Event Day for Competitors

Welcome to NHRL!

Event Day is crazy but this page should help guide you around. Here is some important information for you;

There are a lot of big things going on behind the scenes here at NHRL, and we'll soon have some exciting things to share about the upcoming season. If you want to be one of the first to hear about these exciting developments, sign up for our mailing list!

Friday

Starting at 1:00 PM and ending at 9:00PM we will be opening up our facility for competitors to find their tables and set up their gear before the event. The goal of the pre day is to give you time to work on your robot and potentially pass safety ahead of the event. The pits are open. Much of the staff will be getting ready for the broadcast. You will have full access to all the tools and resources we have at our facility. Since we will still be getting ready for the broadcast all the broadcast spaces will be off limits until the day of the event.

• If you need help with anything reach out on the #tech-support-general discord channel, or find a staff member
• You are welcome to use any of the test boxes to test your robot.
• The photo booth won't be ready until the day of the event. Feel free to take pictures for your own use though!
• Take some time to explore the building, make sure you know where everything is.

Saturday

Welcome to the event! Below are some helpful links for navigating the event. If you have any questions or issues, please find a staff member.

Things to do, in order of importance:

• Pass a safety check
• Click this link Find your robot. Click its name, and update your bots picture.
• Ensure your robot is ready. Robots that are not ready may forfeit their matches
  • Keep track of when your next fight is. We have screens in the pits showing the next 10 fights.
• Join the Discord
• Create a wiki page for your bot.

Day of Schedule

Now that you have arrived here at our facility and are preparing for your day of combat it is important to be aware of the days schedule so that you are never caught off guard! If you find that you have free time throughout the day and are ready for your fights we want to encourage you to look at our other attractions present at the arena.

8:00 AM - 9:30 AM

During this time we will be opening the doors for our competitors to arrive, check-in, pass safety, and take their robot photos. We ask that all competitors be present in the building by 9:30 AM.

9:30AM - 9:45 AM

During this time we are going to be having our morning drivers meeting. This meeting is going to cover the safety and event procedures that will be in place during the event.

9:45 AM

Starting off in the morning at 9:45AM we will open our doors to allow for spectators to being entering into the arena and getting situated with the spectating arena, event activities, and photo opportunities.

10:00 AM - 6:30 PM

Starting at 10:00 AM we will begin robot fights that are going to run are fights in our winners and losers brackets. These fights will take a break at 6:00 PM for 30 minutes to allow for builders to have time to repair their robots. During this break the stream will also be switched over to the NRHL prime stream.

12:00 PM - 8:00 PM

Our food trucks will be open at around this time. Exact hours vary by individual food trucks; this time listed is a rough window!

7:00 PM - Close

After the 30 minute break we will move into NHRL prime which is going to focus on the last 16 bots in each weight class. These fights are expected to be less rapidly paced as each builder is allotted 20 minutes after each fight to repair and recharge their robot. However, since these are gearing up to be some of our finalists these fights are sure to be intense and action packed.

Exciting Activities at NHRL

Drive Brett!

For the first time ever we are excited to offer our spectators and competitors the opportunity to drive NHRL's one of a kind referee bot Brett the Brick! Driving this bot will not only allow for everyone to be able to drive a real combat robot but it will also give people an opportunity to understand the challenges associated with driving our referee bots. As a special treat for this experience we will be stocking the cage with some materials to allow for everyone to understand just how powerful our referee bots are, even when they are in demonstration mode.

Our Bot Museum

Another experience that we are able to offer here at our arena is for a chance to take photos with some of your favorite 250lb bots in our Bot Museum! You can take a photo with bots like Ribbot, SMEEEEEEE, and Sharko.

Food trucks

Here are the food trucks confirmed for the May 6th 2023 event.

