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TKO was a featherweight robot which competed in the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. Built and entered by Terry Barker, it lost its first battle to The Rat in the Featherweight Face-Off due to drive issues,[3][4] but recovered with a win over Bad Monkey to progress through the Loser's Bracket.[5] At the fourth stage of this bracket, TKO was eliminated following a further defeat against Bob Smith.[6][7] TKO also qualified for the Semi-Finals of the Featherweight Melee tournament, but it and Sabotage withdrew at that stage due to technical issues.[8][9][10][11]

Design[]

TKO was a compact two-wheel drive robot with a 'symmetrical', invertible design and an aluminum body. Each of the wheels was driven by a power screwdriver, with the robot's weaponry comprising of static 'ramming points' made of steel. In tandem with its wedge-shaped surfaces, TKO would rely on these to push and potentially damage opponents through brute force alone. However, its drivetrain ultimately proved underpowered and highly unreliable, contributing to its initial downfall in the Featherweight Face-Off.[2]

Robot History[]

1997 US Championship[]

TKO's 1997 run began in the Featherweight Face-Off, where it faced The Rat - the latest entry from Team Sinister's Robert Orr. The battle was a number of 'Dual Matches' to take place in this category, occurring at the same time as Bayou Bengle and Bot Will Eat Itself.

Problems affected TKO from the outset, as it started the battle immobile on one side. Spinning and twitching within the lower-right corner, it struggled to move out of its circumference, while The Rat, also affected by control problems, frequently crossed into the area occupied by the other 'Dual Match' pairing. Despite a few close passes, no contact was made between TKO and The Rat throughout the battle, which ended with a Judges' decision. The Rat was declared the winner, though the severity of its own issues forced it to withdraw shortly after.[3][4]

TKO was therefore consigned to the Loser's Bracket, facing Bad Monkey in its next battle.

Immediately, it darted under the abrasive saw of Gary Cline's machine, while pushing it around in circles. Bad Monkey started pushing back in response, as it became apparent that both robots had become locked together. The Judges opted to briefly pause the fight to allow the 'deadly embrace' to be broken. Once this was carried out, TKO did not attack a retreating Bad Monkey for some time. This was until it rammed the latter once more, the attack also resulting in Bad Monkey's left wheel detaching from its axle.[5]

With the Cline Works entry now partially immobilized, TKO shuffled and spun close to Cambot, before ramming Bad Monkey several more times. These were enough to immobilize Bad Monkey fully during the final thirty seconds, as TKO got underneath and kept pushing it in circles from the sides. TKO was ultimately declared the winner on a Judges' decision.[5]

In the next stage of the bracket, TKO fought Bob Smith.

Bobsmithvstko

TKO is whacked by Bob Smith's tail

Both robots rammed each other immediately; TKO's smaller size proved a major disadvantage, however, as Bob Smith pushed it back across the arena center. It took several whacks from the tail of Will Wright's entry, but drove away and attempted to ram Bob Smith in retaliation. A back-and-forth chase ended with TKO getting underneath Bob Smith with a head-on charge. However, it would struggle to maintain a consistent counter-strategy as Bob Smith started spinning again, then lured it across the arena.[6][7]

TKO continued to be smashed and pushed by Bob Smith, which pressed and forced it up against the upper-left wall for several seconds. The attacks left it perched on the front-left corner of Bob Smith, as it was then pushed to the other side of the arena. TKO briefly got underneath Bob Smith during the exchange, allowing it to carry the latter around in circles for a few seconds. Once both robots separated, TKO received further blows from Bob Smith's tail, while trying to chase it across the arena. Another head-to-head 'embrace' allowed it to push Bob Smith around in circles, then drive behind, hook and drag it in the opposite direction.[6][7]

After several seconds where both robots remained stuck together, TKO pulled clear and tried, without success, to push Bob Smith from the side. Bob Smith responded with another tail swipe, ramming and luring TKO into the center of the arena once again. Another series of pushing matches followed, before TKO sustained more whacks from Bob Smith's tail near the battle's conclusion. TKO also experienced a close call with a spike hazard, before colliding with Bob Smith one last time. An attempted final push by Bob Smith signalled the end of the match, which again went to a Judges' decision. In their deliberation, Bob Smith was ruled the winner on points, eliminating TKO at this stage in the Featherweight Face-Off.[6][7]

TKO later returned for the Featherweight Melee tournament. In its first-round match, it was drawn to fight Bayou Bengle, Bot Will Eat Itself, C3 and Gorange, along with double Face-Off champion Wedge of Doom.

To start with, TKO engaged in ramming matches with both Bayou Bengle and Gorange. As it drove away, it eventually confronted Wedge of Doom, the duo engaging in a four-way tussle with Bayou Bengle and C3, with Gorange also ramming Terry Barker's machine. Moments later, TKO violently slammed into and got itself stuck on one end of Bot Will Eat Itself, which had been partially immobilized and propped up onto its side by its opponents' earlier attacks. Upon separating, it rammed Bot Will Eat Itself a second time, before smashing into C3. When Gorange unsuccessfully tried to separate C3 from Bot Will Eat Itself, TKO pushed Anthony DuRaine's machine away, with Wedge of Doom circling around close by.[8][9][10]

From that moment, TKO and Gorange teamed up to ram Bot Will Eat Itself, surviving occasional collisions with Wedge of Doom. Gorange pushed TKO into the wall, though TKO escaped and largely stayed out of the action during the later stages. TKO was eventually cornered near the upper spike hazard by Wedge of Doom, before exchanging rams with the latter and Gorange until time ran out. As the last three robots standing, TKO, Gorange and Wedge of Doom were all allowed to progress to the Melee Semi-Finals.[8][9][10]

TKO's Semi-Final draw would have seen it fighting Red-Green, Sabotage, Spike II and Thwonkis Mobilis for qualification in the overall Melee Final. However, technical issues forced it to withdraw ahead of the match, with Sabotage also pulling out for similar reasons. This marked the end of TKO's run in the Featherweight Melee, and its overall run in the 1997 competition.[11]

Results[]

TKO - RESULTS
1997 US Championship
Featherweight Face-Off
Eliminated in Loser's Bracket, Round 4
Round 1 vs. The Rat Lost
Loser's Bracket, Round 1 vs. Bad Monkey Won
Loser's Bracket, Round 4 vs. Bob Smith Lost
Featherweight Melee
Round 1
Melee, Round 1 vs. Bayou Bengle, Bot Will Eat Itself, C3, Gorange, Wedge of Doom Qualified
NOTE: TKO withdrew from the Melee Semi-Finals due to technical issues.

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 2
  • Losses: 2

Series Record[]

Events TKO Event Record
1994 Did not enter
1995 Did not enter
1996 Did not enter
1997 Featherweight Face-Off, Loser's Bracket, Round 4
Featherweight Melee, Round 1

References[]

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