Matthew Spurk

Builder Tip: Going to Events
January 2017
Avoid showing up to your next competition with a handful of items you didn’t bring.

It’s All About the Benjamins Or No Bucks No Bots
July 2016
The hardest part of getting into combat robots is knowing where to start. This article doesn’t go into what to buy, but more about where to spend your money.

BUILD REPORT Alternate Building Material: Wooden Robots
October 2015
Wood you like to know how I built my newest hockey bot? STICK around and I’ll explain the whole thing to you.

BUILD REPORT: Slade
January 2015
Slade - A 3D printed SL-anted bl-ADE robot.

BUILD REPORT Renewing Old Iron
July 2015
Ibuilt my first robot back in 2001. It was an Antweight (one pound) robot called 3-letter-word. After I finished the Ant, I decided to start on a simpler project and built my heavyweight (220 pound) robot named 4-letter-word.

PRODUCT REVIEW: Team Tiki Gearmotors Beta Tested
December 2014
When Micah from Team Tiki fame was searching for someone going to an upcoming event to test out his new gearmotors, I knew I had the perfect storm.

BUILD REPORT: Scary! Scary! SCARY!
December 2014
I have employed pretty much the same design for three pound robots since around 2002.

BUILD REPORT: Using Actobotics in Combat Robots
November 2014
Recently, I had the opportunity to try out some of the new Actobotics products from ServoCity.com.

EVENT REPORT: The Adventures of Scary and Angry Bot
January 2014
Last month, I did a brief report about how my two sons and I built their first "real" combat robots — "Angry Bot" and "Scary." This month, I want to discuss how they did in their matches. You may be a bit surprised by the result.

Building Builders
December 2013
This article is a mini build report from my perspective of getting the bots and boys ready for their first event with their own "real" combots at Battle at Maker Faire, which took place on October 5th at the Orlando Mini Maker Faire.

MANUFACTURING: The Roboticist’s Guide to Plastic
July 2011
Plastic has become an integral part of our society. It holds our food, is found in our automobiles, and is even on and in our bodies. It also makes a great building material for robotics.

MANUFACTURING: Calculating Bolt Torques
December 2010
Sparks fly as the two robots smash into each other again. Sweat drips down your forehead as you prepare for another charge across the arena.

How Not to Die. I Mean, Build a Test Box
April 2010
You’ve just finished putting the finishing touches on your new insect class combat robot. You’ve spent the last three hours tirelessly wiring, soldering, grinding, tapping, cutting, and wrenching on your bot.