Name	Kind of food	Time
The Chamo	Venezuelan	12 pm - about 7 pm
Crazy Taco-Mex	Mexican	12 pm - about 7 pm
CT Cocktail Car	Adult beverages	12 pm - about 7 pm
Daniel's Food Truck	Guatemalan-American	12 pm - about 7 pm
Eco Evolution	Breakfast & Coffee	7 am - about 7 pm
Greek Style Grill	Greek	12 pm - about 7 pm
Ringside Grill	American/Italian comfort food	12 pm - about 7 pm
SpaceCat Brewing Company Tales	Adult beverages	12 pm - about 7 pm
Waffle Cabin	Waffles	1 pm - about 5 pm

Lounge

Finally we have our lounge and eating area. Here we have free drinks, water dispensers, picnic tables, and a view of the live stream for anyone who wants to get food without missing any of the action throughout the day!

Competitor Information

During the day we know everyone is going to be under a large amount of stress with keeping their robots ready to fight during the grueling battles they will face. As a result we wanted to provide you with a collection of information that we are sure everyone will be looking for during their time here at Norwalk. First, in order to ensure a timely end to our event we are asking everyone to be on top of ensuring they are in the green room as soon as they see their name on the next 10 fight list. This list is going to be posted at the front of the pits during the event so please keep an eye out for your robot's name!

Keep an eye out for brackets! Qualifiers

3lb bracket

12lb bracket

30lb bracket

Finally, either before you arrive or as you arrive at our arena we encourage you to review our building map. This map contains all of the information about the facility that we want you to be aware of. It also contains information about egress routes in the event that we need to evacuate the building during the event.

Competitor FAQ

How do I register for an event?

There are two ways to register:

Open reservation is the most common way to reserve a spot. We will announce on our mailing list and in our Discord when registration opens.

Open registration will run for a week. There's no limit to the number of people who can register. However, when registration closes, we will randomly select the competitors, up to our registration caps (generally 96 3lb bots, 24 12lb bots, and 16 30lb bots, though this may vary between events). The fewer events your bot has fought in this year, the more likely it will be selected. Selections are announced at least 6 weeks before each event, to give competitors ample time to travel. All bots that are not selected go on our waitlist in a random order.

We also offer event reservation on a limited, case-by-case basis. If it takes more than 6 weeks for you to make travel arrangements, or if you have some other contingency that would make a lottery difficult for you, you may apply to reserve a spot at one of our events. This lets you bypass the lottery.

Read more about our registration system here.

How much does it cost to fight at NHRL?

All builders must pay a $25 deposit per bot when registering. You will get this deposit back as long as you check in at the builder desk for the event, or withdraw before the deposit refund deadline for the event.

If you are put on the waitlist, you are not immediately refunded; you will have to withdraw your bot from the waitlist (giving up your chance to replace a bot that drops out of the main competition) before the deposit refund deadline to get your refund. You will also be refunded after the event, as long as you did not drop out when called in to replace another bot.

The deposit refund deadline is usually 3 weeks before the event.

Other than the deposit, there is no fee to compete at NHRL.

Is there an age limit?

There is no restriction on the age of builders at NHRL; some of our most ferocious competitors are under 18 or over 60!

If the team for your bot has any members under 18, you must have at least one team member 18 or over who is responsible for them.

What should I bring with me to compete at NHRL?

Most competitors will bring their own set of tools, spare batteries, a battery charger, and spare modules/copies of their bot for faster repairs. See the question below "What tools/equipment/space do I get to use as a competitor at NHRL?" for more information on what you can use from our facilities.

I am new to building combat robots. Where should I start?

If you are new to combat robotics, I would suggest reading The Combat Design Handbook, which can be downloaded for free here. You should also join our Discord, where you can ask questions and get advice from other competitors as well as our staff.

Is there any way to get help with my bot?

The staff and facilities at NHRL are also available to help builders. Our staff can offer technical advice, assistance in assembly/construction, loan new builders parts to use, and even assist in fabricating parts for your robot. Contact safety@nhrl.io or ask a staff member on the Discord for more information.

What tools/equipment/space do I get to use as a competitor at NHRL?

