1.3mb AVI

Question 1: What was the general strategy or plan behind your bot design?

Knife was built to be a "smarter" robot. It had one of the most complex programs I've ever written for a sumo robot.

Question 2: What technologies/mechanisms did you use?

Knife has an ultra-sonic sensor (from Hi-Technic), which was used to detect opponents, and a super-thin wedge to get under them. Both worked very well.

Question 3: What was the most challenging aspect of construction?

Mounting both the sensor and the wedge proved to be the hardest parts. The pieces that made the wedge did not have a solid way to mount to the robot, so it was difficult to attach them, and keep them from moving.

I also wanted to mount the distance sensor horizontally, but the entire robot was built at an angle, so the sensor had to be mounted at an angle on the rest of the robot.

Question 4: Are there any special features you care to talk about?

I think the program which immediately began searching, helped win several rounds by catching opponents on their weak side.

Question 5: What surprised you about how your bot behaved/performed during the event?

At 1.8 lbs, Knife was also one of the lighter robots at Sumo IV. It was light, and only had two wheels, but it was still able to push most of the other robots around. I was also quite happy when I was able to disconnect Knife's light sensors, and still compete, without leaving the playing field (because of the ability to detect opponents).