Alexander (often referred to as The Alexander) was a middleweight robot built by Team Delta for the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. A redesigned version of their 1996 champion Agamemnon, it achieved four consecutive victories in the main bracket to reach the final of the Middleweight Face-Off tournament. However, this was not without suffering critical damage to its own internals, which prevented Alexander from being able to fight Vicious-1 for the overall title. Alexander was thus awarded the runner-up finish by default; similar circumstances also caused it to withdraw from the Middleweight Melee after the first round.[6][7]
Design[]
- "I began working on the Alexander in the middle of December [1996]. I was pretty bored with the Hannibal-8 development by then so it was nice to start my Christmas vacation on a fresh note.
In a departure from the Ag design methodology [sic], I started eating my dessert before dinner: weapon design before the base design. Last year I built some cool weapons, but they weren't really attention grabbers. This year all of that will change." - — Dan Danknick on his design philosophy for Alexander[8]

Alexander in the arena
Similarly to its predecessor, Alexander was a six-wheel drive machine resembling a construction vehicle. Inspired by the arm of a Caterpillar backhoe excavator, Dan Danknick designed the robot around an articulated 'cutting crane' (nicknamed the 'Edger'), fitted with a tool steel milling cutter. The multi-toothed disc was powered by an AstroFlight weapon motor, giving it the capability to spin at 1,200rpm.[3][9] Alexander's 'crane' arm, assembled from square tube and 1018 mild carbon steel, was capable of moving on three points of articulation, with a maximum upward reach of 33ft.[3] As well as two pivoting axis on the arm, mobilized by linear actuators, the entire weapon assembly could rotate horizontally on a front-mounted turntable. The turntable, made from a 7075 aluminum 'support block' and a pair of coupled taper bearings, could swing beyond 90 degrees in either direction through the use of a Pittman motor.[8][9][10][11][12]
All five channels of Alexander's arm were to be operated through a custom 'hand controller', itself an original controller for the PlayStation video game console. The modified peripheral would be fitted with a DB-9 connector and programmed through a custom interface, incorporating a Microchip PIC16C54 microcontroller. Alexander's arm functions would be mapped to the buttons of the PlayStation controller, though radio noise issues lead to the controller being swapped for a conventional RC transmitter prior to the competition.[11][5][13]
During construction, a number of secondary weapons were proposed to accompany the 'cutting crane' arm. The first was a swinging 'tail': an 8-inch steel cable with three spikes of the type used by US police forces. A 'servo-release' assembly enabled Alexander to jettison the cable in case of entanglement. Though the assembly was finished, the 'tail' would be discarded in favor of a revolving pneumatic spike.[5]
Referred to as a 'punch' or 'air punch', the spike functioned similarly to the equivalent weapon on Agamemnon, running on a CO2-powered system at a pressure of 125psi. The spike assembly could rotate horizontally in a 200-degree arc, made possible through being placed on a custom bearing operated by an additional belt drive. Dan Danknick completed the entire weapon within five days, incorporating spare parts left over from Agamemnon's original build.[3][4][5][12]
Alexander's finalized chassis was made out of 1/2-inch welded square tube steel, with high carbon steel bumpers and aluminum diamond plate armor panels. The bumpers, made from the 'oil hardened' O1 grade, reflected the robot's emphasis on speed over the pushing power exhibited by Agamemnon. Team Delta designed Alexander to be able to ram opponents at a speed of around 20mph; by the time of its Robot Wars appearance, a 22mph figure was revealed during a demonstration ahead of its first battle.[3][4][9][14]
Internally, Alexander was powered by a variety of battery types, placed towards the back to offset the arm's overhang. These included two 12V, 7Ah Yuasa sealed lead-acid batteries, powering the two 1/2hp Sullivan drive motors; three gel cell packs (totalling 18 cells) for the 'cutter' weapon; and a smaller 12V gel cell pack for 'onboard electronics and fans'. Despite the presence of the aforementioned cooling fans, the high-speed nature of Alexander's system often caused severe heating issues for the Sullivan motors themselves.[13] A 'safety interlock' switch allowed the batteries to be quickly disconnected from the speed controller when Alexander was not in operation. Incorporating dual Anderson connectors, the device predated the removable links that would later be standardized for the televised show.[4][9][5]
