Speed Bump

Speed Bump
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996
Other Names	Lorena (Lightweight Melees only) Lorena 2 (Lightweight Melees only)
Team Information
Team Members	Paul Bell
From	San Jose, California
Robot Statistics
Weapons	Ramming wedges
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Speed Bump was a lightweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. Initially, it received an automatic bye to reach the second round of the main Lightweight Face-Off tournament, where it was defeated by eventual runner-up SPS3.

Towards the end of the event, Speed Bump also appeared in the Lightweight Melee tournament, fitted with the inflatable doll used by featherweight competitor Lorena. In this form, it would qualify for the final alongside Flipper, having also received modifications to resolve its initial clearance issues, and win the tournament outright on an audience vote. Highlights of Speed Bump's Melee run would be included in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS, featuring clips from both its preliminary and final rounds.

Design

Speed Bump was a yellow and black robot with an extremely low profile and wedge shapes at the front and rear. These wedges would provide the robot with its main method of offense, though opponents with higher ground clearances could potentially negate its own ramming capabilities. Speed Bump had an 'almost entirely' wooden construction, and a low ground clearance which initially proved a hindrance on the uneven arena floor.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

Speed Bump began its 1996 competition run in the Lightweight Face-Off tournament. Having automatically progressed through the first round after receiving a bye, it faced SPS3 in the second round. Alongside its entanglement devices, SPS3 had entered the arena with a decorative carrot to act as 'bait'.

Following a tentative start, Speed Bump made an early lunge at SPS3. However, it was then rammed from the side and snared in its opponent's nets. Speed Bump broke free, proceeding to pin SPS3 against one of the arena flippers. Both robots remained in the corner for several seconds, Speed Bump trying unsuccessfully to entangle SPS3 using the latter's own's nets. Though SPS3 retreated, Speed Bump was again rammed as the two competitors avoided a swipe from a nearby mousetrap.

In response, Paul Bell's machine again pushed and dragged SPS3 around, though both would take whacks from a flipper in the process before separating. Speed Bump eventually scooped, turned and pushed SPS3 into the right-most wall, causing the latter to be briefly pinned on top of its bodyshell. While trying to ram SPS3 again, Speed Bump suddenly stopped moving, having been pinned on top of debris left behind by the former. A few shoves from SPS3 were enough to free Speed Bump, which initially resumed its disrupted pursuit.

Spinning around, Speed Bump again tried to follow and push SPS3 back towards the right-most wall. However, it got stuck on more pieces of debris, before eventually getting underneath and pinning SPS3 in the bottom-right corner. While this appeared to give Speed Bump a knockout win under the usual requirements, the match ultimately went to an audience vote. SPS3 was ruled as the winner, and Speed Bump was eliminated from the Lightweight Face-Off.

Later on, modifications were carried out to Speed Bump to rectify the clearance issues, after which it was entered into the Lightweight Melee tournament. For this, the doll and knife blade used by Lorena was mounted on the top, and it was with this appearance which it competed throughout the event. Speed Bump would fight five other lightweights in its preliminary Melee - Attiller (the Hun), Cyclo-Kluge, Happy Fun Bot, SPS3 and Flipper.

Flipper attempts to flip "Lorena" but is shunted

The start of the first Melee was ponderous for most of the machines. Speed Bump maneuvered quickly around in circles, the Lorena doll bobbing back and forth as it did so. Soon, it came under brief pressure from Attiller (the Hun), the recently-crowned Lightweight Face-Off champion going on to eliminate itself after getting pinned under Cyclo-Kluge. From that point, Speed Bump and Flipper teamed up against their now-pinned opponents, then made attempts to attack both SPS3 and Happy Fun Bot, which became entangled together as in their initial Face-Off bout. Speed Bump pushed Happy Fun Bot towards the wall, then took most of SPS3's netting with it as it pushed Flipper from the side. It would push Flipper again moments later, along with the also soon-to-be-eliminated SPS3.

"Lorena" shoves Flipper into a mousetrap

With the Melee being reduced to two robots, Speed Bump shoved and drove alongside Flipper for several moments. During this time, the "Lorena" doll absorbed collisions with the Ball of Doom. The lower front lip of Speed Bump remained advantageous as it pushed Flipper towards the outer perimeter and pinned it against one of the mousetraps. The mousetrap, in turn, knocked the "Lorena" doll back a few times, before both robots separated and escaped. Speed Bump kept pushing and pressuring Flipper, whose lifter was still unable to gain enough purchase.

Speed Bump pirouetted and drove head-on into the mousetrap on the other side of the arena. This time, it was less fortunate, as the "Lorena" knife blade caught the top of the mousetrap net, allowing the hazard to pull the whole robot off the arena floor. Again, "Lorena" was almost fully flattened as the mousetrap brought Speed Bump back down. Speed Bump backed away to push Flipper twice more, and to pin it against the wall directly opposite the lower mousetrap in the dying moments. Both robots were immediately announced as joint winners by Michael Meehan, through being the only ones still mobile at the end of the full five minutes.

The Lightweight Melee Final saw Speed Bump - still with "Lorena" on top - join Flipper in a three-way contest against The Enforcer, the only winner of the second preliminary rumble. Highlights of this were released in American Robot Wars 1996, being edited into footage of Speed Bump's preliminary Melee.

The Enforcer attempts to attack "Lorena"

"Lorena" is squashed by the arena mousetraps, but Speed Bump survives

At some point, Speed Bump became the subject of an attempted pincer attack by The Enforcer and Flipper, but was able to dodge this. It then maneuvered towards the lower mousetrap, which tried to flatten the "Lorena" doll entirely. In the latter clip, Flipper was also seen chasing and attempting to lift a retreating Enforcer.

Later on the match, Flipper became immobilized, resulting in Speed Bump and The Enforcer becoming the last two robots standing. Neither was able to build a sizeable advantage over one another, with Speed Bump struggling to pin The Enforcer, and The Enforcer - which lost one of its wheels at some point - unable to lift Speed Bump. The Lightweight Melee Final lasted the full five minutes, ending in an audience vote. Speed Bump received the majority of the crowd's support, emerging as the surprise winner of the Lightweight Melee tournament.

"But at the end, the surprise winner was... Lorena!"

— Paul Vallis

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 2
• Losses: 1

Series Record

Events	Speed Bump Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Lightweight Face-Off, Round 2 Lightweight Melee Champion
1997	Did not enter

External Links

• Speed Bump on the official US Robot Wars website (archived May 2 1997)