January 28th 2023
January 28th will be the first event in the 2023 season. Bots in 3 weight classes will be fighting for the chance to win one of 3 Golden Dumpsters, as well as a part of the $4,200 prize pool.
This event will be for new bots only. None of the bots that have fought today have ever competed at an NHRL event before. We welcome people who have never fought a combat robot before, as well as experienced builders who want to try something new.
Registration for this event has closed.
This event will be the first one under our new 2023 Tournament Format rules. We are excited to bring you an event that is shorter, more exciting, and more fun, with plenty of opportunities to fight all day!
See the list of registered bots here.
See more detail about registered builders and bots at the NHRL Event Robot Database–NERD for short.
Submit information about you and your bot to NERD.
Brackets
You can see the preliminary round matchups here.
The tournament brackets are below. Note that they will not have exact bot names until the day of the event, when the preliminary round is over.
Prediction Challenge
The prediction challenge has been updated for 2023!
We are giving prizes to people who correctly predict the top 4 finishers in the 3lb, 12lb, or 30lb brackets! The people who have the 3 highest overall scores across each weight class will get $300, $200, and $100 for 1st place, 2nd place, and 3rd place respectively. Additionally, people who have the highest overall score within each weight class will get $100 each.
Your methodology is entirely up to you, whether that's taking a deep dive into the statistics, flipping a coin, or having your bot make your picks for you. Then, sit back and watch the madness unfold as you revel in victory, or witness your bracket get busted before the end of the tournament.
You'll be scored based on how close your predictions are to the actual bot finishes.
| Finished 1st | Finished 2nd | Finished 3rd | Finished 4th | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Predicted 1st | 10 | 5 | 2 | 1 |
| Predicted 2nd | 6 | 7 | 3 | 1 |
| Predicted 3rd | 2 | 3 | 4 | 2 |
| Predicted 4th | 1 | 1 | 2 | 3 |
How to enter
Entering the contest is simple: just fill out this form. It'll start by asking a few questions to determine if you are eligible to win. If you are eligible, you'll enter your predictions directly into the form.
To be eligible, you must be 18 years of age or over, live in the US, not be competing at the event (or have family members competing in the event), and not be working as staff for the event (or have family members working as staff for the event).
We have full details for the contest here.
Best of luck!
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 |
What is a new bot?
So, what exactly is a "new bot"? We are considering a new bot to be one that has never specifically competed at NHRL.
We are excited to see new bots here. We want you to take risks, innovate, and inspire. We're not looking to aggressively restrict or disqualify bots. Consider the following guidelines and boundaries, not rules that we are going to aggressively disqualify bots on. If you're close, you'll likely get to fight, unless we find that you're not following the spirit of the rules.
Kit/open source bots are okay, as long as you haven't fought at NHRL with a build from that kit/design before. Still, we recommend that you do something innovative or creative with that kit.
If you've never competed at NHRL before, you are welcome to fight in January! You don't have to read any further unless you're curious.
If you have competed at NHRL before, and if you have some questions about exactly what is allowed and not allowed, here's the fine print.
The fine print
The following are guidelines. Havoc Robotics reserves the right to deny registration to or disqualify a bot that we feel is not a new bot, even if it seems to meet all these requirements on a surface level. Again, this isn't something that we're going to do aggressively; we just want to make sure everyone is following the spirit of the event. If you're worried that your entry may be toeing the line, please email us in advance at hello@nhrl.io to get pre-clearance.
- Your bot must have a different name than any bots that have fought in the past at NHRL at that weight class.
- Your bot must be visually unique, compared to any bot you've brought to NHRL. A bot that has fought before, but with only a new paint job, is not allowed.
- If iterating on a previous bot, at least 50% of the weight of non-electric parts (weapon, pulleys, chassis) must significantly change including at least one major subsystem (drivetrain, weapon type, etc).
- If part of a multibot team, the aforementioned 50% rule is still in effect for the main bot only. This means that the smaller of the two bots may stay the same; however it requires significant changes to the main bot and changes to the minibot do not reduce how much needs to change for the main bot
- Bots that have had purely cosmetic changes or changes that do not alter the function of a bot do not qualify as a "new" bot.
- A change from a FingerTech beater bar to a similarly dimensioned machined beater bar or drisk drop-in replacement would not be considered a subsystem change. Changing from a beater bar vert to a disk vert or a flipper would.
