CLEVELANDThe aim ofBattlebots, a Comedy Central television show, is to pit contestants’ robots against each other in a battle to the death. Battles take place in a hazard-laden ring, and even the winning robot usually requires repairs before advancing to the next round.
That’s where The Lincoln Electric Co. comes to the rescue. The company has teamed with Battlebots to provide a "robot triage" area. Contestants bring their robots to the triage area, where company representatives weld, provide advice to the teams and get the robots back in working order.
Nesco (Berkeley, CA) supplies the welding and pneumatic gases. A Nesco representative also serves as a robot inspector to ensure all robot components are safe.
The Lincoln staff averages 125 to 150 repairs during the competition. These jobs run the gamut from weapons and frames to motor mounts and drive shafts. The materials also vary greatlyfrom mild steel and aluminum to titanium and chrome-moly. "We have seen some robots so damaged that they have come to us in parts in a box," says Russ Farrar, San Francisco district manager for Lincoln.