BattleBots(R): The Official Guide

Book Description

View the metal-crunching destruction from the front lines with this fully authorized guide to one of today's hottest TV shows. Browse through photographs of every major BattleBot--including construction diagrams--and get details on weight, speed, and weapon type. Meet the people behind the crowd-pleasing, spark-flying robot demolition and get step-by-step instructions for building your own fierce fighting machine. Informative and entertaining, this book kicks BOT!

Customer Reviews:

Behind the scenes look.......2002-06-10

I've really been enjoying this book, ten minutes at a time. It explains the rules (I'm not sure I had realized there were any)behind the action, and includes capsule looks at number of bots I've seen locked in the box. The author talks about the costs of some bots, the time involved in designing them, and the number of upgrades they've gone through. I suggest this book for any fan of the TV show or the sport.

Love that Dr. Inferno Jr........2002-05-24

Fun book, lots of great pix, and a spread on my favorite robot: Dr. Inferno, Jr. What's not to love?

Bot Lover.......2002-05-04

This glossy coffee table book is packed with photos, robot CAD drawings and a thorough history of the BattleBots competition. The abundant photos, in depth builder and robot profiles and stylized design caputres the real spirit of BattleBots. I love the chapter on "How to Build a Bot"- the step by step tutorial and comparison of materials provides solid advice to newbie builders like me. It is the best book on robotic combat I have ever seen. A must for all robot enthusiasts.

Everything you wanted to know.......2002-05-04

Great book! The history and the personalities behind Battlebots are really interesting. The machines are given the level of attention you always wanted to get on the show. Great looking too. Put it on you coffee table; guests will actually pick it up (and spend half an hour with it!).

A Must Have for BattleBot and Robot Fans.......2002-05-03

If you or someone you know likes BattleBots, Robotica, or Robot Wars, this is a great book. It has tons of high quality still and action photos. It also has great descriptions and pictures of famous bots and bio's of their builders. Find out how much your favorite BattleBot cost or how long it took to build! The book also has basic instructions on how to build a bot plus simple examples of different design types. It also has the Win-Loss record plus stats (like # of Knock-outs) for every bot. This book has something for everyone. It has enough "meat" to it that die-hard fans will love it and the photos and stats will keep even young kids engaged.

Gearheads : The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports

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Best Reference for Robotic Combat History
A Turbulent Rise Indeed
Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots. And Litigants.
personal business
just business

Gearheads : The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports
Brad Stone
Manufacturer: Simon & Schuster
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0743229517

Amazon.com

Newsweek reporter Brad Stone set out to chronicle the brief history of robotic sports, a genre peopled by a disparate range of mechanical compulsives spanning the education-driven idealism of Segway Human Transporter inventor Dean Kamen to the willfully enigmatic Mark Pauline's anarchic Survival Research Laboratories. But Stone's straightforward reporting quickly focuses on the tormented tale of Parkinson's afflicted, former ILM animator Marc Thorpe and his struggles to transform his obsession with battling machines into bona fide sport, efforts we learn have directly spawned such cult cable TV fare as Robot Wars, Battle Bots, and Robotica and made unlikely pop-culture heroes of its motley, proud band of mechanized warrior engineers. Thorpe's effusive mix of enthusiasm and naivete are at once his salvation and downfall, especially after he finds himself yoked financially with Priority Records founder Steve Plotnicki, an executive the author portrays as never meeting a business partner he didn't like to sue, and repeatedly.

Thus framed, what emerges is as much cautionary tale about the seemingly limitless bounds of human pettiness and the nettlesome business of copyrighting, branding, and marketing mass-media entertainment as it is hagiography of the gearheads and their beloved gladiators. Lawyers and lawsuits seem to dominate every third page, often overshadowing the exploits of legendary 'bots such as Biohazard and Blendo, and increasingly making the aloofness of gearhead godfathers Pauline and Kamen seem like so much common sense. --Jerry McCulley

Book Description

In the early nineties, a visionary special-effects guru named Marc Thorpe conjured a field of dreams different from any the world had seen before: It would be framed by unbreakable plastic instead of cornstalks; populated not by ghostly ballplayers but by remote-controlled robots, armed to the steely teeth, fighting in a booby-trapped ring. If you built it, they'd come all right....

In Gearheads, Newsweek technology correspondent Brad Stone examines the history of robotic sports, from their cultish early years at universities and sci-fi conventions to today's televised extravaganzas -- and the turmoil that threatened the whole enterprise almost from the beginning.

