Pokey

Pokey
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996-1997
Team Information
Team	BoilerBots
Team Members	Curt Meyers
From	San Jose, California
Other Entries	Kill-O-Amp (1997)
Robot Statistics
Weight	88lbs (1996)
Dimensions	28" x 18" x 20"
Power	2x wet cell batteries (1996) 4x gel cell batteries (1997)
Drive	4x gearmotors
Weapons	Pneumatic forklift; Pneumatic rear spike (1996 only)
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"Ever since I saw a clip of Robot Wars 1994 on [Discovery] channel's "Next Step" I have dreampt [sic] of being able to compete in this great event. Living in Indiana made this dream a little difficult, but now that I had graduated and was moving to San Jose I knew it was time. I already had a base for a robot from the "Wasteland" competition and figured that I could add weapons to it for Robot Wars. I sent in my entry fee and registered before I graduated. I will make an attempt at describing the event and my own personal robot."

— Curt Meyers on his inspiration to build Pokey

Pokey was a middleweight robot which fought in the 1996 and 1997 Robot Wars competitions.

Built and entered by the BoilerBots team - lead by Curt Meyers - the original 1996 incarnation was eliminated in the first round of the Middleweight Face-Off, despite performing strongly against Scrappy. It would also lose the Middleweight Melee to Agamemnon after suffering an internal malfunction, but claim its first victory in a Grudge Match against Satoru Special 3. Pokey's Face-Off battle would be among those highlighted in the official American Robot Wars 1996 VHS release.

An updated Pokey would enjoy greatly improved results in 1997. Initially, it won two battles to reach the Middleweight Face-Off Semi-Finals, before losing to Alexander on an audience vote. Pokey's first victory directly resulted in Vicious-1 - the category's eventual 1997 Face-Off champion - being consigned to the Loser's Bracket after the opening round. In the Middleweight Melee, Pokey qualified alongside Vicious-1 for the tournament final, only for both to lose the audience vote to Turtle Roadkiller.

Design

"Overall the robot weighted [sic] 88 lbs. I was sturdy enough that my girlfriend and I could sit on it and ride. The center of gravity was very low. The bot could be tipped 45 degrees before it would begin to fall. I could stand on the lift and it would pick me up and throw me. The spike could small holes in the T6 Aluminum I had. The robot had enough power and traction to easily push a box of books I had. The box probably weighed 50 lbs."

— Team BoilerBots on the build

Pokey in the arena

Pokey was a tall box-shaped robot with four-wheel drive and a completely aluminum construction. Armor consisted of 50mm panels made out of the 6061 T6 grade, attached on all sides of the angle stock frame. Curt Meyers repurposed Pokey's design from Bounty, a weaponless machine he and Dallas Goecker created for the 1995 University of Illinois Engineering Open House Wasteland event.

A pair of pneumatic-powered weapons were added to Bounty's design to form Pokey in its combat-ready state. The front of Pokey was equipped with a large 'forklift' arm, built from a 'ball-bearing drawer slide'. Using a 12-inch stroke and 1.5-inch bore cylinder, the arm was capable of lifting around 250lbs on a liquid CO₂ system, and retracting through the force of gravity alone. At the back, an 8-inch spike with a 1.75-inch bore was fitted, with a reported thrust of 350lbs and the capability to punch through T6-grade aluminum. The spike cylinder was of a 'double acting' type, but employed a spring retraction mechanism to compensate for difficulties with access to its 'return' port. A 2.5lb CO₂ tank was installed to allow for both weapons to have a large gas reserve available. Flexible copper tubing was used as a means to prevent the CO₂ from freezing.