Each competitor at NHRL gets 1 pit table, which is a 6' x 36" folding table, and 2 padded folding chairs. Each pit table has at least 2 outlets and 2 USB charging ports at it. Competitors also get access to free high-speed WiFi during events.

During the event, all of our safety test boxes are available for competitors to use. We ask that you refrain from fighting in these cages though.

All competitors have access to our workshop facilities, fully stocked with tools, hardware, and equipment. Tools from the workshop are not allowed to be removed from the workshop, so any work with them must be done there rather than at your pit tables. For help with specialized equipment, like welders, staff can assist you.

What does the schedule look like for the day? When can I come to NHRL?

Competitors can access the facilities on both the Friday before the event and the Saturday of the event. On Friday, the facility is open from noon to 9 pm, and bot inspection is open from 5 pm to 9 pm. During this time, competitors can complete check-in, set up their pits, pass safety, and use the workshop facilities. Once doors close at 9 pm, all equipment must be unplugged (especially battery chargers!), and the facility doors will be kept locked until the event on the following day under 24/7 CCTV monitoring, so don't worry about leaving stuff overnight.

On Saturday, doors open to competitors at 6 am. Keep in mind that the line for safety is longer on Saturday than it is Friday, so try to get there early to pass bot inspection (or even better, come Friday!). Failure to pass bot inspection on time can result in disqualification.

The first fight of the day will take place at 9 am, and fights will continue back-to-back across all weight classes until we finish all fights. We usually finish around 10 pm Competitors are welcome to stay the entire event, or are also allowed to leave once their fights are done for the day.

How many fights will I be in during an event?

NHRL utilizes a 3-round qualifier that feeds a single-elimination tournament. Most competitors get to fight at least twice in the tournament. Later in the day, competitors are also allowed to request Freestyle fights against each other, where two (or more!) bots can face off against each other, independent of the tournament bracket.

How much time do I have between fights?

Competitors are guaranteed at least 20 minutes between fights. Towards the start of the day, though, this can be more in the range of hours. When your time is nearly up or your fight is coming up soon, your name will appear on a list on all the TVs in the pits, indicating it is time to report in for your fight.

Can I bring multiple bots?

Each bot in a weight class must be driven by a different driver. You can drive one bot in each weight class, but not multiple bots in the same weight class.

One exception: If your bot is a multibot entry, this rule only applies to the heaviest component in the entry. So you may drive other bots in the same weight class, as long as the other bots are not their heaviest components of the entry.

Is there a dress code?

While there is no formal dress code at NHRL, we ask that you keep a few things in mind:

• Please do not wear clothes with overtly hateful, sexual, or political words or images.
• We strongly discourage wearing open-toed shoes, like flip flops, in the pits. This can be a safety hazard.
• We encourage team jerseys! If you have sponsors listed on your jersey, it is best to clear them with us by emailing us.

Are there places at the House of Havoc that are off-limits to builders?

On Friday, builders are allowed in the loading area, the workshop, the bathrooms next to the workshop, and the pits. All other areas, including the museum, Sparky Store, and cages, are off-limits to builders.

On Saturday, builders are allowed in most spaces in the buildings. Builders are not allowed in the staff lounge, the control room, and the front staircase. If a door says "Staff only," please do not enter it unless accompanied by a staff member.

Is there somewhere where I can get parts for my bot on event day? Also, I have extra parts I'm not using; is there a place I can leave them for others to use?

We have a communal parts box at NHRL. If you have extra parts you don't need, you can leave them there for others to use. If you need a part, you can search the box for it.

Please do not discard damaged LiPo batteries in the communal parts box.

NHRL makes no guarantees on the functionality or quality of anything in the communal parts box.

Is there a code of conduct that all builders must follow?

Yes, we have a Builder Conduct Policy that we expect all builders to adhere to.

Is there anything more I should know about competing at NHRL?

Yes, if you want to know more, please check out our New Builder Guide.