As a result of its complex weaponry, Team Delta encountered multiple issues with bringing Alexander under the upper middleweight limit, then set at 100lbs. By July 1997, Dan Danknick publicly reiterated on the team website that its base weight at one point was 143lbs. By early August, the figure was reduced significantly, though the entire robot was still found to be 3.5lbs over. Changes made included the exchange of Alexander's aluminum baseplate for a 4mm 'carbon composite' equivalent. These were enough for Alexander as a whole to weigh 100.8lbs at scrutineering without expendables; an alternative figure of 100.9lbs was revealed by Dan Danknick during its arena demonstration. Ironically, the official 102lb figure given by the Team Delta website was still one pound over the minimum for heavyweights.[3][4][12][13]
Like Agamemnon, Alexander was equipped with a live video feed system utilizing a transmitter kit, receiver and virtual-reality headsets. A set of battery-powered receivers and 'goggle packs' were also planned to be rented out to audience members, allowing them to watch Alexander's onboard feed in tandem with weapons operator Dave Johnson.[10]
Robot History[]
1997 US Championship[]
Prior to the main middleweight events, Alexander was one of three 1997 competitors (alongside heavyweights Snake and Z) chosen to perform arena demonstrations in front of the Saturday morning audience. The robot's demo involved it driving across different parts of the arena and operating its weapons, while Dan Danknick explained its design, functionality and statistics. It was revealed that Alexander was completed within a timeframe of 'just over twelve-hundred hours'. At one point, Alexander paused for several seconds as host Joel Hodgson walked around it. Amidst chants for it to 'kill', the robot twitched and charged forwards shortly after Hodgson walked across the front, before gently swinging and lifting its arm in multiple directions.[3]
Alexander's combat debut took place in the Middleweight Face-Off, where it was drawn against Stuffie in the first round.

Alexander slices off the head of Stuffie's Barbie doll
Early on, both robots exchanged rams and shoves, with the initially-evasive Alexander pushing Stuffie into the left wall. Once Benjamin Chapman's entry headed back into the center, it followed up with an even more damaging attack to the front of the former's toy Jeep shell. Alexander slammed into Stuffie from the front, cutting through its 'hood' while pushing it back. In the process, its milling cutter 'decapitated' the Barbie doll attached to Stuffie's front 'grill'.[15][16][17]

Alexander almost topples Stuffie with a side-on attack
Following a brief separation, Alexander again pushed into the side of Stuffie, though this had the effect of causing both robots to become entangled for a few seconds. Having cut further into Stuffie's bodywork, it rammed the red machine again with its 'crane' arm pointing sideways. Alexander repositioned the arm before pushing Stuffie into another arena flipper. Another series of rams followed, the latter resulting in Stuffie pushing Alexander's arm around to the side. This was sufficient to strip the gears within the arm's rotating mechanism, causing it to swing freely for the rest of the match.[15][16][17]
With less than two minutes remaining, Alexander again tried to attack Stuffie from the side, though the earlier damage made it difficult for it to aim its circular saw. It next resorted to attacking with its 'air punch', twice using it to push Stuffie away and into a spin. This was not, however, without the spike being pulled back by Stuffie as it reversed. Alexander momentarily stood still, during which it was nudged by the persevering Stuffie. Raising its arm, it backed towards the other side of the arena, though its milling cutter could not inflict any more damaging blows.[15][16][17]
More shoves and evasive driving prompted the audience to start booing loudly, until the two machines rammed each other in the lower-left corner. Alexander's saw again grazed Stuffie's 'hood' for a split-second, as it continued to exchange rams until time ran out. A close battle ended with a Judges' decision, ruling Alexander the winner by a 'very narrow margin'. According to the Team Delta website, Alexander won the decision by one point; a broken chain and erratic controls hampered much of the cutting arm's effectiveness during the match itself.[15][16][17][18]
In the second round, Alexander faced Anubis - an early flipper built by Alex Ko.
