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C3 was a featherweight robot which fought exclusively in the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. In the Featherweight Face-Off, it reached the second round of the main bracket, where it was eliminated by defending champion Wedge of Doom.[4][5][6] C3 also took part in the Featherweight Melee tournament, but was immobilized and eliminated in the first round after suffering electrical problems.[7][8][9]

Design[]

C3 insides

The internals of C3

Largely built from assorted spare parts obtained by F.J. Crandell and his team, C3 was a green two-wheel drive robot with a 'thick' composite shell made from fiberglass and Styrofoam, attached to a plywood baseplate. The color, shape and rounded surfaces of the finished robot lead Crandell himself to liken it to a 'beefed-up steroid lizard'.[2][3]

A rechargeable NiCad drill battery provided power for the Makita trim saw motors, themselves driving the two foam tire wheels through a 'homemade' electro-mechanical controller setup. The latter incorporated servo mechanisms - reused from an RC car - for forward and reverse drive on each side, allowing for tank-type steering. Variable resistors were sourced from 12V power drills, with the drive assemblies also incorporating copper wiring and antenna sections.[2][3]

At the core of C3's design was a large spring-loaded ram, which relied on a lead-screw mechanism and a rechargeable screwdriver motor for auto-retraction and reloading. Damage was inflicted to opponents through a spiked tip, which was fixed onto the leading end of the ram itself. As well as retracting quickly, the ram mechanism could fire automatically through a 'variable' mechanical trigger, placed on the right of the ram's opening. Contact with opponents would push the trigger back, in turn pushing the Genie garage door opener servo and allowing the ram to fire forwards at high speed. On multiple occasions, the weapon was powerful enough to dent and puncture armor panels with ease.[2][3]

Robot History[]

1997 US Championship[]

In the first round of the featherweight face-off, C3 faced Bad Monkey. Both robots met in their half of the center; C3 rammed, pushed and chased Bad Monkey towards the upper-right corner, standing up against the latter's electric cutter in the process. Seconds later, Bad Monkey collided with the upper wall, which was enough to dislodge 'an overheated solder joint' and immobilize Gary Cline's machine. The soon-to-be-victorious C3 took advantage of Bad Monkey's predicament by shoving and denting its back panel with its spear. Long after its opponent had been defeated, it kept moving across the arena while occasionally firing its spring-powered weapon.[10][11]

As the winners of both 'Dual Matches' were being announced, C3's builder, F.J. Crandell, rushed over to inspect his machine. The same arena announcement described C3 as 'smoky', possibly suggesting that it had suffered a burnout or other similar internal damage.[10][11]

In the winner’s bracket, C3 faced the current featherweight champion, Wedge of Doom. Ahead of this battle, the top shell of C3 was removed to allow an extra battery to be installed. This was so that F.J. Crandell could maximise the robot's speed against the reigning Featherweight Face-Off champion; Crandell felt that the shell had little purpose in this matchup.[5][4]

Both robots weaved past each other in the opening seconds, though it did not take long before Wedge of Doom bumped, then rammed C3 at high speed against the wall. C3 was almost flipped over as a result, landing over the upper-right flipper, and struggled to escape before Wedge of Doom again pressed it against the 'curb'. However, it remained aggressive, and was able to dent and pierce the shell of Wedge of Doom multiple times with the spear.[4][5][6]

In spite of the damage sustained, Wedge of Doom continued to exploit C3's ground clearance, ramming it against the walls and one of the flippers. A more significant issue would affect C3, however, as F.J. Crandell and his team had not secured its servo battery properly before the fight. As a consequence, the battery became dislodged, trailing and flailing from behind C3 during this exchange. Another shove from the upper-right flipper to the lower spike trap left C3 temporarily immobilized, and its internals vulnerable to multiple attacks from the spike hazard itself.[4][5][6]

Wedge of Doom proceeded to collect and ram C3 into the flippers twice more, then into the left-most wall at high speed. C3 continued to be battered in the corner by Tony Buchignani's machine, until the battery was removed entirely. Wedge of Doom flipped its now-immobile opponent over onto the 'curb', to an ever-rapturous applause from the crowd.[4][5][6]

C3 also fought in the featherweight melee, in its qualifier melee it faced Wedge of Doom again as well as Gorange, Bot Will Eat Itself, TKO and Bayou Bengle. C3 damaged both the weapon and one of the 'drive units' for Bot Will Eat Itself, leaving Jason Bardis' machine at a severe disadvantage. Wedge of Doom proceeded to shove C3 into the right-most wall.[7][8][9]

Wedgeofdoom vs c3

Wedge of Doom rams C3 during the melee

On the other side of the arena, Bayou Bengle engaged in a ramming match with TKO and Gorange. TKO drove away, eventually confronting Wedge of Doom as both robots entered a four-way tussle also involving Bayou Bengle and C3. Bayou Bengle rammed Gorange, C3 and TKO in quick succession, only to be shepherded and thrown against the upper wall by Wedge of Doom. Gorange slowly pushed C3 towards the upper-left flipper; Wedge of Doom drove straight into the pair, spinning into the reach of the flipper on impact.[7][8][9]

Wedge of Doom began pushing C3 again, past TKO and an increasingly inactive Bot Will Eat Itself. The pair separated, with C3 dodging another charge from Gorange as TKO rammed Bot Will Eat Itself again. While trying to pressure the latter two opponents, C3 was collected by Wedge of Doom once more, and rammed multiple times by Gorange as it retreated into the upper-right corner. Wedge of Doom scooped Gorange up, before pushing C3 into the lower-right flipper. Wedge of Doom spun around near the lower-right corner, bumping Gorange while TKO crashed into C3. C3 rammed a spinning Bot Will Eat Itself, with Gorange unsuccessfully trying to prise the two machines apart. TKO pushed Gorange away, with Wedge of Doom circling around its sparring opponents for some time.[7][8][9]

C3 backed into Wedge of Doom, and was pushed into the lower wall once again. Wedge of Doom held F.J. Crandell's machine on its front scoop for several seconds, before letting it escape. With C3 having slowed down to a crawl due to electrical issues, Tony Buchignani's machine delivered it into the upper-left corner, where it remained immobile.

Results[]

C3 - RESULTS
1997 US Championship
Featherweight Face-Off
Round 2
Round 1 vs. Bad Monkey Won
Round 2 vs. Wedge of Doom Lost
Featherweight Melee
Round 1
Melee, Round 1 vs. Bayou Bengle, Bot Will Eat Itself, Gorange, TKO, Wedge of Doom Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 1
  • Losses: 2

Series Record[]

Events C3 Event Record
1994 Did not enter
1995 Did not enter
1996 Did not enter
1997 Featherweight Face-Off, Round 2
Featherweight Melee, Round 1

References[]

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