Robot Ruckus 2023

Event Description

Robot Ruckus is BACK at Maker Faire Orlando November 4-5, 2023. As a marquee attraction of the largest Maker Faire in the Southeast US it’s an experience not to be missed.

In 2023 we will be introducing 2 new weightclasses for new and inexperienced builders.

New for 2023 Class Descriptions

• Plastic Ants – In response to an ever-growing popularity filled with purely entertaining matchups Plastics Ants are an anticipated addition to Ruckus 2023.
• Ant Rookie – Reserved for newer builders learning and growing in the sport. The spirit of this class is a place for newer builders to cut their teeth on an even playing field. Ruckus EOs reserve the right to limit entries into the class if they’re not in the spirit.
• Ant Pro – Ant Pro is an open class for all the most destructive and custom bots. This where you’ll find the seasoned builders and highly refined multi year builds competing.

What is a Rookie Ant??
Many folks have asked us, “What’s a Rookie Ant and who can compete in that class?” Good question, so let us clarify.First and foremost, the intention of this class is to give new drivers, builders and teams a safe place to compete so they’ll want to come back! As a new builder, it really sucks getting destroyed on the first hit, so we’re trying to make some more competitive matches.There are no definitive rules as to what classifies as a “rookie” ant, so we ask people respect the intent of the class, i.e. have a class where new builders can compete against other new builders to even the playing field. Ultimately it is up to the discretion of the event organizers as to who can compete in the class.Still need some guidance? We got you covered. Here are some guidelines that might help you determine if you qualify for the Rookie Ant class:

• You or your team have competed in 2 or less events.
• You or your team have never podiumed in an insect weight event.
• You or your team never had previous robot building experience, either combat robots or otherwise.

Entry Limits, Requirements and Fees:

• Registration is $20 per bot for ALL CLASSES. Payable once the entry is accepted.
• Insect Arenas: Each builder/driver may only enter ONE bot per weight class. Example: one Ant Pro, one Beetle and one Plastic Ant. Please register appropriately to make room for as many builders as possible.
• Big Arena (12s and 30s): No limit on bot count per builder/driver. We will do our best to give time for repairs and recharge, but cannot guarantee more than 20 minutes between matches.
• Due to the complexity of building the large Ruckus arena, a required total registration of 30 bots across the three large classes is needed by September 30th to run the classes. So call your friends and bring out the big bots to create a ruckus at Maker Faire. Should the registration minimum not be met any registration fees paid will be refunded. Big Arena will definitely be running!

Rules: All open registration weightclasses are full combat, with the exception of the 30lb Sportsman class. Insect weightclasses are double-elimination and use the SPARC ruleset. 12s, 30s, and 30SC are a pools/swiss fight format using the SPARC ruleset.

Arenas: Ruckus 2023 is running THREE ARENAS. Two 8x8x4 Insect boxes and the large Ruckus arena for 12s and 30s. The large arena for 2023 will be 16x16 and will have a painted wood floor. Insect boxes will be the Palm Beach Bots and Build Fight Fun arenas.

Volunteers: Yes, please!! Maker Faire Orlando and Robot Ruckus are community events run 100% by volunteers. Anyone who has time to give is welcome to help. There are roles for everyone, robot knowledge is not required. We need as many volunteers as possible to keep the event running. And remember, even a 4 hour shift grants you free entry to Maker Faire so why not get a behind the scenes experience and free entry!! Reach out to contact@robotruckus.org for details.

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