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The Franklin Cup 2008 Event Report
The second installment for NERC's newest partnership with The Franklin Institute and PACTS (Partnership for Achieving Careers in Technology & Science) is complete. This year, the event was bumped up to two days and despite a smaller than expected bot turnout, there were some solid matches. Also, some builders were definitely trying their best to get the coveted Franklin Cup, for the most innovative bot design at the event.

Winners

Ant weight:
1st -- Otis
John Carioti Team Basenji
2nd -- Trivial Jr.
Ken Brandon Team Trivial
3rd -- Hailstorm
Joey Maffei Team Green Machines
Ant Brackets

Beetle weight:
1st -- Pure Dead Brilliant
Andrew Smith Team Rolling Thunder
2nd -- Yeti
Alan Young Mad Scientist
3rd -- Victim
Jim Iocca NovaRobots
Beetle Brackets

Hobby weight:
1st -- Scurrie
Zachery O'Donnel Team Brain Damage
2nd -- Surgical Strike
Andrew Smith Team Rolling Thunder
3rd -- Scoopula
Ian McMahon Team Slaughterhouse
Hobby Brackets

Feather weight:
Round Robin Tournament
1st -- Gnome Portal
Brian Benson Robotic Hobbies
2nd -- Jagaroth
John Carioti/John Durand Team Basenji
3rd -- Tyrant
Al Kindle Team Half Fast Astronaut
Feather Brackets

Sportsman:
Round Robin Tournament
1st -- Mr. Gadget
Alex List The Teen Titans
2nd -- Upheaval
Alan Young Mad Scientist
3rd -- Herald
Brian Benson Robotic Hobbies
Sportsman Brackets

The Franklin Cup
This award is given to the most innovative and best engineered bot at the event.
The Farnsworth Parabox - Eric Scott Team Nar

A special thank you to the everyone that made this event possible...

especially, The Franklin Institute Science Museum
and PACTS for working together to promote the education
of all forms of robotics to the public.

House of NERC 2008 Event Report
The Benson Family hosted another event this year. The Barnyard Brawl took place on their farm in Massachusets. Bots competed in a round robin tournament this time around and the event saw many old faces return to competion.

 

 

Winners

Ant weight:
1st -- Beloved Shardy
John A. Parsons Team Slammers
2nd -- Slam Sandwich
John A. Parsons Team Slammers
3rd -- Not-To-Nasty
Glen Capone Team Blueberry Hill

Beetle weight:
1st -- Pressure Point
Mike Krysiak Team JandA
2nd -- Chestnut
Rob Sica Team Diginati
3rd -- Scrambler
Glen Capone Team Blueberry Hill

Hobby weight:
1st -- Redwood
Mike Krysiak Team JandA
2nd -- Ingor Eater of Souls
Bryan Ruddy Ministry of Bad Ideas
3rd -- Acute Pain
Bryan Ruddy Ministry of Bad Ideas

Feather weight :
1st -- Mangi
Al Kindle Team Half Fast Astronaut
2nd -- Oni Goroshi
Rob Sica Team Diginati
3rd -- Power of Metal
Joe Provenzano Team EMF

Sportsman:
1st -- Mangi
Al Kindle Team Half Fast Astronaut
1st -- Gnome Portal
Brian Benson Robotic Hobbies
3rd -- Herald
Brian Benson Robotic Hobbies

The brackets for all weightclasses can be found here:

Round Robin Brackets

We're very glad that everyone had a good time at the event, that was the goal! The event went incredibly smoothly, and we owe that to everyone that was there and helped me out. We know we will forget somebody but we have to try and thank everyone...

Thanks to Rob Masek for coming down the Sunday before hand and getting the arena 70% assembled. That really made the event possible. Also thanks for making the awesome laser engraved trophies and running the brackets and making sure everything that needed to happen happened.
Thanks to Ned for driving all the way out from Ithaca NY to help make the event happen, he played a huge role in getting ready for the event, running it, and tearing down the next day.
Thanks to Ciaran for bringing bot stuff from WPI, driving 6+ hours back and forth to help me out, helping get the barn ready, setting up the arena, making sure the arena was in 100% condition throughout the competition
Thanks to Josh for coming to watch and getting pulled into setting up and making the event happen.
Thanks to the O'Roukes for showing up and helping with judging and moving random stuff around along with anything else that we asked.

Thanks to all the family and friends that came to help make the event happen, Craig Kellog, Cheri Benson, the list goes on.... They played a huge role in making all the food you ate possible.
Thanks to all the other competitors that showed up and helped get the arena finished and place ready to a competition. We could try and list you but we would fail, so you know who you are, we think it pretty much includes every last person there.
And while everyone tries to thank NERC for hosting the event, its really The Benson's that make it all possible. They allow the arena to be stored in their barn, they allow us to hijack it and turn it upside for 2+ weekends to hold and event. They truly make it all possible. So next time you see them at an event, thank them!