Internally, Pokey utilized gearmotor assemblies for each wheel, each sourced from electric ride-on toy cars. Two large wet-cell batteries - each from a motorcycle - were encased in conveyor belt sections and 1/8-inch Lexan panels. The robot's functionality was originally provided by an Intel 80C196KB-based microcontroller board, and a relay-based motor driver board with FETs. While providing the robot with 'good speed and manuverability [sic]' according to Andrew Lindsey, the arrangement lead to occasional interference from noise generated by the drive motors. Pokey itself was also prone to balancing issues whenever it tried to lift opponents up. Combined with its high ground clearance and top-heavy shape, this often caused the whole robot to topple onto its side if not enough weight was being applied to its forklift blade. The latter issue would be rectified following Pokey's Face-Off loss, through the addition of 10-inch stabilizer bars on each side.

Pokey's 1997 incarnation from the front; note the missing armor panels

While Pokey maintained its shape and forklift weaponry for the 1997 competition, the robot underwent multiple external and internal changes. Notably, it was missing much of its front and rear armor, along with the top panel, the latter making Pokey especially vulnerable against the overhead spike hazards. Pokey's original microcontroller assembly was exchanged for a new set incorporating servos and microswitches. Time constraints lead to the rear spike (also referred to as a 'punch') being discarded altogether, along with a planned self-righting mechanism. To comply with new rule changes, a set of four gel cell batteries was installed in place of the now-outlawed wet-cell lead acid packs. The gel cells enabled Pokey to run for around 6-7 minutes on a full charge, while also allowing more weight to be saved over the previous year's incarnation. An internal on/off switch, repurposed from a small knife, was also added to Pokey's circuitry in accordance with the 1997 rules.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

Pokey made its Robot Wars debut in the 1996 Middleweight Face-Off, facing Scrappy in the first round.

"Scrappy, which is made from, uh... scraps, did not have an easy time against Pokey, which looks more like a converted food trolley."

— Paul Vallis on the opening moments of Pokey's debut battle

Both robots charged into each other almost immediately. Driving backwards, Pokey got underneath, pushed and flicked Scrappy twice with its forklift arm. Two more shoves allowed it to pin Jim Clark's machine against the moving bumper, while almost removing its bodyshell entirely. Pokey then lifted Scrappy a third time from the front-left corner. However, the force of the lift - along with the resulting low weight distribution - caused it to topple onto its side, with Scrappy perched on its lifter blade. With both robots incapacitated, the audience chanted for a rematch, which was quickly called by the Judges.

The second attempt began similarly to the first, with both robots approaching and drawing close to each other near the center. Pokey tried, without success, to get underneath Scrappy from the left-hand side. An attempt to get its rear spike into use also proved short-lived, as it shuttled back and forth between Scrappy and the upper mousetrap. Pokey pushed Scrappy backwards and chased it towards the lower flipper. There, it closed in and jolted Scrappy backwards with the spike, though seemingly without causing any major damage. In turn, it would end up being chased towards the center, after which Scrappy found itself pinned under a nearby mousetrap.

Pokey is upended by the mousetrap following the restart

Pokey attempted to capitalize on Scrappy's misfortune, lifting and prising its shell open once again. As soon as the forklift fired upwards, however, Pokey toppled onto its side, with Scrappy again pinned between it and the mousetrap. Pokey, unable to self-right, was eliminated from the Middleweight Face-Off as a result.

"It looked like the mousetrap hazard gave Scrappy a helping hand to upend Pokey."

— Paul Vallis

Although the battle was fought twice, the American Robot Wars 1996 highlights only consisted of selected clips from both attempts.

"Well all hope wasn't lost. I still had the Melee. The next day I came back with the new improved Pokey. I wasn't going out the same way twice. I added stabilizer bars that stuck out the sides 10 inches. There was no way I was tipping over again. Anticipating something else would fail, I tested all day long. Everything seemed ready. It was time for the Melee and there were 5 left for the middleweight class. The Melee started and I was pumped. I planned on killing everyone else except the Ag first."

