Safety
Combat robotics mixes real engineering with real arena carnage — and that only works when everyone takes safety seriously. From your workbench to the pits to the LiPo charger, here's how we keep builders, drivers and spectators out of harm's way so the focus stays on design, driving and strategy.
Combat robot testing
A test box is a non‑negotiable for testing your destructive combat robots — if it spins, flips or smashes, it should only ever run inside a sealed box or in an Arena!
Even pushers and lifters can catch fingers and toes in the gears or wheels, and/or crush them with the flipper movement (or worse).
It's also highly recommended that you still test your non‑destructive combat robots in a test box after any builds and modifications and until you are confident of your robot's safety profile.
Be safe — not sorry!
Being a 3D printing guy, I don't have the tools for this project — so I'll be going to the Upper Ross Men's Shed and getting their expert guidance, tools and a place to build the club's first test box. I will try to record the building of a test box from start to finish and place a link to the video in this section (once edited).
Being only a box of wood, 2 hinges, a pool latch (or equivalent) and a polycarbonate (Lexan) clear panel, this is a project build anyone can achieve — especially with the guidance and tool expertise the Upper Ross Men's Shed has to offer, and all they ask is a donation at the end that you can afford. If you are unsure about your tools or capabilities in completing this, contact me or go directly to these services, as their help is invaluable: Upper Ross Men's Shed Inc.
Polycarbonate clear panels, also called Lexan, is the type of plastic you must use. This is because clear acrylics like Perspex are not strong enough and will shatter upon breaking. The club purchased the small roof panel of Lexan cut to size from Northern Plastics ↗.
This clear roof will require a different minimum thickness depending on the weight class of the combat robot you are testing — and you can use two thinner panels stacked to make up the roof thickness:
Build video of test box coming soon
In the workshop
Building an Antweight or Beetleweight looks harmless — they're small, mostly plastic, and fit in your hand. But between soldering irons, spinning tools, sharp printed edges and lithium batteries, there are plenty of ways a build night can go wrong. A few simple habits keep it fun.
The golden rule: whenever your robot has a battery plugged in, treat it as live. Block it up so the wheels can't touch the bench, keep your hands away from the weapon, and know exactly which transmitter controls it.
Safety glasses go on before you cut, drill or solder — every time. Printed plastic snaps and flies, and solder spits. Wear gloves when you're handling sharp parts, trimming material or working with adhesives, and use a fume extractor when soldering so you're not breathing flux fumes. Plenty of bigger events make extractors mandatory at the soldering bench — we think it's just good practice anywhere.
A soldering iron sits at several hundred degrees — always know where the hot end is, park it in a proper stand, and never grab for a falling iron. When cutting or drilling, clamp the work down first, keep your tools sharp (blunt tools slip), and keep fingers out of the cutting path. Cheap brittle tools cause more injuries than good ones.
Test with the robot raised on a block so the wheels can't grab and launch it off the bench — the same rule applies at every event. Keep hands clear of the weapon whenever power is connected. Set up your radio failsafe so the bot stops dead if signal drops, make certain the transmitter is OFF while you're working on the robot, and double-check you're holding the right transmitter before anything gets switched on.
A tidy bench is a safe bench — loose wires, scattered tools and offcuts cause trips, slips and shorts. Keep a fire extinguisher rated for electrical and battery fires within reach and know how to use it, keep a first aid kit handy for the inevitable nicks, and make sure the people you live or work with know what to do if there's a fire, a battery failure or an injury.
Lithium polymer (LiPo) packs power nearly every combat robot — and a damaged or mistreated one can mean fire and toxic gas. They deserve their own set of rules: see the LiPo battery safety section below.
At the event
Event Competition runs on a simple deal: the arena is where robots get wrecked, and everywhere else is kept calm on purpose. Whether you're competing, helping run the day or just watching, following the procedures below is what keeps it that way.
These are the general standards you'll find at combat robotics events everywhere — the full Townsville Robot Combat versions live in our rule documents, and event staff will walk first-timers through everything on the day.
