Ringside seats to bot battles at Waltham museum
In the 2006 film “Rocky Balboa,” Sylvester Stallone’s famed character advises, “Life’s not about how hard of a hit you can give … it’s about how many you can take and still keep moving forward. That’s how winning is done.”
The same philosophy will be driving the creative competitors at “MassDestruction Resurgence V: Robot Combat,” as they send their small, one-of-a-kind machines into the arena on Jan. 31 at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation. Some of the 1- or 3-pound weaponized bots may get pummeled, but their inventors will have to make some quick repairs so they can return to the fight.
“If I were a little kid, I’d be gobsmacked by how much fun it is,” said Joe Niedbala, the museum’s director of operations.
Hosting the daylong combat event for the fifth time, the museum will welcome competitors of all backgrounds and ages (kids must be accompanied by an adult) vying to topple their opponents in a specially designed 8-foot-by-8-foot arena with a protective roof.
While most of the robot creators and operators are adults, Niedbala said events like MassDestruction can inspire and excite children, showing them that science is fun.
“It’s a really good thing to get kids into,” said event co-organizer Brandon Zalinsky.
No stranger to inventing machines, Zalinsky competed on the TV series “BattleBots,” which is similar to MassDestruction. Currently, he is a member of Omega Team, a group of Boston-area robot enthusiasts. However, he’ll be too busy with hosting duties to compete in the upcoming event.
Mighty mini machines
As of late January, 24 “Beetle-weight” (3-pound) bots and 18 “Plastic Ant” (1-pound) bots were signed up to battle it out at MassDestruction.
Similar to boxing matches, each machine will be officially weighed for fairness before the fights begin.
The 1-pounders can only be made from plastic, which Zalinsky said makes them easy to build with a 3D printer and less expensive. The 3-pounders can be made of other materials.
Builders usually have some engineering skills and know how to use hand tools and solder metal together to create their fighters, said Zalinsky.
Before the bouts begin, robots are placed into the “arena” box and turned on, weapon locks are removed and the machines are locked in. When one bot can no longer move, there is a countdown from 10, just like in the boxing ring, to see if it has been “knocked out.” Creators also can “tap out,” if they don’t want their bot to take on any further damage.
Each fight is a full 3 minutes, said Zalinsky. Judges narrow down which bot will continue by deciding which did the most damage and which operator was the most aggressive and demonstrated the most control.
Zalinsky said every robot fights three random opponents in its weight class. At the end of that round, the machines are ranked according to how they performed. The top 16 robots then go on to a single elimination bracket and compete until one is left in each weight class.
In addition to giving out awards for the top three 1- and 3-pound competitors, Zalinsky said robot makers also receive honors in such categories as “most destructive,” “best rookie” of the event, and “best repair.”
Asked how he and other participants feel about the possibility that their robots, which they’ve likely spent a lot of time and effort building, could be destroyed in a matter of minutes, Zalinsky said creators “love the process of fixing it and making it better.”
While someone’s design might get torn apart, when they rebuild it, there may be improvements they didn’t anticipate.
“That’s what gets you excited,” he said.
Sometimes a builder will take their destroyed robot, sign it and give it to their opponent.
“It’s a cool tradition,” said Zalinsky.
MassDestruction Resurgence V: Robot Combat! Takes place on Saturday, Jan. 31, from 10:30 a.m. to 6 p.m., at the Charles River Museum of Industry & Innovation, 154 Moody St., Waltham.
