- "It was the dawn of the first age of robots, two years after the first Robot Wars.The Delta project was a dream given form. Its goal: a robot for peace (the guy that said that was pummeled and thrown out of the group). Its goal: to win the next war, by creating a robot to tear the other robots to pieces. A robot for dweebs, hustlers, entrepreneurs and the mechanically challenged to drool over. Electronics and pneumatics, wrapped in 99.9 pounds of black metal all alone in the garage. This is the story of the first of the Delta class robots. The name of the 'bot is... The Agamemnon"
- — Team Delta website[2]
Agamemnon (also referred to as The Agamemnon) was a middleweight robot built by Team Delta which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. In its first and only appearance, it enjoyed an undefeated run through winning both the Middleweight Face-Off tournament and a five-way Middleweight Melee. Two of Agamemnon's Face-Off battles would be highlighted in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, along with some of its most technologically innovative features.
For the 1997 competition, Agamemnon was superseded by Alexander, a brand-new middleweight featuring various design and performance improvements.[5]
Design[]
- "This is our first year entering into Robot Wars. We wanted to build a robot that was really exciting to watch and exciting to look at. It would be entertaining for the people here."
- — Dan Danknick

Agamemnon with Team Delta
Described by Dan Danknick as 'a middleweight class robot with heavyweight class features', Agamemnon was a six-wheel drive robot weighing approximately 103lbs and designed to look similar to a construction vehicle. The wedged box-shaped chassis was made from welded angle steel, with aluminum plate armor,[6] titanium side rails acting as wheelguards, and a miniature control booth attached to the top front-right corner, itself mounted on a sliding assembly.

Agamemnon on the Team Delta website
Agamemnon was armed with two steel, carbide-tipped cutting saws mounted on an arm, itself attached to the 'control booth' and 'shock-loaded' to minimize the risk of the blades being binded. The saw assembly, powered by a 2hp engine, could be removed entirely, turning Agamemnon into a rammer if required.
- "We have a 1000 psi bottle of compressed nitrogen riding onboard the Ag. It's regulated down to 150 psi and switched through two high-flow air valves to control the action of the pneumatic punch. The punch design originally started out as a spring loaded single-shot harpoon. The kinetic energy math said I would have to use garage door sized springs to get the harpoon to move fast enough. Two months later I was experimenting with an air cylinder hooked to the air compressor. It's a hot weapon, and jumped an order of magnitude when Mike added the titanium tip."
- — Dan Danknick explains the system used for Agamemnon's rear spike[7]
At the back, Agamemnon was armed with a pneumatic spike, running on a nitrogen-powered system limited to 150psi. The whole weapon was mounted on its own top-mounted assembly, giving it the ability to tilt and rotate. Along with the saws, the spike could be removed or re-added depending on the opponents it faced.[7]
- "I want you to have fun watching the Ag. Period. That's why it's not a fiberglass dome where no internals are visible. Early in the project I had the idea to watch a live video feed during competition."
- — Dan Danknick explains the use of VR telemetry for Agamemnon[7]
As a further innovation, Team Delta fitted Agamemnon with an onboard video telemetry system. Combining a CCD camera with a video transmitter, UHF receiver and Virtual IO I-Glasses headsets, this was intended to broadcast a live feed from the robot's point of view. The camera, placed behind a plastic panel within the front wedge, would transfer data into the headsets themselves, giving team members the opportunity to make real-time tactical decisions as they wore them. Footage of the 'virtual reality' headsets being used was included in American Robot Wars 1996, in the lead-up to highlights of Agamemnon's debut battle. According to Team Delta, Agamemnon was built in around nine months at a cost of $2,411.[7][6]
Team Delta were also accompanied by a mascot, a full size T-800 model from the Terminator film series, which they called 'Fred'.[1]
Etymology[]
Though sharing its name with the Greek mythological king of Mycenae, Agamemnon's identity took direct inspiration from the battle ship of the same name from the space opera series Babylon 5. Show creator J. Michael Straczynski gave Dan Danknick his blessing to use the name when the two met each other at a science-fiction convention.[7]
- "Say, wondering why I picked "Agamemnon" for the project name? Well, if you're a Babylon 5 fan then you know that the Ag is an Omega class destroyer, one of the fastest and most powerful battle ships that the Earth Alliance has. And, it looks real cool. At an SF convention here in LA, I found a second to ask J. Michael Straczynski, the creator of B5, if I could name the 'bot after his ship. "Cool. Send me a picture" he replied."
- — Dan Danknick explains Agamemnon's Babylon 5 connection[7]
Robot History[]
1996 US Championship[]
Agamemnon began its 1996 campaign in the Middleweight Face-Off tournament, where it faced returning veteran Satoru Special 3 in the first round. The robot entered the arena with both of its main weapon modules. Prior to the battle starting, Team Delta's 'virtual reality' telemetry system was demonstrated, and one of their team members was seen throwing items, possibly merchandise, to audience members. The latter prefaced footage of the battle itself in the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights.

