Triple Redundancy

Triple Redundancy
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1996
Team Information
Team	Robot Action League
Team Members	Cassidy Wright Will Wright
From	California
Other Entries	Julie-Bot (1994, Will Wright) Fuzzy Yum Yum (1995, Cassidy Wright) Kitty Puff Puff (1995, Will Wright) My Little Pony (1996, Will Wright) Bob Smith (1997, Will Wright) Fuzzy (1997, Cassidy Wright)
Robot Statistics
Weapons	Tape reels
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Triple Redundancy was a featherweight robot which competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. An early clusterbot with an unusual tape-based weapon, it used its armament to great effect in both the Featherweight Face-Off and Melee tournaments. In the former, Triple Redundancy reached the second round, but was eliminated by Slomo 3, which managed to pin and lure its segments onto the tape trails themselves. The tapes also succeeded in incapacitating multiple opponents in Triple Redundancy's preliminary Melee, a battle which it also lost to Slomo 3.

Along with My Little Pony and Satoru Special 3, Triple Redundancy was one of a number of 1996 competitors to sport entanglement weapons. The effectiveness of these weapons in snaring and immobilizing opponents resulted in a complete ban on tape and "fiber weaponry and construction" for the 1997 competition, matters addressed in the American Robot Wars 1996 VHS release. Triple Redundancy's Melee was among the battles highlighted in the aforementioned VHS, as well as the introduction to the preview version American Robot Wars Final 1996.

Design

"It's a clusterbot, who goes in as one and, um... it breaks off, and we use tape as a weapon. And when it distracts, we just wrap 'em all up. Um, they're made up of just RC cars... uh, with tape on top."

— Cassidy Wright's team on Triple Redundancy's design

Triple Redundancy with its team

Triple Redundancy was a three-part clusterbot, with each segment being protected by gray or brown foam cladding and based on remote-controlled cars of varying sizes and speeds. As per clusterbot rules from this era, all three would start battles connected to each other, after which they would separate to fight as individual machines. The largest of these segments was 1995 Super Lightweight quarter-finalist Fuzzy Yum Yum (brown) - also captained by Cassidy Wright - which was decorated with the initials F.Y.Y. and a small flag with a smiling face. Additional yellow smiley faces would be attached to the top of the largest segments during individual battles.

As its main weapon, Triple Redundancy employed sets of packing tape reels, one positioned around the aerials of each of the two largest segments. The reels would start to unravel once the segments separated, enabling the tape to catch any opponents driving or being pushed into it. On occasions, both reels would attach to each other, further increasing its reach across the arena as both of the large segments drove apart from each other. While the third, smallest segment was unarmed, its aerial was also capable of securing the unwound tape, occasionally allowing all three to hold a large strand of tape in a 'V'-shaped formation. The smallest segment was also distinguished by a pink rabbit figurine attached to the base of the aerial, described by Cassidy Wright in American Robot Wars 1996 as 'the ancient bunny ring of death'.

Under the 1996 clusterbot rules, the two largest segments of Triple Redundancy were required to be immobilized for the whole robot to be eliminated. As such, the third segment - the fastest and most agile - was intended primarily for distraction and survival. All three parts exhibited very little torque, contributing to minimal pushing power and, ironically, little resistance against the tape strands they deployed.

Robot History

1996 US Championship

Triple Redundancy began its 1996 run in the Featherweight Face-Off tournament. In the opening round, it was drawn to fight Spiked Master II, which had previously defeated Fuzzy Yum Yum on its way to the 1995 Super Lightweight Semi-Finals. The battle itself formed one of a set of 'Dual Matches', occurring at the same time as Red 2 vs Roach.

Neither robot progressed far from their starting positions in the first attempt, which was cut short owing to Roach's struggle for mobility. Once the second attempt got underway, all three segments of Triple Redundancy headed towards the center. One of the segments was separated from the train by a forceful ram from Spiked Master II. In turn, Fuzzy Yum Yum was rammed by Larry and Taylor Tan's machine, which exchanged further rams. At that point, the largest Triple Redundancy segments began unwinding their tape reels, successfully snagging and capturing Spiked Master II. However, one of the segments was momentarily unable to separate either; another was 'snared' by the tape itself while it was being carried by Spiked Master II. Regardless, Triple Redundancy succeeded in pinning Spiked Master II. With both competitors at a stalemate, the Judges ultimately declared a tie, enabling them to progress to the next round together.

Triple Redundancy's Round 2 draw put it against another returning machine from 1995 - Slomo 3.

