I was part of the Out Of The Box team that had started construction of an entry for the UK's Robot Wars television series. Unfortunately, the project had to be abandoned when one of the key team members was made redundant. A very novel design for the robot (entitled Bizzo) had been produced. This should have provided unmatched power and manoeuvrability. Key features included:    Heavyweight category (79.4kg).    Six wheels, all powered and steered.    Three 1HP motors for propulsion.    Separate motors for steering and weaponry.    Weapon powered by both an electric motor and a 2HP IC engine.    Six channel radio control.    Five powerful microprocessors.    Cruise control! The design was based around three identical wheel assemblies attached to a circular base plate via bearings. Each wheel assembly was self-contained with its own batteries, control electronics, motor, gearbox and pair of high-grip wheels. Steering would have been provided by a fourth motor that would rotate all three sets of wheels to the required direction of travel. A chain drive fitted around teeth on the outer casing of the wheel assemblies would ensure that the wheels always faced the same direction. This approach to steering would enable the robot to move in any direction from stationary without any visible warning. Weaponry was planned to consist of a rotating toothed rim around the outer edge of the robot. This would have been mounted on a series of rollers to provide support in both the horizontal and vertical directions, enabling it to withstand all expected impacts. An electric motor would start the rim spinning from stationary until it had sufficient momentum to act as a flywheel and starter for an IC engine. The electric motor could also be used for fine bidirectional control of the rim if required, for instance if a scoop was attached for football style rounds. The complexity of controlling the robot would have been reduced to a manageable level by sophisticated software. Local sensors and processing within the robot would automatically adjust the wheel direction and synchronize the drive motors to produce any required movements. The operator would simply push a joystick, and the robot would respond by moving in the specified direction at a speed dependent on how hard the joystick was pushed.

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