Agamemnon's saws are disabled by Satoru Special 3's net
A tentative start involved Agamemnon attempting to damage Satoru Special 3 with its twin cutting saws, though Satoru Special 3 was able to resist these attacks. Agamemnon then turned away in order to begin another charge, firing the spike multiple times in the process. It kept out of Satoru Special 3's way as the latter deployed its net, before trying to attack it again from the right-hand side. In doing so, however, Agamemnon's saws snagged the netting, rendering them inactive at once. In American Robot Wars 1996, this moment was singled out as the cause of nets being prohibited from future events, as a type of "fiber weapon".
- "The organizers have banned nets from future competitions, which'll make Agamemnon happy."
- — Paul Vallis, commenting on nets being outlawed in the wake of Satoru Special 3's tactics

Agamemnon's spike causes Satoru Special 3 to loses its circular saw
Agamemnon persevered, pushing Satoru Special 3 across the arena and towards the side of one of the mousetraps. Satoru Special 3 attempted to swing its own circular saw into its back end, but only succeeded in losing it once it hooked onto Agamemnon's pneumatic spike. Agamemnon backed away once again before ramming and pinning Satoru Special 3 in place for a full 30 seconds. Victory was declared for Team Delta once this requirement had been fulfilled.
- "So, the ultimate high-tech vs. low-tech battle ended with Agamemnon using its superior strength, to pin the "Satoru Special The Third" for the regulation 30 seconds."
- — Paul Vallis commentates on Agamemnon's victory
Moving on to the Face-Off semi-finals, Agamamenon next fought Scrappy, which had survived a difficult opening round against Pokey. For this battle, it was again fitted with both the saw and spike weapon modules.
Both robots approached each other from either side, with Agamemnon dodging the Ball of Doom. The Team Delta machine caught itself on the upper mousetrap, however, allowing Scrappy to approach and let Agamemnon snag its own net while retreating. Agamemnon turned around, approaching Scrappy spike-first as the latter suddenly stopped moving. It then proceeded to drive into Scrappy's side, in an attempt to cut through the plywood shell with its cutting blades. This attack caused both robots to become stuck to each other. Agamemnon pivoted and fired its spike while entangled in Scrappy's net, but was unable to break free before the match was stopped early.[8][9]
A rematch was arranged, which began with Agamemnon dodging Scrappy's initial lunge, along with its nets and cutting disc. In retaliation, it tore off the US flag placed on top of Scrappy, before leading its opponent towards the left-hand side of the arena. Agamemnon turned around and grazed Scrappy's right-hand side before backing away. Similarly to its previous battle, however, its blades snagged Scrappy's left net during a further head-to-head exchange. While again having to fight on without its saws, Agamemnon next pushed Scrappy backwards into the arena flipper. Following a few whacks from the hazard, Scrappy became immobilized, giving Agamemnon the win and a place in the Middleweight Face-Off final.[8][9]
At that stage, Agamemnon faced Traxx. Both of its active weapon modules were removed for this crucial match, enabling it to match Traxx's capabilities as a wedged rammer.

