Rink Rat is the kilobot I am making for the August 2003 Kilobots event. Its a fairly simple design: basic 2 wheeled wedge with a lifting arm tucked into the front. Heres a cardboard prototype I made out of cardboard. (The cardboard will be converted to polycarbonate in the final version)

You can see where the lifting arm will be located by the gap in the wedge. The only problem with the prototype was that the wedge was too steep to actually get under anything. I'll have to cut it at a better angle in the final version.

14/08/03-Right, i better get some work done on RR. Here are the servos and wheels attached to the 1/8" Polycarbonate baseplate. Yes, i know hot glue sucks but it was either mount the drive servos properly or mount the weapon servo properly. In my opinion the lifter will be under more strain than the drive will.

17/08/03- I mounted RR's back panel armour today,using my special 'GaL-Brackets'.(galvanized steel L brackets)

20/08/03- Mounted Rink Rat's side armour and lifting servo today, nothing else to report.

21/08/03-Rink Rat is almost ill done today. Drive and lifter are both working fine.

22/08/03- Rink Rat is officially done and ready to go.

RinkRat did really well at Kilobots, going 4-2. He lost his first match after being pounded my Johnson, but then went on a winning streak, beating Shwing and Shwang, Johnson, Flipout, and Scarab. Finally, it lost to GuavaMovement in the losers bracket final.

RinkRat had a few major flaws that may have cost it those matches.

#1. Servos were too slow and sluggish, RinkRat was easily outmaneuveared by other bots. Hopefully, RinkRat will be upgrading to escaps.

#2. When RinkRat fully lifted another bot, the weight would lift its tires off the ground, not allowing it to push the other bot around.

#3. RinkRat's wedges would push back and up when they encounterd something heavy low to the ground. This made it tough to actually get under other bots. Although I am very pleased with the wedges themselves. The sharpened edges and hinges made it extremely low to the ground. Not a single thing got underneath them at the event.

Solutions to problems 2 and 3: Add support bars underneath wedges that will prevent both from happening again.