TWO hunks of twisted plastic and metal stare one another down across a battle-scarred arena as the countdown begins.
A baying crowd leans in over the whirr of electric motors while an announcer bellows: “Three, two, one… Activate.”
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This isn’t the opening scene of a Hollywood Sci-Fi flick, but a typical Sunday afternoon for members of the UK’s leading robot fighting ring.
Once a month, amateur engineers with the Bristol Bot Builders (BBB) gather in the city’s pubs to battle homemade robots over a pint of beer.
Think “Fight Club” meets “Robot Wars”, the popular BBC show of the late ’90s and 2010s that inspired many of the group’s members.
It’s what drove Joe Brown, who helps run the BBB, to begin tinkering with machines himself almost ten years ago.
“I was a student at the University of Bristol and was helping to run an engineering society,” the 29-year-old told The Sun.
“We were looking for a way to offer a social for students that built a practical skill and was entertaining as well.”
While reminiscing about Robot Wars – a show beloved by Joe and his friends during their childhoods – they had the bright idea to set up their own version.
“We realised that Robot Wars was not just a TV show, but a hobby, and that people were building smaller and cheaper bots at home,” Joe said.
“We combined beer, pizza and small robots as a bit of fun and it’s kept going ever since.”
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BATTLE BOTS
Robot building has surged in popularity over the past few years thanks to the increased availability of proper tools, parts and know-how.
Many enthusiasts start off making small, 150-gram machines that battle inside perspex boxes the size of dishwashers.
Over time, they graduate to larger weight classes, with the top bots coming in at 110kg – the same size as those on Robot Wars.
Competitors have two or three minutes to either immobiliser their opponent or push them into a hole in the arena floor known as “the pit”.
Robots can be loaded with flippers, axes, spinning weapons and more to give them the edge over their adversaries.
And while there’s undoubtedly a competitive edge to proceedings, it’s the wacky side and the camaraderie that draws dozens of entrants to each tournament.
“The thing I love about it is that people enjoy helping each other solve problems,” Joe said.
“Even if your enemy – a robot you’re about to compete with – isn’t working, you’re likely to be there helping to get it ready because you just want to put on the best fight.”
‘WE BUILD SILLY THINGS’
Joe’s comments were echoed by competitors at the BBB’s most recent event, which was held last week at a cider bar in Bristol.
“We build silly things and fight them,” regular competitor Rory Mangles – who starred in three seasons of Robot Wars – told The Sun.
“It’s just nice to make things and have a way of testing them against other people to see how good your skills are.”
Bristol has become the UK’s robot combat hotbed, but groups have sprung up cities including Liverpool and York in recent years.
As well as being a bit of fun, contests provide a chance to show off your engineering skills – and even land you a job.
“We have a deficit of engineers,” Joe said. “There are more engineering jobs than there are people studying it.”
“Things like robot combat are a good way to give people a taste for engineering and problem-solving.”
Joe says a friend of his got into robot-building recently and was offered a role at an engineering firm at a recent contest.
“A company came to our event last month and my friend just started chatting to them and showed off his robot. They hired him on the spot.”
You can learn more about the Bristol Bot Builders on their website.
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This post first appeared on Thesun.co.uk
