will be taped for broadcast as Comedy Central's Battlebots Season 4.0. The tournament will be held November 3 - 11, 2001 on Treasure Island in San Francisco. Along with the announcement, the official Battlebots rankings were released. Our own Iron Soldier is currently ranked 61 out of 158 in the middleweight division.

Team ACMX plans to attend with Iron Soldier and an as yet unnamed lightweight. Iron Soldier is currently receiving upgrades to its drivetrain, weapons and control systems.