— Curt Meyers on the Middleweight Melee

Pokey would later fight Scrappy again in the Middleweight Melee, also involving Satoru Special 3 and the top two Face-Off finishers - Agamemnon and Traxx. To prevent a repeat of its Round 1 loss, side 'stabilizer bars' were added and the robot extensively tested to iron out any potential reliability issues. Curt Meyers had set to eliminate all robots but Agamemnon first, after which he intended to battle the recently-crowned Face-Off champion in a head-to-head duel.

The five robots scrambled to the center of the arena. Pokey joined Traxx and Agamemnon in attacking Satoru Special 3, before shuffling back and forth in a bid to pin Scrappy. After some time, it distanced itself from the building pile-up as Agamemnon pushed Traxx and Satoru Special 3 to the other side. As it became apparent that both Traxx and Satoru Special 3 had already become immobilized, Pokey attempted to attack and pin the pair simultaneously. In doing so, it took whacks from the nearby flipper, before retreating to line up another ram.

While returning into the corner and trying to lift one of its opponents, Pokey suddenly became unresponsive to Curt Meyers' controls. It became apparent that the robot's microcontroller had 'froze', leaving it completely immobilized. Pokey's malfunction had proven costly, as Agamemnon, having pinned Scrappy against the wall nearby, soon emerged as the 1996 Middleweight Melee champion.

"The Ag got off easy! He pinned the one robot left and was declared the winner. I am sure I could have defeated him, if my bot would not have failed. It turns out the the micro froze. I simply pressed the reset button and it was alive again. Hmmmm, guess I should have put the two lines of code in that would have enabled the on-board watchdog timer. Don't worry Pokey fans, I plan on bringing him back next year!"

— Curt Meyers

In addition to the main tournaments, Pokey also fought a one-off 'Grudge Match' against Satoru Special 3. As in the Melee, it was equipped with the stabilizing outriggers.

As the battle began, Pokey did not initially move from its starting position. The Judges deliberated on whether or not to eliminate it on this basis, until it suddenly began moving and rammed Satoru Special 3 into an arena corner. Pokey attempted to spear through Satoru Special 3's wooden armor, without success, before proceeding to 'lift and drop' it with its forklift arm. This attack caused Satoru Special 3 to get beached on its own anti-wedge spikes. With its opponent immobilized, Pokey would take its first-ever Robot Wars win.

1997 US Championship

As in the previous year, the modified Pokey would compete in both the 1997 Middleweight Face-Off and Middleweight Melee tournaments. In the Face-Off, it battled newcomer Vicious-1 in the opening round.

Before the match was due to start, Pokey received last-minute control adjustments, resulting in a delay. Further problems awaited as it was being powered on in the arena. Pokey suddenly moved forwards, driving into Vicious-1's 'spinning pipe' weapon and sustaining damage as a result. Both competitors were able to make the delayed start, regardless.

Within the opening seconds, Pokey drove into the front of Vicious-1, briefly flicking and halting the weapon of Mike Regan's machine. It hesitated to attack further, however, firing its forklift into thin air as Vicious-1 retaliated with a backwards shove. Pokey, repeatedly scooped up by Vicious-1's wedge shape, soon found itself in a tentative chase across the arena. After driving into one of the flippers, it managed to push Vicious-1 from the back towards the wall. Despite having lost the use of its forklift, Pokey's shove was enough to force Vicious-1 against the 'curb' surrounding one of the spike traps.

Pokey kept ramming Vicious-1 as the latter tried to free itself, while tanking more blows from Vicious-1's still-spinning weapon. None of its shoves were sufficient to free Vicious-1 from the wall, though the latter's 'spinning pipe' would eventually stop working. Over two minutes passed before the Judges and Michael Meehan requested signs of mobility from Vicious-1. With Vicious-1 unable to fulfil these requests, Pokey, spinning slowly in either direction, was confirmed to have taken its first win by knockout.

In the second round of the main bracket, Pokey faced Satoru Special IV - the latest incarnation of its former Melee rival.

