Rock 'em, sock 'em robots compete

PEORIA, Ill. -- What is topped with dual four-inch saw blades, has three wheels, runs on six AA batteries and goes by the name of "Buzz Lightweight?"

The answer: a radio-controlled robot that literally destroyed its competition.

A fierce battle was fought recently by robot enthusiasts who gathered to enter their machines in the fourth annual robot competition of the Central Illinois Robotics Club.

The competition at the Lakeview Museum here gave hobbyists from as far away as Memphis, Tenn., a chance to test their homemade robots' battle abilities for recognition and prizes.

"This competition is the most exciting to watch," said club president Larry Kruzan. "Parts start flying, there's destruction ... it's general mayhem."

The day started with head-to-head, single-elimination battles between robots in either the "ant-weight" division (for machines weighing no more than 16 ounces) or the "Kilobot bash" class (for robots weighing up to one kilogram).

Head to head contest

Many entrants broke into a sweat as they maneuvered their machines to ram into and roll over one another in a "battle box" covered with shatterproof glass. The miniature arena came complete with a trap door and tire-slashing metal spikes.

Hobbyist James Fry, 13, won the "ant-weight" competition with his father's robot, named "Silent Destruction."

The Pekin youth said constructing robots is "a hobby, but I think I would like to try making it into a profession."

His father, Jim, 41, said he has been "building robots forever."

The father and son's "Buzz Lightweight," with saw blades that rotated thousands of times a minute, shredded the tires of its opponent, "Very Bad Thing," built by Tom Spaulding of Springfield, to win the "Kilobot bash" division.

Spaulding's injured machine was aggressive until its demise, since it was topped with a 7-inch fan blade from a garden edger.

The Central Illinois Robotics Club was founded in an effort to promote, educate and compete in the field of hobby robotics. It meets on the third Sunday of every month.