Bodgebots

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BBB Guides:

Bodgebots Guide:

Updated 9/6/19

Note: this guide was made in 2019, we’ve since retired our bodgebots arena in 2023 (RIP) but have kept this page as a resource for other groups who explore bodging robots! 🙂

Bodgebots as featured on the Sun online! 😛

What’s a bodgebot?

A bodgebot is an combat robot, however it’s thoroughly ‘bodged’ – often made last minute from bits of scrap, tape and a lot of glue and is low cost. It’s an opportunity to try out fun concepts and be daft with your builds.

Some example bodgebots from recent events!
How heavy?

We’re doing 500g of bodge! We want to give antweight builders a taste of the larger 1.5kg beetleweight class, but with a comedic barn fighting style – the arena is be a low walled rectangle with lots of dumb hazards, gaps and no polycarb walls (see tip speed rules)

Now retired Bodgebots arena – crappy hazards, toilet pit and housebot!
The Spirit of Bodgebots

Bodgebots are about building something fun, to produce enjoyable fights for builders and spectators, using unexpected materials and designs. As such, we ask everyone to adhere to the spirit of Bodgebots, so that everyone attending can have the best time possible.

Bodgebots are a class taking inspiration from a similar class in the US. These ‘Spirit of Bodgebots’ rules are adapted from their own.

– The spirit of the class is low-to-no-cost robots made as much of materials on-hand and recycled/repurposed as possible, built mere days or hours before the event.

– The object of the competition is not to win. If you win the competition, your robot was inherently not bodge, and is therefore subject to disqualification.

How do I make a robot?

A basic robot has these electronics:

  • Battery – to provide power for your bot
  • Speed controller – drives the motors
  • Motor – to drive a wheel or weapon
  • Receiver – to get a signal from your controller
Bodgebots XL example build

Taking out the trash – a dustpan grabber bodgebot

– The dustpan was £3 from wilko.

– the motors cost £8

– the wheels cost £4

– the dual speed controller cost £10

– the receiver was around £9

– the lipo was 76p (came in pack of 5)

– the servo was £5

Total spend around £36.