S.P.S. #2 (announced as "S.P.S. Number Two") was a flying robot which fought in the super lightweight category at the 1995 US Robot Wars competition. The only robot of its kind to compete, it was the second of three SPS robots built by J.D. Streett, alongside the lightweights S.P.S. #1 and SPS3. In combat, S.P.S. #2 won its first Face-Off battle against Orb of Doom, but was eliminated in the second round after being dragged down to the floor and having its balloons popped by Ziggy. The extraordinary and unique design of S.P.S. #2 allowed it to claim the 'Strangest' award for the 1995 event.[2]
Design[]
S.P.S. #2 was a small T-shaped robot whose primary locomotion was a pair of large pink-red balloons. The balloons allowed the entire machine to fly across the arena, in tandem with two small rotor blades on either side of the chassis. Similarly to those on a modern quadcopter design, the exposed rotors were placed at an angle to provide thrust and allow S.P.S. #2 to adjust its height during battles. S.P.S. #2's only means of attack was through a net suspended behind the robot, which it would try to drop onto and trap any opponents beneath.
Robot History[]
1995 US Championship[]
In the first round of the Super Lightweight Face-Off, S.P.S. #2 faced the spherical Orb of Doom.
During a very tentative start, S.P.S. #2 drifted slowly across the center of the arena, rising up to dodge the Ball of Doom. The flotation balloons stopped short of the light rigs above, as it gently landed on the arena floor, despite Orb of Doom still being on the other side. The Ball of Doom swung into S.P.S. #2's net, briefly destabilizing the whole machine. S.P.S. #2 proceeded to drift into each of the mousetraps, before the net was snagged by the Ball of Doom once more, snaring the robot.[3]
S.P.S. #2 kept moving, allowing its net to become unstuck and reset. One of its rotor blades, however, had detached, laying on the floor on the other side. Nevertheless, it continued to dither across the left perimeter, where it appeared to come to grief against the right-most flippers. While hovering close to the arena floor, S.P.S. #2 finally dropped its net, but again without Orb of Doom being close to it. Further attempts to drop the net were made, before Orb of Doom finally rolled into reach. Still, S.P.S. #2 was unable to attack, instead finding itself being caught by the flippers again for a few moments. Meanwhile, Orb of Doom had become fully immobilized. This gave S.P.S. #2 the chance to finally brush its opponent with the net, though it would not be able to 'trap' Orb of Doom before it was counted out.[3]
Through to the second round, S.P.S. #2 next faced the compact and fast Ziggy.
S.P.S. #2's balloons are popped as Ziggy brings it to the ground
Another tentative start by both competitors saw it again drift across the center of the arena, where it collided with the Ball of Doom at high altitude. S.P.S. #2 was once more destabilized as a result of the contact, swaying violently and descending into the lower-right corner. Once the net reached the arena floor, Ziggy rushed into it, bringing the whole of S.P.S. #2 down and popping both of the balloons. Without its main means of locomotion, the chassis of S.P.S. #2 was rammed and trapped against the flippers by Ziggy, rocking from side-to-side amidst a rapturous applause for the latter. S.P.S. #2 was eliminated from the Super Lightweight Face-Off by knockout.[4]
Following its elimination, S.P.S. #2 would later be recognized for its unique and unusual flying design, receiving the 'Strangest' award for the 1995 event.[2] However, no other flying robots of its kind would be seen in any Robot Wars event thereafter. Designs incorporating exposed rotating aerofoils for lift were banned under the 1996 and 1997 competition rules,[5][6] as well as the rulesets issued for the televised UK Series.[7][8][9] Regardless, Mat Irvine would later allude to S.P.S. #2 in a build guide for prospective Series 1 competitors, citing it as an example of eligible 'floating' designs using balloons as propulsion.[10]
Results[]
| S.P.S. #2 - RESULTS | ||
| 1995 US Championship | ||
| Super Lightweight Face-Off Round 2 | ||
| Round 1 | vs. Orb of Doom | Won |
| Round 2 | vs. Ziggy | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
| Events | S.P.S. #2 Event Record |
|---|---|
| 1994 | Did not enter |
| 1995 | Super Lightweight Face-Off, Round 2 Entered with S.P.S. #1 |
| 1996 | Entered with SPS3 |
| 1997 | Did not enter |
Honours[]
References[]
- ↑ 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos', US Robot Wars website entry on S.P.S. #2 (archived May 2 1997)
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 'ROBOT WARS ® Photos -- 1995 Winners', US Robot Wars website (archived 2 May 1997)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 'Robot Wars 1995 - Orb of Doom vs SPS2', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded August 6 2008
- ↑ 'Robot Wars 1995 - Ziggy vs SPS2', diabolicalmachine (YouTube), uploaded August 9 2008
- ↑ 'THIRD ANNUAL ROBOT WARS 1996 CURRENT RULES AND GUIDELINES', reproduced on the Team Run Amok website
- ↑ 'General Rules 1997', Robot Wars US website (archived 3 July 1997)
- ↑ 'Robot Wars UK 1998 RULES AND GUIDELINES' [Series 2], reproduced on the Team Run Amok website
- ↑ ROBOT WARS 2003 Rules & Regulations (archived)
- ↑ Robot Wars Build Rules Version 3.3 [Series 10]
- ↑ '1997 Guide: How to build a robot', Mat Irvine (reproduced on the Dangerous Machines website, archived 29 October 2000)
External Links[]
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