Starting in reverse, it twitched a short distance and backed up towards the lower wall. An early attempt to use the forklift against Satoru Special IV proved unsuccessful. Pokey resorted to nudging the otherwise-sluggish Satoru Special IV, whose own side-mounted pickaxes had minimal effect on its aluminum armor. Following an equally tentative exchange - marked by more shoves and rams - Pokey hoisted Satoru Special IV up from the side, before proceeding to push it again. In turn, Satoru Special IV tried to grab Pokey with its axes, again with very little damage.

By this point, Pokey began experiencing control issues, backing into the wall and taking swipes from a nearby flipper paddle. Under further pressure from Satoru Special IV - which turned and bumped into Pokey - it veered into the spike hazards, one of which briefly speared through its exposed top. Pokey, however, was seemingly unaffected. Following a few more tentative nudges, it flicked and pressured the increasingly-unresponsive Satoru Special IV between the upper-right perimeter and arena center, then against the side wall. Further attempts to lift Satoru Special IV were less successful, causing Pokey to briefly tip forwards.

The second of these attacks caused Pokey to lift itself on the plywood 'curb', as the nearby flipper pushed both robots lengthways across the perimeter. Pokey attempted to drive off, but got stranded in the process. Some time passed before it flicked away an incoming Satoru Special IV, itself continuing to suffer with drive issues. Moments later, the battle concluded, with the Judges being called to make a decision. While beached on the 'curb' with little movement, the otherwise more aggressive Pokey received the decision and match victory.

Pokey progressed to the Semi-Finals, as one of three middleweights - alongside Alexander and Hyena - remaining in the Winner's Bracket. In the tournament schedule, it was drawn to fight the former, the direct successor to Agamemnon, for a potential place in the overall final.

While starting slower, Pokey approached Alexander from the side as the latter negotiated the lower perimeter. It fired its forklift, but missed, as the Team Delta entry started attacking its aluminum panels, along with the forklift arm, with its milling cutter. Pokey retreated, only to drive under and get caught by the lower spike hazard. A tentative few moments lead to a head-on collision between both robots, after which the battle was momentarily paused for unspecified reasons. On the restart, Pokey continued to be rammed by Alexander, those these collisions had the effect of damaging the mechanism for the latter's cutter arm. As Alexander's saw motor expired, it rammed the former once again, only to drive into the upper-left flipper. Pokey was thus at the mercy of further attacks from Alexander, which proceeded to punch through and dent its armor multiple times with its rear spike.

As the battle continued, Pokey struggled to counter Alexander's onslaught, even as the latter's drive motors overheated and left it with severe mobility issues. Instead, it veered towards Cambot, and was left without a functioning drive on its right-hand side. Neither competitor attacked again for some time, though Pokey began receiving supportive chants from audience members before Alexander rammed it twice more. During the final thirty seconds, Pokey was rammed three more times by Alexander, with both robots surviving to a Judges' decision. On this occasion, the decision lead to an audience vote, which ruled against Pokey. Pokey was thus eliminated from the Middleweight Face-Off, though Alexander was later forced to withdraw and concede the overall title to Vicious-1.

Pokey's Middleweight Melee run saw it fighting both Vicious-1 and Alexander again in the preliminary rounds. The trio would also face Stuffie in a bid to qualify for the overall final.

Vicious-1 gets under Pokey during the melee

The opening seconds saw Pokey clash with Vicious-1, only to take a swipe to its back panel from Alexander's cutter. All four robots gathered in the center and lower-right pocket, with Pokey teaming up with Stuffie to ram Alexander. Moments later, Vicious-1 drove under and hit Pokey's base with its spinner, before gingerly pushing it towards the right-side bumper. This duel continued for some time, with Pokey being pushed into the dishevelled Stuffie, then the upper spike, which repeatedly hooked it in place. Vicious-1 next shoved it into the nearby flipper. Pokey, in its attempt to escape, got spiked through its unarmored top once again, leaving it vulnerable to further pressure from Alexander.

