Second Annual Spring Showdown @ Texas A&M University

Event Description

The insect-weight combat robotics tournament is returning! This time we are proud to be sponsored by Riptide Robotics of BattleBots fame as we bring the talents of Texas A&M's premier robotics team, The Texas Aimbots, to provide a combat robotics experience like no other!

With a great venue provided by our university, a great location, and a permanent field setup, we believe that we can provide what many builders across the state are missing: a regularly scheduled, safe, well-located, and well-organized tournament. Our university is located in a prime spot between Houston, Dallas, San Antonio, and Austin, and alleviates the need for builders to make long drives between major cities to compete in events.

Join our discord if you are interested!: 

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Perks

Come meet a real-life BattleBot and some of the brilliant minds behind them! We'll be doing as many interviews and showcases of the BattleBots along with select competitors for this competition on stream.

We’ll be live-streaming our events with casting and commentary by dedicated members, and all matches will be uploaded to YouTube after the event.

We’ll have multiple Dremel 3D45 printers available for participant use; bring your own PLA/PETG and we’d be happy to help y’all when you need it.

More resources for on-site repair and better help for competitors will be provided to registrants as soon as possible.

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Event Specifics:

This year's Spring Showdown will be hosted on Saturday, April 8th at Texas A&M’s Memorial Student Center (Room 2400).

The available weight classes at this event will be 150g (fairy), 1lb (ant), and 3lb (beetle). 

Registration is open to anyone interested in attending.

We’re capping registration at 16 fairies, 16 ants, and 16 beetles (subject to change). If you didn’t make it into the registration, email us! We can work something out.

Matches will be 2 minutes long and will be judged using the SPARC ruleset.

We’ll be running a standard double-elimination bracket for all our weight classes.

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Registration:

150g - $10 if you pay before March 11th

           $15 if you pay between March 11th and April 1st

           $20 if you pay on April 1st or between April 1st and April 7th

1lb  -   $20 if you pay before March 11th

           $25 if you pay between March 11th and April 1st

           $30 if you pay on April 1st or between April 1st and April 7th

3lb  -   $30 if you pay before March 11th

        ��  $35 if you pay between March 11th and April 1st

           $40 if you pay on April 1st or between April 1st and April 7th

Register here on robotcombatevents.com and pay through our online marketplace[registrants will be notified through their contact information and the discord as soon as this becomes more available]. For further updates, join our Discord server!

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Schedule:

09:00 AM: Safety and Check-in Opens

10:00 AM: Last call for competitors to arrive at the venue

12:00 PM: Matches Begins

6:00 PM: Matches End, Prize Ceremony

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Prizes:

We’ll make sure every participant leaves with something to remember this event with. We'll also have trophies, and the chance for cash prizes, for those that place in the top three spots in their event.

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Field Setup:

The 1lb and 3lb arena will be 6 ft x 6 ft with a wooden floor and sufficient ventilation for internal combustion engines and gaseous flamethrowers.

The 150 gram arena will be roughly 3 ft x 4 ft with at least two pits protected by low walls.

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Robot Specifics:

All robots are to meet SPARC robot construction requirements. We will not specifically require a power light, but there needs to be some means of identifying when the robot is powered on such as noise or light. Additionally, robots that can’t be disabled without taking the top off during safety will not pass inspection.

Robot Construction Specifications

More General SPARC Guidelines

The scale will be +/- 2 gram precision with calibration weights available.

We’ll be providing a 50% weight bonus for non-wheeled drivetrains. Examples include Droopy, non-wheeled versions of No-Fly-Zone, bristlebots, etc.

Modular robots can change no more than 50% of their weight between configurations, and all configurations must pass safety/inspection.

We're allowing flamethrowers with pre-approval of fuel choice.

As an engineering-focused university, we actively encourage competitors to think outside the box and innovate to push the sport forward. If you build something that you think is riding the edge of the rules, email us and we’ll likely approve it!

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Ready Time and Postponements:

As the number of robots remaining in the competition drops, the ready time between your robots’ matches will get shorter. All robots will be guaranteed a minimum of 20 minutes between fights. This time is per bot, not per builder. If you are entering multiple bots, it is on you to manage your time. Robots that are not ready will forfeit their matches.

You will be allowed one postponement per robot, which will grant you an extra 20 minutes. Bots that aren’t ready within 2 minutes of the previous match, or that can’t make weight within 2 minutes of their weight check will be forced to use their postponement. If their postponement has already been used, they will forfeit the match.

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Volunteers:

If you’re interested in volunteering, please let us know on our discord or by calling 832-520-3494! Our event is powered by college students with a love for the sport, which essentially means we’re broke.

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Sponsors:

Riptide Robotics

Innovation Spark

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