Ankle Biter (sometimes spelled Anklebiter) was a heavyweight robot which competed exclusively in the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. Due to multiple technical issues, along with an unfinished weapon system, it was retired from the event following its solitary Heavyweight Face-Off loss to La Machine.[3][4]
Design[]
Ankle Biter was a two-wheel drive robot with a silver aluminum shell and an electric drive system. A set of 'right angle gearmotors' powered each wheel via chain drives; the wheels themselves were fitted with pneumatic tires. Originally, Ankle Biter was intended to be armed with an array of five abrasive cutting discs. The weapon system would be powered by an internal combustion engine and placed at the back, complementing the robot's front wedge-shaped profile. However, the saw array was incomplete upon arrival and could not be made functional, forcing Ankle Biter to rely on its wedge shape only. A lack of self-righting capabilities made Ankle Biter especially vulnerable against lifting weapons or other robots with similar wedges and ramming surfaces. Ultimately, the use of a homemade, but also 'unfinished' and unreliable speed controller proved to be Ankle Biter's main downfall.[2]
Robot History[]
1997 US Championship[]
La Machine topples Ankle Biter over
In the first round of the Heavyweight Face-Off, Ankle Biter faced La Machine. Ankle Biter entered this battle in a partially-complete state, minus its cutting saw weaponry. A malfunctioning control system left John McKenzie's entry spinning and coasting erratically into the lower-right corner, while La Machine closed in from the left-hand side. La Machine backed up against the nearby flipper and bulldozed Ankle Biter into the wall, turning it over in an instant. Greg Munson and Trey Roski's machine spun around in victory before pinning the defeated Ankle Biter against the same wall.[3][4]
After this match, the lack of functioning speed controllers and weaponry caused Ankle Biter to completely drop out of the competition.
Results[]
| ANKLE BITER - RESULTS | ||
| 1997 US Championship | ||
| Heavyweight Face-Off First Round | ||
| First Round | vs. La Machine | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Events | Ankle Biter Event Record |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Did Not Enter |
| 1995 | Did Not Enter |
| 1996 | Did not Enter |
| 1997 | Heavyweight Round 1 |
Outside Robot Wars[]
Ankle Biter would fare much better in rival show BattleBots, where it had downgraded to a Middleweight. In the 1999 Long Beach event, Ankle Biter beat Turtle Road Kill, SlapPest and Scorpion Beta 3 but losing to Son of Smashy and Turtle Road Kill in a separate match. Season 1.0 to 4.0 saw Ankle Biter lose in the first battle for each season, however, Season 5.0 saw Ankle Biter's best performance where it reached the Quarter Finals, beating Adult Supervision is Required, Pokey, Timmy, Moebius, El Diablo and The Master before losing to Turtle. Ankle Biter was popular enough to also received merchandise in the form of a minibot toy and a MacDonalds pullback.
Ankle Biter would eventually be redesigned into Chronos which fought in the Steel Conflict.
References[]
- ↑ 'Contestants: Heavyweight Class', 4th Annual Robot Wars (1997) souvenir programme, p.4
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 2.3 'ANKLE BITER', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'MATCH: La Machine vs Anklebiter', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 'Robot Wars 1997 Heavyweight match: La Machine versus Ankle Biter', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 18 2021
External Links[]
[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||