Pokey, Alexander and Stuffie's chassis all piled into each other. Here, Pokey seized the opportunity to lift both opponents at once, though not without lifting itself up in the process. After being attacked by Alexander's 'cutter' once again, it was pushed a few more times by Vicious-1, which pressed Pokey against Alexander until the latter drove away. Once it escaped, Pokey twice lifted Stuffie from the right-hand side, just as the internals and plywood chassis of Benjamin Chapman's machine were subjected to attacks from Alexander. All four robots converged once again opposite the lower-left flipper; Vicious-1 nudged Pokey aside, then scooped under it once more while chasing Alexander back. Pokey was boxed into the left-most wall by both of its remaining opponents, from which Vicious-1 continued pushing it across the arena. Both robots separated, only for Alexander to start ramming them individually.

From that point, Pokey was pinned beneath the lower spike trap by Vicious-1, while also getting rammed from the front-left corner by Alexander. It responded by lifting Mike Regan's machine upwards, and escaped as Alexander rammed both opponents. Pokey rejoined the fray as Alexander drove over the right wheel of Vicious-1, giving the recently-declared runner-up a small lift. All three remaining robots kept bumping into each other during the final ten seconds. Pokey finished the battle by getting pressed against the upper wall by Vicious-1, but was eligible to qualify for the Melee Final through surviving the full duration.

Pokey would join Vicious-1 in the title decider, while Alexander pulled out due to serious internal damage. Together, the two surviving machines faced Satan's Revenge, Satoru Special IV, The Bishop and Turtle Roadkiller from the other first-round Melee, to battle for the overall 1997 crown.

Immediately, Pokey was thrown up into the air by a ram from Turtle Roadkiller, opting to back away from the chaos as the other three machines converged together. This was until it blocked Vicious-1's attempt to drag Satoru Special IV back with its weapon, taking the chance to flick the former onto one wheel. In response, Vicious-1 began pushing Pokey a few times, again resulting in Pokey being impaled by the upper spike. Pokey's fortunes worsened, however, as a blow from Vicious-1's spinner ripped off the tip of its forklift. Without a lifting plate, its weapon was rendered useless, as Turtle Roadkiller proceeded to drive under Pokey a second time amidst a flurry of ramming attacks.

Pokey next pushed Satan's Revenge against the 'curb' for the lower spike, before reversing into Satoru Special IV. A train of four robots briefly developed as Vicious-1 pushed Satoru Special IV back, in turn pinning Pokey and Satan's Revenge against the wall. Pokey recovered by pushing Satoru Special IV into the upper-right corner, continuing to push it across to the other side until the match was paused to free Turtle Roadkiller and Satan's Revenge from the wall. Once the separation was complete, Pokey reversed into The Bishop, pushing it back towards Vicious-1. Stephen Gaudio's machine spun out of the way just in time, resulting in Pokey being scooped up by Vicious-1's wedge shape once again. After a few tentative moments, Pokey rushed into a pile-up involving most of its opponents, backing out seconds before Turtle Roadkiller carried The Bishop on its shell. It then proceeded to push Satoru Special IV and Satan's Revenge forwards, while suffering more spinner blows from Vicious-1. After this, Pokey slowly pushed and pinned The Bishop into the left wall bumper, while firing the remains of its forklift multiple times.

Some time later, Pokey began being pushed from the side by Vicious-1, effectively disrupting its attacks on The Bishop. It broke free and rammed Vicious-1 in return, as the Melee Final entered its final minute. In response, Vicious-1 began pushing both Pokey and The Bishop again, while Turtle Roadkiller had become lodged in the wall 'curb'. A second pause occurred twelve seconds before the match was set to conclude, to enable Lawrence Tan's machine to be freed. Once the match resumed, Pokey was pushed around further by Vicious-1 until time finally ran out. Though Pokey survived and was included in the subsequent audience vote, it would lose the 1997 Middleweight Melee championship to Turtle Roadkiller on the latter basis.

