Antweight World Series Rules Version 4.2

1) Definitions

Roller - A robot whose final drive output rotates through more than 180 degrees (e.g. wheels)

Walker - A robot whose final drive output rotates through less than 180 degrees (e.g. legs)

Shufflebot - A robot that rests on part of its body during the recovery phase of its leg movement.

CE - CE mark, used in Europe to determine compliance to European directives. See http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/CE_mark

R&TTE - Radio & Telecommunications Terminal Equipment directive. See http://ec.europa.eu/enterprise/rtte/index_en.htm

Clusterbot - A robot which consists of two or more parts (e.g. two half sized robots/botlets)

Botlets - The smaller parts that make up a complete Clusterbot.

Battle box – The fully enclosed safety shield that surrounds the arena.

Remote control - Control without physical contact between the robot and the controller (i.e. conventional model radio control, bluetooth or infra red; no wires or strings etc.)

2) Robot Rules

2a) Weight limits: (also see rule 5d)
Antweight roller: 150g
Antweight walker/shufflebot: 225g
Fleaweight roller: 75g
Fleaweight walker/shufflebot: 113g

Where a clusterbot is composed of a rotary and a walking/shuffling botlet, then the following formula or graph apply:

(Total weight of rollers) = 150 - ((2/3) * (Total weight of walkers))
or
(Total weight of walkers) = 1.5 * (150 - (Total weight of rollers))

2b) Size limits: robots must fit completely (including aerial) inside a cube of the following dimensions
Fleaweight: three inches (76.2mm)
Antweight: four inches (101.6mm

Robots may only expand from their size limit once they are in the arena, and only if the expansion is instigated by remote control (i.e. not just by being springy).

2c) Robots must have an externally accessible way of being shut down (e.g. a power switch, removable link or battery plug).

2d) For safety purposes, all weaponry must have the capability of being deactivated by remote control.

2e) Failsafe: in the absence of other transmitters, the robot weapon shall cease motion when the controlling transmitter is switched off.

2f) The following weapon types are not permitted:

- Fluid based weapons (treacle guns, etc.)
- Glue or sticky pad weapons
- String or entanglement weapons
- Flame based weapons
- The use of electricity as a weapon
- Explosive weapons
- Rotating weapons that may shatter (as opposed to breaking off)
- Magnetic/inductive systems

2g) Any system involving the use of pressurised gas or liquid is limited to 100 p.s.i. (7 Bar).

2h) Weapons are not permitted to deliberately detach completely from the robot, but may be partially separated as long as it is connected by a tether of no more than 3 feet (914mm). The tether may not be used as an entanglement weapon.

2i) The botlets of a clusterbot must altogether meet the size and weight limits of the class in which they are competing (i.e. all three botlets of an antweight clusterbot must all fit in the same four inch cube at once), but if two fleaweights are competing as botlets of an antweight cluster then they must each conform to fleaweight size and weight restrictions.

2j) Robots must be clearly labeled with their names. A clusterbot must display the name of the cluster on all botlets.

2k) All sharp edges must have protective covers outside the arena. All protective covers are to be coloured red and made clearly visible.

2l) Batteries must not contain liquid acid, or electrolyte, or exceed a maximum of 24 volts.

2m) The following radio frequencies are acceptable: 27 MHz, 40 MHz, 418 MHz, 433-434 MHz, 868 MHz and 2.45 GHz.

2n) All radio control transmitters must be CE marked and comply with the R&TTE Directive

2o) Sponsorship is allowed if it is in good taste

3) Arena Rules

3a) All battles must take place in a battle box, regardless of weapons being used in the battle.

4mm polycarbonate is the minimum recommended thickness.

3b) The arena will be a raised platform with an area of at least 30 inches (762mm) square.

3c) At least half of the edge of the arena must be unwalled, to allow robots to drop directly into the ditch that surrounds the arena. 50mm is the recommended height for arena walls.

3d) The minimum distance between the edge of the unwalled part of the arena and the battle box (and therefore the width of the ditch) is 140mm.

4) Combat Rules

4a) Battles will last for a maximum of three minutes.

4b) A robot that falls off the arena has lost.

4c) When any robot is immobile or lacks controlled motion then a judge will call cease and the driver will have ten seconds to demonstrate that control has been restored, otherwise the robot will have lost.

4d) At any time in a fight, a robot may surrender, if so they will have lost (The roboteer may shout stop).

4e) Robots may hold or pin each other for a maximum of 20 seconds. The judge will give a verbal warning at 15 seconds into any holding or pinning, for the contestants to disengage. Should they not do so within final 5 seconds then the battle will be paused and the robots returned to their respective corners. The battle will then recommence immediately.

4f) Outside manipulation is not permitted during the contest (they may be manipulated by a judge during a pause in the battle, as described in the previous rule).

4g) A Clusterbot will have lost when all of its botlets have been eliminated

4h) If a robot leaves the arena after the battle has started but before the robots have made contact then the judges shall decide if the battle is to be restarted.

5) Competition Guidelines

5a) Contestants must register their frequencies (including which crystals they have) with the event organiser at least 7 days before the contest.

5b) There shall be 3 neutral judges identified before each battle and all shall have an equal vote. If a contestant has an objection to one or more of the judges then they shall make it clear before the match begins. The AWS committee will then decide if the complaint is valid.

5c) Contestants must obey the event organiser at all times, or be disqualified.

5d) Robots will be weighed by scales that are accurate to at least one gram (the weight limit (2a) is judged as the 'fighting weight' entering the arena).

5e) Before combat commences, each robot will be checked by the event organizer or their delegate to ensure that a minimum of the following rules are complied with before being allowed to compete: weight (2a), size (2b), power link/switch(2c), failsafe (2d), name (2i), sharp edges(2j).

5f) Contests must communicate in a socially acceptable way.

5g) A team may enter a maximum of four robots of which three may be rollers and one either a walker or a clusterbot.

5h) All teams must be self-contained in terms of driver, transmitter, robots and battery packs, i.e. these cannot be shared with another team.

5i) If opposing robots have left the arena simultaneously (e.g. because they struck each other so hard that they flew apart) then the following will occur

i. The battle will be paused

ii. The robots will be placed straight back into the arena, in their former starting positions, without repairs.

iii. The battle will be restarted

5j) After combat has ceased, only the driver or one of the designated officials may retrieve a robot from within the arena. The driver is responsible for ensuring that their robot is in a safe condition before retrieval takes place. If the robot has active weapons then it is essential that the weapon is made inactive before retrieval.

5k) A robot must be placed in the arena, ready to fight within five minutes of being called to fight by the event organiser (this is a maximum limit, contestants are encouraged to be ready to fight as soon as possible). Failure to be ready to fight within five minutes will mean the robot may be judged to have lost the fight.