Alexander, the faster of the two robots, drove past its opponent in the opening seconds. Upon reaching the left-most wall, it spun around, approached and tried to bring its milling cutter down on Anubis' sloped sides. The cutter tore into Anubis, sending pieces of its composite shell flying before Alexander backed up. A tentative shuffle followed, before Alexander rammed and again slashed Anubis from the side. The resulting impact, however, forced Alexander's 'crane' forearm back, where it remained for the rest of the match.[19][20]
Regardless, Alexander kept chasing and shoving Anubis. This shove broke a linear actuator powering the top section of its 'crane' arm, diminishing its main weapon's functionality even further. Alexander backed up and charged towards Anubis again. It partially drove over the lip of Anubis' flipping arm, and, in a near-disaster for Team Delta, was flicked up into the air. Alexander could not be turned over, however, and an attempt by Anubis to hook it by the 'crane' arm resulted in the latter no longer being able to retract its own weapon. More gentle nudges were exchanged by both robots, as Alexander took another swipe at Anubis' left-hand side.[19][20]
Alexander kept ramming and grazing Anubis from that point forward. A head-to-head collision eventually caused both robots to lock together and require separation, as Cambot moved in to obtain close-up footage. Upon both robots being forced apart, Alexander was the only one of the two to show mobility. Even before the match was officially restarted, Anubis lay stationary as a result of its speed controllers burning out during the 'deadly embrace'. As a direct result, Alexander was quickly declared the winner.[19][20]
Alexander progressed to the Face-Off Semi-Finals, where it was unusually required to face two opponents for a chance to qualify for the overall final. The first of these was Hyena - an invertible machine armed with its own set of cutting saws.
A tentative opening exchange saw Alexander driving around the side of the spinning Hyena, as both robots met in the center. A few bumps lead the duo to drive side-by-side across the inner perimeter, before Team Delta's machine finally pressed Hyena against the wall, slicing into its fiberglass shell. Alexander kept attacking with its cutter, taking advantage of Hyena's emerging mobility issues. The two competitors twice rammed each other from the front, though Hyena could not use its own abrasive cutters to good effect.[21][22]
Alexander tried to bring its saw down onto Hyena again, only to take a side-on ram from the latter. After ramming Hyena again in response, it suddenly stopped moving, and was unable to aim an attack with its rear spike. The spike ultimately proved too low to hit Hyena directly, prompting Alexander to bring its saw back into use. However, Alexander continued to display erratic movements, as it eventually pinned Hyena against the wall once more. After struggling to aim its saw, it backed out and headed across the inner-left perimeter. By this point, Alexander's mobility was beginning to be severely hampered by the Sullivan drive motors overheating.[21][22]
With Hyena still circling around on one wheel, Alexander pressed on, attacking the latter a few more times with its cutter. In the end, both competitors survived to a Judges' decision, which ruled Alexander the winner once again.[21][22]
Alexander's second Semi-Final was against Pokey, an updated incarnation of Curt Meyers' 1996 middleweight entry.
Starting the quicker of the two machines, it was approached from the side by Pokey while negotiating the lower perimeter. Alexander began cutting into Pokey's shell, capitalizing on the latter's accuracy issues as it began targeting its forklift weapon and sides. A few tentative moments followed once Pokey drove under and got caught by the lower spike trap. A head-on collision between both robots ensued, before the Judges ordered the battle to be momentarily paused for unspecified reasons.[23][6]
Once the match resumed, Alexander drove into and bent its arm against the front of Pokey. Similarly to its battle against Anubis, an actuator controlling Alexander's arm broke on impact. Another head-to-head ram followed as Team Delta attempted to keep the milling cutter running. This proved futile, however, as the saw motor on Alexander stalled, then expired in a cloud of smoke due to the damage already sustained. Alexander was rammed by Pokey, but recovered by jabbing Pokey's front-left side with its spike, leaving several holes and dents in the latter's aluminum shell.[23][6]
As the battle progressed, Alexander's drive issues became more severe. Pre-existing damage caused the Sullivan motors to again start overheating, reducing the robot's torque and ability to turn. While Pokey also struggled, becoming immobilized on its right-hand side, Alexander could only shuttle back and forth across the arena as the audience started chanting in support of its opponent. Nevertheless, it rammed Pokey from the front and right-hand side as the match entered its final thirty seconds. Alexander, taking a whack from the arena flipper, followed this up with three more rams before the end bell rang, catching itself on the wall spikes during its last charge. Once again, the battle went to a Judges' decision, which lead to an audience vote being cast in support of Alexander.[23][6]
