Nuts & Volts - September 2005

Don’t let the Exos get the Axo, sign up today!

Tetsujin 2005 — originally scheduled for October 6-9 at RoboNexus — has been postponed. The registration deadline passed on June 13th, and there were not enough entries to hold the competition on the scheduled date.

We plan to reschedule the event sometime after the first of the year at a different venue. Individuals and teams interested in competing should drop us an email to let us know, so we can plan to go ahead and set a new date. The entry deadline will remain open for now. Don't send money or the entry form yet, just email to let us know you are interested in competing and we'll keep you posted on what to do next and when to do it.

Hey, look on the bright side, not only do you STILL have time to enter, you have even MORE time to design and build your exosuit! So, there's no excuse now NOT to compete! This is a hard competition and certainly one worth participating in. If it were easy, everyone would be doing it.

This is your chance to stand apart from the crowd and flex your engineering and bot-building muscles. So, hook up with your friends, fellow engineers, classmates, geeksquad, gearheads, whoever, and form a team. No need to go it alone!

If you haven't already done so, check out the new rule set and event changes and start scribbling out your preliminary design. There's no time to lose! Send an email to tetsujin@servomagazine.com with your name and email address and we'll make sure you get all the latest info and news.

challenge 1:

Weightlifting. Ascend stairs in your suit to the lifting platform and lift a load of from 100 to 1,000 lbs* from a squatting position to a height of at least 24 inches*, return the load to the ground in a controlled manner, and descend the stairs. Stair-climbing may be unpow-ered. The winner is the competitor who lifts the most weight.

challenge 2:

Dexterity. Stack nine concrete cylinders weighing about 70 pounds each in a 4-3-2 vertical arrangement, but don't knock them over as the pyramid grows! The winner is the competitor who arranges the cylinders in the shortest time.

challenge 3:

Walking Race. Walk the 100 foot* long U-shaped challenge course, stepping over a small obstacle at the half-way point. The shortest time wins, with a time bonus being granted based on any auxillary load carried. Walking must be powered.