Agamemnon pressures Traxx into an early malfunction
Both robots approached each other in the opening seconds, avoiding each other's initial lunges. Two wedge-to-wedge rams followed, before Agamemnon got underneath and pushed Traxx under one of the mousetraps. The exchanges were enough to cause Traxx to blow a fuse, leaving it immobilized at that point. A strip of metal was also pulled out from beneath the wedge of Daniel Goff's machine.[10][11]
- "In the Middleweight Final, Agamemnon had made it through to fight Traxx. Agamemnon had been specially adapted on the spot so it could take on a wedge shaped robot, but Traxx was having a bad day and he died very quickly."
- — Paul Vallis on Traxx's quick immobilization
Agamemnon nudged and shoved Traxx a few more times, eventually pushing it clear of the mousetrap. It continued to slalom backwards into Traxx until the latter's immobility was confirmed. Agamemnon was therefore declared the 1996 Middleweight Face-Off champion following a decidedly short match.[11]
Agamemnon was also one of five competitors involved in the one-off Middleweight Melee, taking place towards the end of the event. It again fought primarily with its ramming wedge only. Coincidentally, three of Agamemnon's four opponents were robots it had defeated earlier in the Face-Off: Satoru Special 3, Scrappy and Traxx. The quartet were joined by Pokey, the only machine not to have progressed beyond the first round.
All five robots scrambled to the center of the arena. Early on, Agamemnon united with Pokey and Traxx to gang up on Satoru Special 3, but narrowly avoided getting caught by a nearby mousetrap. It proceeded to push Traxx and Satoru Special 3 together into an arena corner, briefly coming under pressure from the taller Pokey in the process. Agamemnon next reversed, pushed and pinned Scrappy several times against one of the moving wall sections. It soon became apparent that both Traxx and Satoru Special 3 had been left immobilized following Agamemnon's shove.[8][12]
Agamemnon pushed Scrappy further along into the same corner where Traxx and Satoru Special 3 lay. Scrappy struggled to escape, while Pokey became immobilized due to a CPU failure. Once all of its opponents had been piled into the corner, Agamemnon spun triumphantly to become the 1996 Middleweight Melee champion, adding on to its earlier Face-Off triumph. With Team Delta going on to introduce Alexander for the 1997 competition, the Melee concluded Agamemnon's short, but extremely successful Robot Wars career.[8][12]
Results[]
AGAMEMNON - RESULTS | ||
1996 US Championship | ||
Middleweight Face-Off Champion | ||
Round 1 | vs. Satoru Special 3 | Won |
Semi-Final | vs. Scrappy | Won |
NOTE: This battle was stopped partway through and restarted after both robots became entangled. | ||
Final | vs. Traxx | Won |
Middleweight Melee Champion | ||
Melee | vs. Pokey, Satoru Special 3, Scrappy, Traxx | Won |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 4
- Losses: 0
Series Record[]
1994-1997 US Competitions[]
Events | Agamemnon Event Record |
---|---|
1994 | Did not enter |
1995 | Did not enter |
1996 | Middleweight Champion (Face-Off & Melee) |
1997 | Entered with Alexander Entered with The Ominous Brick of Havoc |
UK Series[]
Series | Agamemnon Series Record |
---|---|
The First Wars | Did not enter |
The Second Wars | Did not enter |
The Third Wars | Did not enter |
The Fourth Wars | War of Independence with The Mangulator |
The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
Series 8 | Did not enter |
Series 9 | Did not enter |
Series 10 | Did not enter |
US Series[]
US Series | Agamemnon Series Record |
---|---|
Season 1 | Did not enter |
Season 2 | Entered with Wowot |
Nickelodeon | Did not enter |
The UK and US Series records are reflective of team captain Dan Danknick only.
Outside Robot Wars[]
Following their debut with Agamemnon, Team Delta created and entered many different robots into various competitions, including those not associated with the US or UK Robot Wars. For more information, see here.
Trivia[]
- Team Delta member Dan Danknick would later take part in the televised show as a production crewmember for both seasons of Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors.[13][14]
- Danknick would also serve as technical commentator for the second and third seasons of TLC's Robotica.
- In April 2022, Danknick auctioned off his Middleweight championship trophy to help fund care for Robot Wars founder Marc Thorpe.[15]
Honours[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 1.4 'Who Is Team Delta?', Team Delta website (archived)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'Untitled', Team Delta website (archived)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'ROBOT WARS ® 1996 WINNERS', US Robot Wars website (archived 2 May 1997)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 'Winning Warriors From The U.S.A', Robot Wars Club Newsletter, Issue 1 (1998), p.7
- ↑ 'Alexander Main Page', Team Delta website (archived)
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 'The Agamemnon', Team Delta website (archived August 14 2023)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 'Agamemnon Intro and Technology Overview', Team Delta website (archived)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 'SCRAPPY', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - Agamemnon vs Scrappy', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded July 19 2008
- ↑ 'TRAXX', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 'Robot Wars 1996 - Agamemnon vs Traxx', diabolicalmachine(YouTube), uploaded 24 July 2008
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 'Robot Wars 1996: Middleweight Melee', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded January 13 2019
- ↑ 'Robot Wars Journal - Team Run Amok', Team Run Amok website
- ↑ 'Combat Robot Tournaments and Events - The Ask Aaron Archives', Team Run Amok website
- ↑ https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/Robot-Wars-1996-Middleweight-Trophy-/154955182345
External Links[]
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