Alexander thus advanced to the Middleweight Face-Off Final, where it was intended to challenge Vicious-1 for the 1997 title. Prior to its fight against Pokey, Dan Danknick had helped weld 'reinforcements' to the spinning arm of Team Vicious' eponymous machine, while previously anticipating Vicious-1 to be the other last-standing competitor in this tournament. However, the internal damage sustained by Alexander would be severe enough to impact its participation in this crucial stage.[24]
During the closing moments of its second Semi-Final, one of Alexander's drive motors had expired completely and required replacement. Dan Danknick believed that it would not be ready to fight unless he and Team Delta received more time to swap the motor - a situation he told Team Vicious' Mike Regan about as the latter were making their way into the arena. Though Regan agreed to let Danknick take the extra twenty minutes required to repair Alexander, the Judges refused Danknick's request, ruling that Alexander would have to forfeit the battle if it could not compete. An attempt by Danknick and Regan to delay the match was also turned down. As a result, Vicious-1 was declared the 1997 Middleweight Face-Off champion by default, with Alexander settling for the runner-up finish.[24][6][25]
Shortly after being denied a Face-Off fight, Alexander and Vicious-1 would be drawn to fight together in the opening rounds of the Middleweight Melee competition. The duo would face two robots previously defeated by the Team Delta machine - Stuffie and Pokey.
Alexander initially charged across the arena from the left-hand side, using its cutter to attack Pokey's tall back panel. All four robots gathered in the center and lower-right pocket, while Alexander weathered retaliatory rams from both Pokey and Stuffie. Alexander proceeded to push Stuffie from the left-hand side, while damaging and trying to prise the toy "Jeep" shell off Benjamin Chapman's machine. Successive attacks caused the shell to be dislodged, then forced off the chassis entirely following a heavy ram.[26][7]
After this, Alexander resumed its attacks on Pokey. Taking advantage of Curt Meyers' machine getting impaled by an arena spike, it rammed and jostled the former forwards, as the duo and Stuffie's plywood chassis all piled into each other. In response, Pokey lifted Alexander, Stuffie and itself all at once; undeterred, Alexander began attacking Pokey and Stuffie with the milling cutter a few more times, while pushing the remains of the latter back. This was followed by a moment where Vicious-1 pinned Pokey against Alexander, though Alexander would soon drove away.[26][7]
Further scrapes between Alexander and Stuffie resulted in the latter suddenly losing mobility altogether. Closing in, Alexander attacked Stuffie's exposed internals, before all four robots converged once again opposite the lower-left flipper. It then found itself being chased by Vicious-1, which nudged and scooped under Pokey during this pursuit. Alexander rammed both of these robots once they separated, before pushing Stuffie's remains aside. A further ram to the front-left corner of Pokey followed. While Pokey proceeded to lift Vicious-1 off the floor, Alexander drove its 'crane' arm, by this stage badly broken, into the back of the newly-crowned Face-Off champion.[26][7]
Alexander rammed both of its opponents again as Pokey finally escaped, again bringing its cutter into the latter's side. In the process, it weathered an attack from Vicious-1's spinning arm, only to follow and drive over the top of the latter's right wheel. Alexander was left vulnerable to a small lift from Pokey, but kept running as all three remaining robots bumped into each other during the final ten seconds. By the match's conclusion, Alexander, Pokey and Vicious-1 were all deemed to be still mobile, making them eligible to qualify for the Middleweight Melee Final.[26][7]
During the closing moments of its Melee, Alexander suffered more extensive damage to its internals, including a blown speed controller. This factor lead Team Delta to 'retire' the machine ahead of the Final, ending its 1997 campaign at that point. Alexander's design would ultimately be retired from combat as the team focused on new designs for future competitions.[26][7]
- "How did we do in the arena? Terribly. The Sullivan drive motors overheated and burned up; it was a mistake to switch from torque to speed this year. The main acutuator for the Edger broke every time; turns out those units are great at extending but come apart when pulling under load. So much for my "know every part of your robot" philosophy. The video link worked great though!