- Changing the gear ratio for your drivetrain or your wheel type would not be considered a subsystem change. Changing from a gearbox to direct gear drive or from wheels to a walker would.
- Changing materials while keeping the same general design does not count as a significant change.
- It's okay to bring a bot that's fought before, if it's part of a multibot in a heavier weight class.
To repeat: These are all guidelines. Havoc Robotics reserves the right to disqualify a bot that we feel is not a new bot, even if it seems to meet all these requirements on a surface level. However, we are not actively seeking to restrict bots from fighting; if you're close, you'll likely get to fight. If you're worried that your entry may be toeing the line, please email us in advance at hello@nhrl.io to get pre-clearance.
Hotel info
We have a block of rooms available at the Hilton Garden Inn Norwalk. It's a 10-minute drive from the House of Havoc.
- Address: 560 Main Ave, Norwalk, CT 06851
- Phone: 203-523-4000
- Group Rate Host: Norwalk Havoc Robot League
- Block reservations are open until January 20.
- Block applies for rooms booked between Thursday, January 26 and Sunday, January 29, 2023 (3 nights total).
- 1-bed King: $86.96 per evening, plus taxes and fees.
- 2-bed Queen: $108.70 per evening, plus taxes and fees.
- If you have booking questions, please email Katie, our events manager.
- Amenities:
- Free shuttle to and from NHRL on event day from the lobby (note that shuttle service may close before event finishes).
- Ample free parking
- Free wifi and streaming TV
- All rooms have a mini-fridge and microwave
- On-site restaurant and bar
- Indoor pool and spa
- Fitness-center
- Pet-friendly rooms
- Room service
- Business center
- 2 comfortable outdoor seating areas
What to expect at NHRL
Whether you attend NHRL as a competitor or as a spectator, it's an unforgettable experience! Here's what to expect.
We have eight cages where robot fights happen, in two different areas!
One area is the Steel Arena, which contains Cages 1 and 4, for 12lb and 30lb bots, and Cages 2 and 3, for 3lb bots.
Another area is the Titanium Stage, which contains Cages 5, 6, 7, and 8 both for 3lb bots.
We have a bunch of other great things that all our spectators can check out.
- Our Bot Museum, with notable bots you may have seen on TV.
- An outdoor patio, with plenty of food trucks with delicious offerings.
- The Brett Experience, where you can try your hand at driving Brett the Brick.
- The Sparky Store, where you can buy souvenirs like t-shirts and stickers.
- A sign-making station, where you can support your favorite competitors.
Spectator tickets run as low as $15. Anyone under 18 must be accompanied by a guardian 18 or over. Children 4 and under get in free.
If you're a competitor, you're in for a treat! We welcome competitors of all backgrounds and skill levels. Here's what you can expect...
- An enormous pit area on the second floor.
- A large workshop filled with all sorts of tools to help fix your bot.
- An amazing, supportive, and helpful community.
- No registration fees! (There is a $25 per-bot deposit that's refunded after you attend the event.)
- The best competition in the world!
Watching NHRL Online
All NHRL events are livestreamed on our YouTube channel.
Spectating at NHRL
Come see some robot carnage up-close and personal! Click here to buy tickets for any of our upcoming events!
All NHRL events are open to public spectators. Adults and children over the age of 4 can purchase an all-day access pass for $10. This will give access to all of the spectating areas around all the fighting cages, as well as the spectator lounges, Bot Museum, and other fun combat robotics attractions. Spectators under the age of 4 are admitted for free. Any spectator under the age of 18 must be accompanied by a guardian over the age of 18.
Also, look for our VIP tickets, where you can relax in our lounge, experience our fights close-up, and go on a behind-the-scenes tour!
Read more about our spectator experience.
Competing at NHRL
Want to come fight at NHRL?
NHRL is open to competitors of any experience level. Before building/bringing a bot to NHRL, make sure to review our bot design rules!
There is a $25 deposit for each bot you register. As long as you check in for the event, you'll get your deposit back a few business days later. Signups close 2 weeks before the event.
Read more about competing at NHRL here.
3lb fights
Click Expand to expand any table.
Without spoilers
If a fight has no video link, the likely reason is that the match was forfeited.
With spoilers
12lb fights
Click Expand to expand any table.
Without spoilers
If a fight has no video link, the likely reason is that the match was forfeited.
With spoilers
30lb fights
Click Expand to expand any table.
Without spoilers
If a fight has no video link, the likely reason is that the match was forfeited.
With spoilers