See everyone at FI


Motorama Robot Conflict 2008 Event Report
Another Moto has come and gone. This year there were more people nationally and internationally entered into the competition. Some new faces on the podium and some old champions working their way back to the top. Thanks to everyone coming out to support the biggest event on the east coast! Let the rebuilds begin!

Winners

Fairy weight:
Round Robin Tournament
1st -- P150
Jamison Go Overvolted Robots
Fairy Brackets

Ant weight:
1st -- Black Death
Peter Iskaros Team Enigma
2nd -- Dolla Dolla Bot
Alan Young Mad Scientist
3rd -- Absolutely "Naut" VDD
Jon Durand Anarchy Robots
Ant Brackets

Beetle weight:
1st -- Yeti
Alan Young Mad Scientist
2nd -- Aggravator
Jeremy Campbell Dreadfully Wicked Robots
3rd -- Pressure Point
Jesse Taylor Team JandA
Beetle Brackets

Hobby weight:
1st -- Surgical Strike
Andrew Smith Team Rolling Thunder
2nd -- Mephit
Jim Iocca NovaRobots
3rd -- Blunt Instrument
Andrew Smith Team Rolling Thunder
Hobby Brackets

Feather weight:
1st -- Power of Metal
Dan Provenzano Team EMF
2nd -- Gloomy
Jason Ribeiro Team Terror
3rd -- Sloth
Dalton O'Conner Massacre Robotics
Feather Brackets

Sportsman:
1st -- Mangi
Al Kindle Half Fast Astronaut
2nd -- Upheaval
Alan Young Mad Scientist
3rd -- Gnome Portal
Brian Benson Jr. Robotic Hobbies
Sportsman Brackets


Special Awards
Best Driver -- Jon "Anarchy Dude" Durand Anarchy Robots
Most Aggressive Driver/Bot -- Mangi - Al Kindle Half Fast Astronaut
Coolest Bot -- Herald - Brian Benson Jr. Robotic Hobbies
Best Engineered Bot -- One Fierce Low Rider - Gene Burbeck Fierce Robots

Thanks again to everyone involved in putting this event together and to keep NERC and the sport of combat robotics going.

Thanks to everyone that traveled up to The Benson Farm in MA. during the cold months to make all the arena improvements:
The Benson Family for their hospitality and providing a place to crash.
Rob Masek and Brian Benson Jr. for handling the order of new poly carbonate sheets for the arena.
Brian Benson's uncle for magically finding the pallets use to strengthen the arena floor.
Alan Young, Al Kindle, Brian's friends and everyone else involved with pulling apart heavily glued pallets.
Mr. Benson's 75 year old router R.I.P.
Everyone involved with mounting the new poly carbonate sheets: Rob Masek, Jim Fox, Benjamin "Bowlkart" Rund, Rob Sica, Brian's friends (sorry, don't know their names off hand)
Thanks to Brad and Motorama for having us back for the 6th year!
Special thanks Ed and Beth McCarron who take time out of their lives to come help run the event.
Wayne Molnar for handling the trophies again this year and for coming out and manning the box for one day despite not having a bot.

Jim Iocca - paperwork handler extraordinaire. Oh, did I mention he assembled like 80% of the arena?
Joy Penniston, Benjamin "Bowlkart" Rund, Simon, Beth - Bracket wrangling and scheduling.
John Wolan - VideoGuru, floor painter, and pit pass maker. Who knew?
Judges - Manny from FI, Simon (when he was awake), John, Vadim, Benjamin "Bowlkart" Rund, Will, Bryan, and everyone else that made the mistake of standing too close to a judges seat, where they were conscripted into service.
Rob Masek, for announcing, providing assorted sexual innuendo, living the dream, and otherwise bringing comic relief (and hard work) in the way only he can.
Teardown crew: Alan Young, The Bensons (again), Will and Mrs. Will, Jim and Joy, Dan and Joe, Al, Chris Olin, Pete and Andrew Smith, Josh Zimmerman, Jesse and Andrew Taylor, Anarchy Dude, all the Sam's, and anyone else I missed. If I missed you on teardown crew, blame Cara and Amanda. I asked them to make a list this year. :)

Big thanks to our VERY generous sponsors, please take the time to reach out to them and thank them for their very generous donations this year:

Team Whyachi
Dimension Engineering
Robot Power
Titanium Joe
Battlepack
Black Swan Robotics

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