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King Ludd was a competitor robot which was intended to enter Series 5 of Robot Wars. Although it was partially finished and allocated a place in the official qualifiers,[1] it would not compete in the televised series.

Design[]

By summer 2001, King Ludd had entered a relatively advanced stage of construction, with details and images of its design being shared on two versions of the team's website.[2][3] Driven by two aluminium wheels with solid 10-inch rubber tyres,[4] it featured a welded frame and was to be armed with two hydraulically-powered weapons - a lifter, and a large spiked crushing claw.[5] Originally, the hydraulics were to be operated by a pump sourced from a lifting platform, though weight restrictions forced The Luddites to obtain a lighter closed-circuit system that lacked a reservoir.[4] Though not much is known about the remainder of King Ludd's drive system, the team credited the unknown owner of a local wheelchair shop, suggesting that it utilised components from these.[6]

King Ludd's drive and weapon systems were fully completed by August that year, allowing it to undertake several tests within the team's workshop. The hydraulic-powered weaponry was demonstrated to have excellent gripping, piercing and lifting capabilities, with a high reach and the ability to carry all three of its team members with minimal difficulty.[7]

Etymology[]

King Ludd was named after "Edward Ludd"[8] and the team taking the nickname "The Luddites" to further reference the legend.

Qualification[]

In a post on the archived Robot Wars forums, Barry Emmett stated that King Ludd had been selected to appear at Elstree Studios on 23 August 2001, in preparation for the later Series 5 qualifiers.[1] However, it is unclear whether the robot was finished in time to qualify, or, if it was, how well it performed. Needless to say, King Ludd would not compete in the televised Fifth Wars, and The Luddites are not known to have attempted similar entries into further series of Robot Wars.

Series Record[]

King ludd logo

Logo for King Ludd and The Luddites

Series King Ludd Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars Did not enter
The Fourth Wars Did not enter
The Fifth Wars Unknown
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

Trivia[]

  • The robot was originally planned to be named "Crush 'n' Carry"[9] to reflect its lifting/crushing weapons. However, its finalised identity was left to a vote, in which "King Ludd" - the other available option - won.

References[]

External Links[]

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