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Roach was a walking robot built by Anthony DuRaine which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. By far the largest competitor in its weight category, it enjoyed limited success, with reliability issues causing it to lose both its Face-Off battle against Red 2 and a Featherweight Melee to Slomo 3. The Melee featuring Roach was highlighted in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS.

Anthony DuRaine also competed in the featherweight category with the lightweight robot Snickers, which too lost in equivalent battles from its category. On the official US Robot Wars website, Roach was erroneously listed as a lightweight under Snickers' name, which is not reflected in write-ups, video footage and match records from the competition.[1][2]

Design[]

Snickers arena

Roach in the arena missing half of its covering

Roach was a large eight-legged walking robot powered by four gearmotors, whose main framework was made out of PVC pipe. The front and top of the machine were shrouded in blue plastic sheeting, with one end also featuring a net with possible entanglement functions. More uniquely, the sides of Roach included 'large flat panels' with extra plastic sheets, which would trap nearby opponents by swinging down on them, similarly to the mousetrap hazards found in the arena. Very little of Roach's armament was properly demonstrated, as reliability issues often lead to it becoming immobilized after a short amount of time.[3]

Etymology[]

"Roach" refers to the shortened term of the name of the insect called "cockroach".

Robot History[]

1996 Championship[]

In the Featherweight Face-Off competition, Roach faced Red 2 in the first round. Problems were encountered almost immediately when most of the robot's legs could not function, preventing Roach from leaving its starting position. Spending this early part of the match 'jerking and rocking' in place, it was rammed multiple times by Red 2, which proceeded to pin it against the wall. Roach was eliminated from the Face-Off as a result.[3]

Roach would later return for the Featherweight Melee, minus most of its blue sheeting. Here, it faced Red 2, Triple Redundancy, Spiny Norman, Arsenic, Rampage and Slomo 3.

Featherweightmelee 1996

Roach (bottom-left) struggles to get involved

Triple redundancy vs red 2 vs spiy norman

Roach stands immobile in the background

Roach started off making very minimal movement, scuttling ever so slightly. As Triple Redundancy swarmed the competition with tape to snag and trap them, Roach failed to move from its spot, with the arena Ramrigs pushing it slightly in an effort to get it moving. Roach's mobility issues prevented it from getting into the action; as a result, it would eventually lose the Melee outright to Slomo 3.

Results[]

ROACH - RESULTS
Robot Wars: 1996 Championship
Featherweight Face-Off
Round 1
Round 1 vs. Red 2 Lost
Featherweight Melee
Round 1
Melee vs. Red 2, Triple Redundancy, Arsenic, Rampage, Spiny Norman, The X-2 Lost
NOTE: In American Robot Wars 1996, Slomo 3 was referred to as "X2" due to a scripting error.

References[]

External Links[]

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