Arsenic

Arsenic
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996
Team Information
Team Members	Steven J. Winter
Sponsors	Island Graphics
From	California
Robot Statistics
Weight	18.25lbs
Weapons	Lifting Scoop
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"Bad For You!"

— Team Slogan

Arsenic was a featherweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. Though eliminated in the first rounds of the Featherweight Face-Off and Melee events, it won a Grudge Match against Spunkey Munkey and an 'experimental team bout', the latter partnered alongside KMM, My Little Pony and The X-2.

Two of Arsenic's battles - its Featherweight Melee and Grudge Match - were featured in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS.

Design

"I built this robot in my garage with the help of a couple of friends. I have a wedge shape on the front... maybe I can, like, ram somebody. But if not, I have sort of a scooper on the back... can just get underneath them and just, like, flip them up."

— Steven J. Winter summarizes Arsenic's main design features

Arsenic with Steven J. Winter

Arsenic was a four-wheeled robot with an aluminum chassis and a hand-painted carbon fiber bodyshell. Internally, it was based on the layout of a 'large scale' remote-controlled car, with a powered axle for the rear wheels and a steering mechanism for the front. Arsenic's main weapon was a large rear lifter, described as a 'scooper' by builder Steven J. Winter. The 'scooper' incorporated three ground-scraping red forks, and, while slow to actuate, proved highly effective in combat.

Arsenic's rounded shell incorporated two additional castors and a front wedge shape for pushing and ramming opponents, though the lifter remained its primary means of offense. The hand-painted black, florescent green, white and red paint scheme incorporated a 'skull and crossbones' motif, sponsorship decals for Island Graphics, and the robot's name and slogan.

During Steven J. Winter's interview in American Robot Wars 1996, Arsenic's lifter had a temporary white paint scheme, with black and yellow hazard stripes at the base of the main panel.

Etymology

Arsenic was named after the chemical element of the same name, which is known for being highly poisonous to carbon-based lifeforms including humans. This was even acknowledged in the robot's aesthetics through the front slogan "Bad For You" and top 'skull and crossbones' artwork; the latter commonly used as a hazard symbol to identify toxic substances.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

Arsenic began its 1996 campaign in the Featherweight Face-Off, where it was drawn against fellow newcomer Bite Me in the opening round. This was one of a number of 'Dual Matches' to take place in this category, occurring alongside Black Sheep 2 vs Nezumi.

From the outset, Arsenic was pushed into the arena corner multiple times by Bite Me, before the two competitors exchanged multiple rams and found themselves in the center. There, it was grabbed and pushed around in circles by Bite Me, which controlled Arsenic into an arena flipper and the wall. Arsenic, still unable to escape, was rammed into a mousetrap, which swatted both robots, then behind the upper-most flipper, taking hits from the hazard which also damaged Bite Me's weaponry.

Some time passed before Arsenic was pushed back towards the perimeter wall section, and Bite Me finally separated itself from it. This respite was not to last; Arsenic was pushed and pinned against the same flipper by Bite Me, and chased across the arena upon being released. Another pin behind the flipper paddle left Arsenic trapped as the battle entered the final minute, with Bite Me ultimately emerging as the winner. Arsenic was eliminated from the Featherweight Face-Off as a result.

In the Featherweight Melee tournament, Arsenic was drawn into a seven-way preliminary rumble, facing Red 2, Triple Redundancy, Spiny Norman, Slomo 3, Rampage and Roach. This was one of two of the robot's battles to be extensively highlighted in American Robot Wars 1996.

Arsenic attempts to lift Red 2

Initially, it demonstrated a tentative approach to the Melee, backing into the wall on the left side of the lower mousetrap. Arsenic, however, successfully dodged an attempt by Triple Redundancy to snare it in its tape reels. Moments later, Arsenic pinned and lifted Rampage near the upper mousetrap while the latter experienced intermittent radio issues, then unsuccessfully tried to turn Red 2 over with its lifter. Not long after, Slomo 3 rammed and chased Arsenic back a few times, before the pair encountered one of the larger Triple Redundancy segments.

After Slomo 3 tried to drive under and lure the Triple Redundancy clusterbot onto its own tape trail, Arsenic pushed it aside as the Melee entered its halfway point. Arsenic was then rammed into the left side wall, being turned around and pinned in place for several seconds. Both robots were then whacked and temporarily pinned by the upper-left flipper, until Slomo 3 broke free and sped into one of the Triple Redundancy segments. Arsenic, however, played no further part in the Melee, which was ultimately won by Slomo 3.

Arsenic also fought in two battles which did not form part of the main championships. The first of these was a head-to-head Grudge Match against Spunkey Munkey, which was also featured in American Robot Wars 1996.

Arsenic lifts Spunky Munkey

This featherweight Grudge Match started slowly, with Spunky Munkey and Arsenic tentatively clipping each other during the first head-to-head joust. Arsenic backed and turned around within the center, while Spunky Munkey stopped opposite the left-most side wall. Gary Cline's machine was hesitant to move, allowing Arsenic to ram and slowly lift it from the right-rear corner. Spunky Munkey slipped off the end of Arsenic's scoop, only to drive into the moving wall section.

Arsenic seized the opportunity to lift Spunky Munkey a second time, hooking it underneath the front-right corner. A shove from the wall section caused the former's left-most fork to go through the space where Spunky Munkey's lifter was housed. Spunky Munkey's wheels spun helplessly, and the arms on the motorized monkey figure continuously punched in thin air as Arsenic pinned it in place.

Alongside the aforementioned Grudge Match, Arsenic was also involved in an 'experimental team bout', where it was allocated to Team W alongside KMM, My Little Pony and The X-2. The four robots would fight Melvin, Spike, Spiny Norman and WYSIWYG on Team X. Prior to the battle, Team W had decided to eliminate Spike first as it was deemed to be their strongest threat.

Arsenic and KMM jointly attack Spike

In a bid to fulfil their strategy, Arsenic teamed up with KMM to attack Spike, lifting it while the latter grappled and hammered away at Spike's Lexan shell. A clip of this exchange was included in the opening montage for American Robot Wars 1996, placing particular emphasis on KMM's axe attacks. Arsenic kept holding Spike up in place for several moments, prompting The X-2 to drive up its 'front' wedge in an attempt to free it. WYSIWYG also rammed Arsenic from the left-hand side, again with little effect.

Arsenic and Spike remained stuck together; the former was later rammed a few more times by the future UK Series stock robot. After a few minutes, Arsenic finally released Spike, which now sat motionless. It proceeded to crawl across the arena, pushing and lifting the entangled Spiny Norman under a mousetrap. The tape - initially left behind by My Little Pony - had the effect of hampering Arsenic's movements, as it proceeded to drag and push Spiny Norman around, then attempted to drive towards the other side of the arena. KMM also became entangled, drawing Arsenic closer towards it while trying to break through the tape.

During the closing moments, Arsenic pinned itself on Melvin, after which it was announced that all Team X machines had become immobilized or pinned. As such, the entirety of Team W - including Arsenic - was confirmed to have won the 'team bout'.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 2
• Losses: 2

Series Record

Events	Arsenic Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Featherweight Face-Off, Round 1 Featherweight Melee, Round 1
1997	Did not enter

External Links

• Arsenic on the official US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)