A tentative start saw two segments approaching Slomo 3 from the center, as Klaas Langhout's machine veered close to one of the mousetraps. The third and smallest Triple Redundancy segment collided with Slomo 3, causing both robots to be thrust aside. Meanwhile, the remaining two segments began deploying their tape mechanisms; both were rammed by Slomo 3, which collected the piece of tape left behind. Another ram by the smallest segment resulted in it being turned over onto its back by Slomo 3's wedge shape. The tape, however, succeeded in wrapping itself around and hampering Slomo 3's mobility; one segment gave chase as Slomo 3 next attempted to snare its counterparts with the tape strand.

Attempted chases by Triple Redundancy resulted in one segment being pushed with Slomo 3 by a wall bumper, and another getting swatted by an upper flipper paddle. The second of these pursuits continued for several moments. One part of Triple Redundancy was flicked upwards by another shove from Slomo 3; the other remaining third was in turn whacked and trapped behind the flipper for several moments. The surviving segment followed Slomo 3 towards the mousetrap. The latter powered through the tape trail, prompting Triple Redundancy to approach it and, in turn, get itself snared on the tape. With its fellow segments incapacitated, the last-remaining Triple Redundancy segment was soon pinned against the wall opposite a mousetrap; the clusterbot as a whole was eliminated from the Featherweight Face-Off as a direct result.

Triple Redundancy fought Slomo 3 again in the Featherweight Melee tournament. In their first-round clash - highlighted in American Robot Wars 1996 - the pair fought Red 2, Spiny Norman, Arsenic, Rampage and Roach.

"It doesn't take long for Triple Redundancy to tape things up. It splits three ways and causes chaos, especially for "Spiky"."

— Paul Vallis as Triple Redundancy snares Spiny Norman early on

Triple Redundancy begins to deploy its tape reels in its Featherweight Melee qualifier

Spiny Norman is caught by Triple Redundancy's tape

During the opening moments, all three parts of Triple Redundancy wasted little time in deploying their tape traps. Their attempts to catch Arsenic, however, were unsuccessful. The middle, smallest part collided with Slomo 3, and almost got entangled itself as it helped its larger companions form a 'V'-formation across the center of the arena. Triple Redundancy's efforts resulted in Spiny Norman catching the tape left behind; the smallest segment soon entered a four-way scrap also involving Slomo 3, Red 2 and Spiny Norman itself. The tape wrapped around Spiny Norman's right-rear wheel once Red 2 pushed the former over it, with assistance from Triple Redundancy. All three segments of Triple Redundancy surrounded their opponents; of these, Red 2 and Spiny Norman were completely entangled.

Two parts of Triple Redundancy (left and center) swarm around Arsenic and Red 2

The smallest Triple Redundancy segment, however, continued to engage in a pushing match with Red 2. One of the bigger segments met the two machines in the process, prompting Slomo 3 to try and snare it on its own tape trail. The convergence of Triple Redundancy, Red 2 and Spiny Norman crawled back and forth across the arena perimeter on the right-hand side. All five machines were left in a literal stalemate as they advanced across the left-hand side; one segment was rammed again by Slomo 3, which emerged as the only robot still capable of full unhindered movements. By the end of the five minutes, Slomo 3 was declared the winner, and Triple Redundancy was eliminated from the Featherweight Melee tournament. Triple Redundancy's use of tape would put it under further scrutiny; in American Robot Wars 1996, its successful entanglements were cited as a cause for tape-based weapons being outlawed for future events.

""X2" [Slomo 3] won because he avoided the tape, which has also been banned from future competitions."

— Paul Vallis

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 2

NOTE: Triple Redundancy's draw in Round 1 is omitted from the Wins tally.

Series Record

Events	Triple Redundancy Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Entered with Fuzzy Yum Yum
1996	Featherweight Face-Off, Round 2 Featherweight Melee, Round 1
1997	Entered with Fuzzy

The above record reflects that of Cassidy Wright only.

Outside Robot Wars

Super Chiabot

The Aggressive Polygon

Misty the Wonderbot

Will Wright was also responsible for the creation of other machines, including the following BattleBots competitors:

• RACC - A lightweight built with fellow roboteer Mike Winter, competing exclusively in the inaugural 1999 Long Beach event. Wright's half was a repurposed and upgraded Bob Smith.
• Chiabot/Super Chiabot - A middleweight robot decorated in imitation plants, competing in all five seasons of the original Comedy Central run.
• The Aggressive Polygon - A compact lightweight from Season 1.0.
• Misty the WonderBot - A middleweight controlled by Cassidy Wright, appearing in Seasons 4.0-5.0 as well as Steel Conflict. Armed with a spinning disc which could be set vertically or horizontally, it achieved a 7-2 match record and finished in the Round of 32 in Season 5.0.

External Links

• Triple Redundancy on the official US Robot Wars website (archived)