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 4
• Losses: 4

Series Record

Events	Pokey Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Middleweight Face-Off, Round 1 Middleweight Melee
1997	Middleweight Face-Off, Semi-Final Middleweight Melee, Final Entered with Kill-O-Amp

Outside Robot Wars

Bounty, Pokey's original weaponless incarnation, was built in 1995 for Wasteland, an 'open house' engineering event run by the University of Illinois. Equipped with a rotary vacuum cleaner brush, scoop and hopper - for the purpose of collecting and transporting cube 'blocks' - it finished sixth overall out of 40 participating teams, while overcoming multiple technical issues. During its run, Bounty won the fourth and final 'demolition round', pushing the event's "House Bot" off the sumo-esque arena to claim an extra $100 cash prize.

The original Kill-O-Amp

Kill-O-Amp in 1999 and during Season 1.0

Kill-O-Amp in Season 2.0 and 3.0

Following its last US Robot Wars appearance, Pokey entered a short hiatus from robot combat, as Curt Meyers and teammate Amy Sun focused on BattleBots campaigns with their heavyweight Kill-O-Amp.

The original Jaws of Death

Jaws of Death in Season 5.0

Jaws of Death in RoboGames

The team - also referred to as Operation: Boilermaker during this time - would also compete in the superheavyweight division of Comedy Central Seasons 3.0-5.0 with Jaws of Death. Armed with hydraulic crushing jaws and powered by an internal combustion engine, two incarnations of Jaws of Death were built, including a later walking version. The robot would achieve marginal, yet consistent results throughout its BattleBots career, reaching the second preliminary stage in each of its competitive runs. Jaws of Death would also appear at RoboGames 2008, in a red and yellow paint scheme, incurring a 0-3 match record in the 'Round Robin' superheavyweight tournament.

Pokey (BattleBots Season 4.0, 2001)

Sallad, Dallas Goecker's BattleBots lightweight entry

In 2001, an upgraded Pokey was entered into the middleweight division of BattleBots Season 3.0, making further appearances in Seasons 4.0 and 5.0. Still equipped with a front forklift arm, it is documented to have been entered by Dallas Goecker under the Team Sallad name during this period, with Dave Harris helping restore it to fighting condition. Pokey reached the second preliminary round in all three BattleBots attempts, before Comedy Central declined to continue the televised show beyond Season 5.0.

Dallas Goecker was best known for his lightweight entry Sallad, armed with an electric lifter, which originally debuted at the inaugural 1999 Long Beach event. Sallad subsequently fought in all televised Comedy Central seasons, its best result being a semi-final finish in Season 3.0.

Counter Revolution (BattleBots World Championship I, 2015)

For the unaired 2009 BattleBots Pro Championship, Curt Meyers developed a twin vertical spinner named Counter Revolution. As its name suggested, the robot's symmetrical, 'counter rotating' flywheels were designed to cancel out each other's gyroscopic forces as they spun up in tandem. This was to eliminate the 'gyro-dancing' motion common among single vertical spinners, improving stability while turning. Despite its powerful and innovative weaponry, Counter Revolution enjoyed limited success in 2009, losing both of its Pro Championship matches against Safety Factor and Stinger: The Killer Bee respectively. In the same year, it also competed in the heavyweight class at RoboGames, picking up its first combat victories against Yaotl and VD6 along the way.

Counter Revolution returned to RoboGames in April 2015, finishing the heavyweight class with a 3-2 match record. During the same year, it was selected as an alternate for the first season of ABC's BattleBots revival, ultimately competing in the main tournament as a substitute for Beta. Counter Revolution - by then upgraded to include a srimech arm and flame-resistant armor - suffered a famous and heavily damaging loss against Tombstone in the opening round. This would prove to be Counter Revolution's only televised appearance in BattleBots, despite Curt Meyers' plans to improve the robot's design further for future reboot seasons.

See Also

• Pokey (BattleBots)
• Team Boilerbots (BattleBots)

External Links

• BoilerBots team website (archived)
• Pokey on the official US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)