By turns a lively historical narrative, a legal thriller, and an exploration of a cultural and technological phenomenon, Gearheads is a funny and fascinating look at the sport of the future today.

Customer Reviews:

Best Reference for Robotic Combat History.......2003-10-16

Brad Stone's book is by far the most complete and informative work on the growth and development of robotic combat, from its beginnings as unorganized street fighting to television productions. As a late arrival to the sport, competing from 2000-2002, on all three shows Battlebots, Robotica and Robot Wars, I can attest to Brad's fair and unbiased reporting and am amazed at his absolutely thorough research on the subject. If robotic combat is a passing fad, 100 years from now, historians will use this book as part of the culture that defined the start of the new millennium.

http://www.robotdojo.com

A Turbulent Rise Indeed.......2003-09-17

A fascinating and often depressing look at how robotic combat moved from the hobbyists and performance artists into the world of courtrooms and television deals, and how greed and mismanagement almost killed the sport before it had begun.

The book also tells the story of the builders, who were often unaware of the whole story and only wanted to to build and compete with the best robots they could build.

And it's a story of a community that exists to this day. Of people with vision who still see bright future for robotic sports.

But most of all, it's a fascinating warts-and-all look into the people who brought robotic combat to the mainstream audience. The decisions that were made, the court battles that were fought, the robots that were built, and the triumphs and disappointments of everyone involved.

The only downside of the book is that it focuses almost exclusively on the big events. Maybe in a followup book, Brad (or someone else) will take a longer look at the many other smaller scale competitions that are held all around the country, and the regional organizations that are popping up as then robotic community continues to grow.

But, it's a minor quibble and I can heartily recommend the book as a great place to start learning about one of the very few sports that rewards intelligence over brute strength.

Rock 'em, Sock 'em Robots. And Litigants........2003-04-12

We celebrate athletes of strength, agility, and skill. We do not celebrate nerds, who not only do not win, but do not compete. As the twentieth century was closing, though, nerds who had a special fascination for electromechanical gadgets had a previously impossible sport in which to show creativity, cunning, and a killer instinct. "Gearheads" these particular nerds were called, and their games were played under the names of "Robot Wars," "Battlebots," "Robotica" and others. While it remains to be seen if this revolutionary form of competition will be long-lasting, the sport has had a colorful beginning and plenty of people interested in it as spectacle. _Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports_ (Simon & Schuster) by Brad Stone is a funny, sad, and weird account of how these metal crunching monsters compete, and how greed and litigation ruins dreams.

It is important to realize that the robots described herein are not necessarily machines that we would think of as robots. The gearheads' robots are manipulated by a controller in the same way that hobbyists operate radio controlled cars. But for competition, RC Car Joust didn't sound nearly as good as Robot Wars, and so the inventor of this competition, Marc Thorpe, expanded the definition. He was interested in starting a commercial venture that would give his family a sound future, and had been intrigued with machines that did performance art and some primitive mechanical jousting. Unfortunately for Thorpe, he had to find a backer. His partner, Steve Plotnicki, surely had the money; he was a record executive who had been responsible for such acts as the seminal rappers Run DMC. The eager but naïve Thorpe didn't check much into Plotnicki's record, which included vituperative litigation against his former stars. _Gearheads_ is largely about the legal battles that followed, and they are as vicious as any of the buzz saw, pneumatic ram, and knife battles that took place in the Robot Wars ring. The legal battles are long, and sad, but more entertaining are the description of the gearheads themselves, and the way they participated in a hobby that turned into an obsession for many of them. One of them says, "The thrill is hard to describe. It's better than fishing, a whole lot better than baseball. It's fighting and it's not fighting. It's just boys at play."

Along the way, Stone describes the decades of violent and very noisy, not to mention illegal, robotic performance art spectacles arranged by Mark Pauline and his Survival Research Laboratories. Pauline was much more interested in the dadaism of destruction (and troublemaking in general) than in rule-bound competition. Also here are Woody Flowers, the MIT teaching genius who teamed up with Dean Kamen, inventor of the Segway, to start FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology), robot competition for high schoolers that stressed cooperation as much as competition (and thereby seems to have lost much of its entertainment punch). Combining portraits of some very peculiar inventors, a troubling tale of lost fortunes and litigation, and amazing descriptions of battles between Spiny Norman, Blendo, Biohazard, Thor, Ziggo, Ginsu, Mechadon, and others, _Gearheads_ is fine entertainment, and might be an important documentation of a new sport's genesis.

personal business.......2003-03-28

This a story in which a business contract that a man signed called for him to make his "best effort" with regard to certain business objectives. The book tells of the severe circumstances under which he made his best effort. . . and all that followed.

just business.......2003-03-14

This is a tale about a man who signed a business contract but did not want to adhere to it. Overly long for what is just a bad business practice and not enough about how to build a robot IMHO.