Every robot goes through a safety inspection before it's allowed anywhere near a fight. We're checking that your weapon lock is fitted and actually works, your failsafe kills drive and weapon on signal loss, there are no dangerous exposed edges, the battery is mounted securely and insulated against shorts, and your wiring is tidy enough to survive combat. Don't pass, don't fight — it's that simple.
Keep your pit space tidy and your PPE on when you're working. Weapons stay locked and disabled in the pits, full stop — weapon testing only ever happens in a test box or the arena itself. Know which transmitter belongs to which bot before you power anything (label them — future you will say thanks), and keep transmitters off unless you're the one using them.
Fights only happen inside the sealed arena — impact-rated transparent walls, with every access point closed before a match starts. Only officials are allowed near the arena while robots are live, and before every single match the referee confirms both robots' failsafes are working, so a signal dropout can never mean an out-of-control bot.
The referee's word is final — if a bot sheds a weapon, gets stuck or anything starts looking unsafe, the match stops and everyone complies immediately. Weapon locks only come off once the bot is placed in the arena following the activation procedure in our rules. Between rounds the arena floor gets cleared of debris so the next fight starts clean.
Robots are powered down and weapons locked before they leave the arena. Back in the pits, look your bot over before you do anything else — exposed wires, fresh sharp edges, and especially a dented, punctured or swelling battery are all problems you fix (or retire) before the next round, not after.
Spectators stay behind the barrier whenever robots are live — it exists because even a 150 g spinner can throw fragments with surprising venom. Follow directions from event staff about where to stand and what to do in an emergency, keep kids close, and you'll see all the carnage with none of the shrapnel.
Batteries
LiPo batteries are the standard power source in combat robotics for a reason — huge punch in a tiny, light pack. The trade-off is that an abused LiPo can catch fire and give off toxic gas, so they get handled with respect at every stage: choosing, charging, fighting, storing and disposal.
Our class limits help here too: Antweight classes run a maximum of 2S under our Robot Specifications — smaller packs mean less energy to go wrong.
Match the battery to the job: the right cell count for your class (2S max for our Antweight classes), and enough capacity and discharge rating for your motors. A pack working beyond its limits runs hot — and heat leads to swelling, and swelling leads to fire.
Only charge with a proper LiPo balance charger — it watches every cell and keeps them even, which is what prevents overcharging. Charge inside a LiPo-safe bag or metal container, in a ventilated spot away from anything flammable, and never walk away from a charging pack. If a pack ever feels hot on the charger, disconnect it immediately and let it cool before you investigate.
Never puncture, crush or short a LiPo — internal damage can trigger thermal runaway, which is the polite term for "it's now on fire". Mount the pack solidly inside your bot with padding to soak up impacts; a battery rattling loose in a combat robot is asking for trouble. And if a pack ever puffs up or swells, it's done — retire it immediately and dispose of it properly.
Between events, store packs at roughly half charge — about 3.7 to 3.8 volts per cell (most chargers have a "storage" mode that does this for you). Don't leave packs sitting full or flat for weeks; both shorten their life and raise the risk. Keep them somewhere cool and dry, and store multiple packs together in a fireproof box or LiPo bag.
Never put water on a LiPo fire — it makes things worse. Smother it with sand or use a Class D (metal fire) extinguisher, and have your sand bucket or sealed metal bin ready before you need it. A burning or venting LiPo gives off toxic fumes, so get fresh air moving and get people out. Dead, damaged or swollen packs get fully discharged and taken to a battery recycler — never the household bin.
Battery rules are part of scrutineering: packs that are loosely mounted or showing damage won't pass inspection. During a fight, an exposed battery generally means the match is stopped then and there. And anywhere batteries are charging or stored, we keep the area ventilated with a clear path to fresh air — you should do the same at home.
Make it official
Everything on this page is expanded in the club's official documents — the cardinal safety rules, weapon lock requirements, failsafe specs and battery limits your robot is inspected against.
Match procedures, knockouts, pins and emergency stops.
Cardinal safety rules, weapon locks, failsafes and battery limits.
How fights are scored when they go the distance.