Well, that's pretty much it for the Alexander project. With a complete rework of the drive base this robot could still do pretty well in the middleweights. Maybe a future project!" - — Dan Danknick, reflecting on Alexander's 1997 campaign and reliability issues[13]
Results[]
ALEXANDER - RESULTS | ||
1997 US Championship | ||
Middleweight Face-Off Runner-up | ||
Round 1 | vs. Stuffie | Won |
Round 2 | vs. Anubis | Won |
Semi-Final | vs. Hyena | Won |
Semi-Final | vs. Pokey | Won |
Final | vs. Vicious-1 | Forfeited |
NOTE: Alexander forfeited the Face-Off final due to damage which could not be repaired in time. | ||
Middleweight Melee Round 1 | ||
Melee | vs. Pokey, Stuffie, Vicious-1 | Qualified |
NOTE: Alexander later withdrew from the Melee competition due to serious internal damage. |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 5
- Losses: 1
NOTE: Alexander's forfeit from the Middleweight Face-Off is considered to be a loss. Alexander's Melee, where it survived the full duration, is also treated as a win.
Series Record[]
1994-1997 US Competitions[]
Events | Alexander Event Record |
---|---|
1994 | Did not enter |
1995 | Did not enter |
1996 | Entered with Agamemnon |
1997 | Middleweight Runner-up (Face-Off) Middleweight Melee, Round 1 Entered with The Ominous Brick of Havoc |
UK Series[]
Series | Alexander 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 | Alexander 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.
Trivia[]
- According to the Team Delta website, Alexander was at one point considered as a invitational entry for Robot Wars: The First Wars. Had this gone ahead, this would have made it one of the few US Robot Wars competitors to have competed in the UK television show. Ultimately, the 'opportunity' for Alexander to compete would not materialize.[13]
Honours[]
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 'Team Delta 1997', Team Delta website
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 2.4 'Contestants: Middleweight Class', 4th Annual Robot Wars (1997) souvenir programme, p.3
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 3.4 3.5 3.6 3.7 'Robot Wars 1997: Middleweight The Alexander Demo', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 14 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 4.4 4.5 4.6 'The Alexander', Team Delta website
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 5.5 'The Alexander: June Status', Team Delta website
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 'MATCH: THE ALEXANDER VS POKEY', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 7.5 'MIDDLEWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 1', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 'The Alexander: January 1997 Status', Team Delta website
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 'The Alexander: May Status', Team Delta website
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 'The Alexander: March Status' Team Delta website
- ↑ 11.0 11.1 'The Alexander: April Status', Team Delta website
- ↑ 12.0 12.1 12.2 'The Alexander: July Status', Team Delta website
- ↑ 13.0 13.1 13.2 13.3 13.4 'The Alexander: August Status', Team Delta website
- ↑ 'The Alexander: Late February Status', Team Delta website
- ↑ 15.0 15.1 15.2 15.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match The Alexander versus Stuffy', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 17 2021
- ↑ 16.0 16.1 16.2 16.3 'Robot Wars 1997 - Alexander vs Stuffie', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded April 23 2009
- ↑ 17.0 17.1 17.2 17.3 'MATCH: THE ALEXANDER VS STUFFIE', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 'The Alexander: The Event 1997', Team Delta website
- ↑ 19.0 19.1 19.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: The Alexander versus Anubis', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 21 2021
- ↑ 20.0 20.1 20.2 'MATCH: THE ALEXANDER VS ANUBIS', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 21.0 21.1 21.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: The Alexander versus Hyena', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 6 2021
- ↑ 22.0 22.1 22.2 'MATCH: THE ALEXANDER VS HYENA', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 23.0 23.1 23.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight match: Pokey versus The Alexander', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 8 2021
- ↑ 24.0 24.1 'VICIOUS-1', Team Vicious website (archived)
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1997 bonus video: Vicious-1 is awarded Middleweight champion', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 9 2021
- ↑ 26.0 26.1 26.2 26.3 26.4 'Robot Wars 1997 Middleweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 10 2021
External Links[]
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