Average customer rating:

A must for the Battlebot addicted

The Official Guide To Battlebots
Dan Danko , and Tom Mason
Manufacturer: Scholastic Paperbacks
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0439390001

Book Description

THE OFFICIAL GUIDE TO BATTLEBOTS--based on the Comedy Central show BattleBots in which customized robots built by contestants compete for supremacy in the BattleBox arena--is a handy insider's guide to the most popular BattleBots in each of the four weight classes (light, middle, heavy, superheavy). Fans can easily reference their favorite BattleBot, see its picture, and read a list of interesting facts and information. Over 50 of the most well-known and most winning BattleBots are featured. Facts listed include weapon power, drive power, special features, and more.

Customer Reviews:

A must for the Battlebot addicted.......2003-07-06

My 3 year old son is addicted to Battlebots. I bought him this book for Christmas. He has looked at it so many times, I'm buying another copy! He has memorized all the bots in the book and it is teaching him to read. If you want in depth information about over 60 of the bots, this is the book for you.

Fighting Robots: A Guide to Radio Controlled Combatants

Average customer rating:

Historical Resource
All fluff no stuff

Fighting Robots: A Guide to Radio Controlled Combatants
Michael Benson
Manufacturer: Citadel
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 0806523727

Customer Reviews:

Historical Resource.......2006-12-08

It's become difficult to get information about the history of combat robots. Many of the web resources available at the time the sport was 'hot' have faded away. This book is a valuable resource that features descriptions of the 'golden age' combat robots and interviews with their creators.

If you're interested in building your own robot, this is not the book for you. If you have an interest in the energy and enthusiasm of the sport during the period that it was a media darling, theis book provides an interesting perspective.

All fluff no stuff.......2002-12-11

This book is nothing more than an index of combat robots seen on TV. No real Beta. Look elsewhere for usefull information.

Could technology win World War III? Tomorrow's battlefields could resemble TV shows like BattleBots.(Emerging Technology): An article from: Circuits Assembly

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Could technology win World War III? Tomorrow's battlefields could resemble TV shows like BattleBots.(Emerging Technology): An article from: Circuits Assembly
Ken Gilleo
Manufacturer: UP Media Group, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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Book Description

This digital document is an article from Circuits Assembly, published by UP Media Group, Inc. on November 1, 2004. The length of the article is 716 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Could technology win World War III? Tomorrow's battlefields could resemble TV shows like BattleBots.(Emerging Technology)
Author: Ken Gilleo
Publication: Circuits Assembly (Magazine/Journal)
Date: November 1, 2004
Publisher: UP Media Group, Inc.
Volume: 15 Issue: 11 Page: 20(1)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Lincoln Electric helps repair battlebots. (Front and Center). www.lincolnelectric.com www.weldingstoreonline.com.(Brief Article): An article from: Techniques

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Lincoln Electric helps repair battlebots. (Front and Center). www.lincolnelectric.com www.weldingstoreonline.com.(Brief Article): An article from: Techniques

Manufacturer: Association for Career and Technical Education
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Techniques, published by Association for Career and Technical Education on May 1, 2002. The length of the article is 345 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: Lincoln Electric helps repair battlebots. (Front and Center). www.lincolnelectric.com www.weldingstoreonline.com.(Brief Article)
Publication: Techniques (Magazine/Journal)
Date: May 1, 2002
Publisher: Association for Career and Technical Education
Volume: 77 Issue: 5 Page: 13(1)

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

The West Point BattleBots project and competition.: An article from: Academic Exchange Quarterly

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The West Point BattleBots project and competition.: An article from: Academic Exchange Quarterly
Brian Gollsneider , Bret Van Poppel , and Peter Hanlon
Manufacturer: Rapid Intellect Group, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital
ASIN: B0009GL8DS
Release Date: 2005-08-01

