- "So what is "bone".
After spending too much time down the local machinists, I noticed these offcuts. Sometimes a weapon jumps out at you, so "bone" was born." - — Adam Clark on the inspiration behind Bone[2]
Bone (also stylised as bone[2]) was the third robot built by Adam Clark to prospectively enter Robot Wars. Entering construction in 1999,[3] it was assembled while Clark competed in Series 3 with an updated Corporal Punishment.
Bone makes a brief cameo appearance in the Series 4 War of Independence special, where it can be seen in the background on a Pit bench during Panic Attack's team introduction. Though suggested by Adam Clark to have been present in the show for potential reserve spots, Bone would not appear in any televised competitions.[4]
Adam Clark had previously fought with Vector of Armageddon in Series 1 and an earlier incarnation of Corporal Punishment in Series 2, and would later enter Series 5 with Wowot and Series 6 with 259. He would also abandon an attempt to enter Twister into Series 4 after being unable to attend the Robot Mayhem qualifiers.[5] Incidentally, Bone's creation would help influence the design for 259, with an early version using a 'makeshift' disc formed out of Bone's blades.[6]
Design[]
Bone was a unusually-shaped two-wheeled robot armed with three large vertical spinning blades at the front. Mounted to a single 3-inch shaft, the blades took up much of the robot's size and each incorporated a pair of symmetrical 'knife'-like tips. According to Adam Clark, the design of these cutting blades was derived from aluminium[4] offcuts left over from an earlier machining project. Internally, Bone was to have repurposed drive motors originally used by Corporal Punishment, with the blades being driven by a 'v-belt' weapon system powered by a 'CBR' motorbike starter motor; a Vantec speed controller is also suggested to have been used.[2][7][8] An archived capture of the Dangerous Machines website lists Bone as utilising 'gearhead' drive motors and Yuasa batteries, the latter being positioned to act as 'counterweights' for the cutters, powered by a 'CBR 600' starter motor.[1][8]
The main body consisted of a Y-shaped chassis made out of 3-inch metal tubing and clamps, supported by extra castor wheels at the front and a triangular 'drag tail' at the back. Alongside a multitude of strengthening brackets, 1/8-inch steel panels were used as base and side plates, with extra tread plates being riveted to the top and sides of the 'tail'. The base panel was later swapped for a tread plate type at a later point in construction. Other armour materials suggested to have been used included 3mm Lexan for 'internal re-inforcement', and neoprene in between the chassis and motors.[7][8]
Alongside the cutting blades, Adam Clark designed Bone to incorporate a possible secondary weapon in the 'drag tail'. This was to have been an 'electric screwdriver lift' operated through a Team Delta RCE220 relay switch, though Clark also considered a more potent pneumatic variant powered by a Sodastream-based system. Build diaries from the official Bone website suggest that the 'tail lift' had yet to be fabricated by the time the rest of the robot was being assembled; it is unknown whether this component had been completed and fitted by the time of its known applications.[7][8]
Qualification[]
Very little information is available surrounding Bone's potential attempts to qualify for the show. In his web diaries for 259, Adam Clark infers that it was present backstage with the aim of being selected as a substitute.[4]
Bone's background cameo during the Series 4 War of Independence
- "Some time ago I made a cheap and quick vertical spinner called Bone which was amongst the very first large vertical spinners. It never competed although you can see it in some early RW shows sitting on a back bench in case I managed to get a reserve place. That was pretty much it, except for some testing in the garden where it actually appeared to be pretty dangerous which considering it only had aluminium disks went against the grain a bit."
- — Adam Clark[4]
Bone itself was present at filming for the Series 4 War of Independence, though it is unclear whether it was considered for a reserve spot in the main series. Needless to say, it would not compete in any Robot Wars events and was effectively succeeded by 259.
Series Record[]
| Main Series | Bone Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Entered with Vector of Armageddon |
| The Second Wars | Entered with Corporal Punishment |
| The Third Wars | Entered with Corporal Punishment |
| The Fourth Wars | Attended filming Missed qualifiers with Twister |
| The Fifth Wars | Entered with Wowot |
| The Sixth Wars | Entered with 259 |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
| Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
| Series 1 | Did not enter |
| Series 2 | Entered with 259 (Middleweight) |
NOTE: 259-Horizontal and The Skinner may have attempted to enter Series 7 and 9 respectively, but this is not confirmed.
Trivia[]
- Through its cameo appearance in Series 4, Bone leaves Twister as the only Adam Clark machine not to appear on Robot Wars.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 'RobotWars, Robot Wars and Dangerous Machines - Armoury and our Robots', Dangerous Machines website (Tinweb) (archived 8 March 2000)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 'good bone', Bone website (archived 21 July 2001)
- ↑ 'Building Status', Dangerous Machines website (Tinweb) (archived 6 October 1999)
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 'DMachine :: 259 :: Vertical Spinner', Dangerous Machines website (archived 10 August 2003)
- ↑ 'Robot Wars Discussion Board', Tinweb discussion forum on Robot Mayhem (archived)
- ↑ 'DMachine :: 259 :: Vertical Spinner' [April Build], Dangerous Machines website (archived 17 October 2003)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 'bad bone', Bone website (archived 21 July 2001)
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 'dirty bone', Bone website (archived 21 July 2001)