Virus was a robot that attempted to enter Series 3 of Robot Wars as a competitor in the Middleweight Championship. Virus was initially selected for this event, although a serious behind-the-scenes incident led to its cancellation.
Design[]
- "Virus can move forwards, backwards, and spin on the spot, and has a top speed of 20mph. To compete in fights against other robots in Robot Wars Virus has revolving blade on the front, based on a hedge trimmer. Virus has an inbuilt mechanical speed controllers and three flashing lights. The project took two years to research and pilot and the finished model took four months to make."
- — Newark Advertiser on Virus[1]
Top-down view of Virus
Virus was a light blue and silver robot, decorated using blue lights with an angular triangle shape with two 'wings' on either side which contained the wheels. It was armed with a small front-mounted hedge trimmer, whilst the rear of the machine housed a bladed axe. The robot appears to resemble a fighter jet, although a team member behind Virus stated that they took some inspiration from Cassius, Pain and Razer.
The robot's chassis and armour were made entirely out of wood, reinforced with long bolts for load-bearing systems. The MDF body featured hinged panels for accessing the radio receiver and main electronics bank. The Logistical officer at one point ran into Team Razer and challenged them to a grudge match. When the captain returned to The Pits, he was horrified to discover Razer itself, along with the team asking which components they would like to save. Team Razer members mentioned that wooden armour tends to explode spectacularly under compression. This potential match did not go ahead.
The drivetrain used a steel-reinforced ABS chain to step down the motors and provide more torque. Although Virus was not a fast accelerator, it had relatively good speed in a straight line and could spin to attempt to slash at opponents with its nose-mounted weapon. An inset castor supported the nose close to the ground.
The main electrical power system was driven by 12V batteries in parallel. Twisted pair ground and power wiring provided redundancy for the main motors. Two mechanical speed controllers in the central bay were cooled by a pair of CPU fans, which exhausted through a round vent just beneath the axe. The safety linkage used two modified 13A electrical plugs, one for driving the cooling system only and the other for the lights and drive/weapon system.
The thickest armour was on the rear, where the reap axe was meant to provide Virus' greatest offense, and around the traction pods to either side. The armour was intended to be backed with layers of lacquered aluminium foil, but this modification did not take place before its first and only bout at RAF Newton against Zippy.
The Team[]
Captain and driver during field tests
Virus was entered by a team from Nottinghamshire. The team captain was Phil Peterson, with John Peterson serving as logistics and Tom Middleton serving as the driver. Phil and Thomas went to Minster School in Southwell, and were both 12 years old in 1999 [2].
Qualification[]
Virus queues alongside Cassius 2 and Rex Garrod, awaiting inspection at the Series 3 auditions
Virus attempted to enter the proposed Middleweight Championship for Series 3 and passed qualifying at Elstree. Unfortunately, this event was cancelled before the robot had a chance to fight, due to a behind-the-scenes incident affecting filming times. Additionally, Virus would not appear in the televised Middleweight Melee, which effectively served as a replacement for the whole Middleweight Championship.
Robot History[]
| Series | Virus Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Middleweight Championship (event cancelled) |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Outside Robot Wars[]
Virus awaiting disassembly in 2017
Virus later competed at a live event at RAF Newton, managing to have a single fight. Its opponent was Zippy, a lightweight which was also in attendance for Series 3, but had its event cancelled for the same reasons. Neither robot took significant damage throughout the fight, despite the size disparity, and the match eventually ended with both robots still functional. Zippy's performance, however, noted as being more agile and aggressive, led to it being declared the victor via audience vote, leaving Virus defeated. This was the only bout Virus participated in and it would not appear in any future series of Robot Wars.
Virus was retired after the bout against Zippy. Its major systems were disassembled in 2017 and the chassis was burned in a Viking funeral.
References[]
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