THE ANTENNA OF DEATH ☠
OVERVIEW: This project was to create a robot that fought and defeated other robots. We made a robot (The Antenna of Death) that would drive under the other contestants and take their wheels off the ground. Our robot was designed to annihilate and humiliate the opponents’ robots in a battle to the death inside the sumo arena. Using wings to create a ramp we were able to lift the other robots of the ground and run them out of the ring.
DESIGN PROCESS: We initially identified that it would be efficient to have the brick upside down for it to be lower to the ground and provide more attaching options. We thought about the options we had and we went with trying to have the lowest design. We also wanted to make it relatively strong so it could withstand a bit of bashing up. So, we made a ramp at the front using the wings to be used as a leverage device to lift the opponents’ robot and push them out of the arena. We didn’t really have any prototypes, we just had fun building the robot from scratch and seeing it fight to the death.
THE SHOVEL OF DEATH 
BACKSTORY: After suffering humiliating defeat at the hands of the Death Triangle, we swore to never be outdone by such a weak opponent EVER again!
CHANGES: Some new rule changes altered our design and prototyping process. A weight handicap was instituted which resulted in the removal of the Antenna of Death’s antenna of death, and it’s really dope back panel. Also, the robot had to be AUTONOMOUS!
DESIGN PROCESS: Due its weight problems (and its inability to perform in the ring), we stripped the entire robot back down the EV3 brick. We brainstormed ways to defeat our inferior opponents, and came up with TORQUE. Using gears, we implemented a… gearing system onto the wheels to create extra power as we pushed the weak enemies out of the ring. Also, after realising the failings of the previous robot, we flipped the wings upside down to ensure that they went as low as they can go. We needed a way of stopping the robot from going off the edge, so we placed a sensor on the front. Once the sensor detected a change of light, it would go backwards a bit, turn, and go forward again. We went into the next battle with high hopes and dreams of a better future for us all.
THE FIGHT: The Shovel of Death failed. It didn’t fall off the ring, but due to structural deficiencies we were defeated once again. The upside-down wings had eliminated any angle the Antenna of Death had, so it didn’t lift the opponent’s wheels off the ground at all. Instead, it provided the other robots with extended piece to lift in order to take OUR wheels off the ground. Also, the wings weren’t very well attached to the robot and were sometimes ripped off, causing us grievous pain. Once the wings were removed, our robot was susceptible to a front-on push that resulted with us out of the ring. Additionally, when the wings were ripped from our existence, the sensor was put out of place and it stopped working good. The gearing system didn’t do as well as we planned and hoped it would… our robot was still less powerful than the others when engaged in a pushing battle. Overall, a fail in the name of SUMO ROBOT WRESTLING. We were so disgraced that we didn’t take any photos of the robot.
A terrible design by Matthew, Xavier, and Jack.