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Academic Exchange Quarterly, published by Rapid Intellect Group, Inc. on June 22, 2004. The length of the article is 2837 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: The West Point BattleBots project and competition.
Author: Brian Gollsneider
Publication: Academic Exchange Quarterly (Refereed)
Date: June 22, 2004
Publisher: Rapid Intellect Group, Inc.
Volume: 8 Issue: 2 Page: 158(5)

Distributed by Thomson Gale

When good robots go bad.(BattleBots Inc.: robotic competition)(Brief Article): An article from: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists

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When good robots go bad.(BattleBots Inc.: robotic competition)(Brief Article): An article from: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists
Sarah Horowitz
Manufacturer: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Digital

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ASIN: B0008J2UR4
Release Date: 2005-07-28

Book Description

This digital document is an article from Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists, published by Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc. on September 1, 2000. The length of the article is 534 words. The page length shown above is based on a typical 300-word page. The article is delivered in HTML format and is available in your Amazon.com Digital Locker immediately after purchase. You can view it with any web browser.

Citation Details
Title: When good robots go bad.(BattleBots Inc.: robotic competition)(Brief Article)
Author: Sarah Horowitz
Publication: Bulletin of the Atomic Scientists (Refereed)
Date: September 1, 2000
Publisher: Educational Foundation for Nuclear Science, Inc.
Volume: 56 Issue: 5 Page: 4

Article Type: Brief Article

Distributed by Thomson Gale

Average customer rating:

Battlebots

Manufacturer: Day Dream Calendars
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar
ASIN: 0768846862

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Battlebots 2004 Calendar

Manufacturer: Landmark Calendars
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Calendar
ASIN: 0768851963

Book Description

This is the first textbook to be explicitly designed for use as a course text for an undergraduate/graduate course on multi-agent systems. Assuming only a basic understanding of computer science, this text provides an introduction to all the main issues in the theory and practice of intelligent agents and multi-agent systems.

* The companion Web Site includes sample exercises, lecture slidest and hyperlinks to software referred to in the book
* Introduces agents, explains what agents are, how they are constructed and how they can be made to co-operate effectively with one another in large-scale systems
* Introduces the main issues surrounding the design of intelligent agents
* Introduces a number of typical applications for agent technology

Download Description

Multiagent systems represent a new way of conceptualising and implementing distributed software. An Introduction to MultiAgent Systems is the first modern textbook on this important topic. It provides a comprehensive introduction to intelligent agents and multiagent systems. The book assumes no specialist knowledge. It introduces the idea of agents as software systems that can act autonomously, and leads the reader through a detailed discussion of: ways that agents can be built how agents can reach agreements the languages that agents can use to communicate with one-another co-operation and co-ordination in agent systems and the applications of agent technology. Designed and written specifically for undergraduates and computing professionals, the book is supported by extensive online teaching resources, including a complete set of lecture slides. Illustrated with many informal examples, and packed with more than 500 references, An Introduction to MultiAgent Systems is a must-read for students and practitioners of agent systems alike.

Customer Reviews:

Excellent Introduction.......2003-04-05

Wooldridge's book is a great introduction that guides the reader from motivations, over several agent architectures through to chapters about interaction, methodology and much more. It gets very close to Weiss's book on Distributed Artificial Intelligence but presents a more readable treatise leaving out some of the details and formalisms.
This book will equip the reader with the necessary foundations (and more) allowing her to explore more involved issues on her own. As a companion to Gerhard Weiss's book or as a comprehensive introduction of its own, this book is definitely unbeaten so far.

Fantastic book.......2003-03-07

This book is great to read and highly informative! You can learn about intelligent agents from one of the big names in Agent research.

Great book with lot of references.......2002-08-03

This book gives a clear overview over the board topic of MultiAgent Systems. Explainations are easy to follow and the references at the back of the book are particularly useful for those who want to dig deeper into any specific topic. This book itself will not make one an expert in the field but it provide all necessary knowledge for further independent study.
Very easy to read even for students with English as a second language, ideal for use as a text book at university level.
(I'm a post-graduate engineering student)

A Concise Introduction to Multiagent Systems and Distributed Artificial Intelligence (Synthesis Lectures on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning)

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A Concise Introduction to Multiagent Systems and Distributed Artificial Intelligence (Synthesis Lectures on Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning)
Nikos Vlassis
Manufacturer: Morgan and Claypool Publishers
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Paperback

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ASIN: 1598295268
Release Date: 2007-08-31

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