Critter Crunch (robotics competition)
| Critter Crunch | |
|---|---|
| Status | Active |
| Genre | Robotics competition |
| Frequency | Annually |
| Venue | MileHiCon |
| Locations | Denver, Colorado |
| Country | USA |
| Established | 1987 |
| Sponsor | Denver Mad Scientists Club |
The Critter Crunch is a combat robot competition that takes place annually at the MileHiCon science fiction convention. With the first event held in 1989,[1] [a]it has been credited as the first robot combat competition.[1][4]
History
The competition was proposed by the Denver Mad Scientists Club and organized by member Bill Llewellin.[1] Prior to the first Critter Crunch event, the club produced a set of rules[1] which were distributed without copyright restriction, allowing other organizations to use or extend them for their own competitions.[5]
The first Critter Crunch event was competed in by "five or 10" competitors. These included "Fluffy Bunny", built by Bill Llewellin, armed with a forklift,[1] and "Big Punch", built by Bill Lemieux and Mike Bakula, armed with a Pneumatic spike.[5] The winner of the first Critter Crunch was "Thing One" built by Pat Thompson, armed with a can of silly string.[1]
In 2020, Milehicon announced the Critter Crunch would not be held that year due to the global pandemic.[6]
References
- 1 2 3 4 5 6 Oct. 28, 1989: Critter Crunch, Mother of All Robot Battles. Written By Chris Baker, Published by WIRED on 28 Oct 2011
- ↑ Stone, Brad (10 March 2003). Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports. Simon & Schuster. p. 15. ISBN 9780743229517.
- ↑ Robot Battles website (accessed 18 January 2015)
- ↑ Lockhart, Kelly. "A Brief History of Robot Battles". Robot Battles. Archived from the original on 10 February 2026. Retrieved 6 April 2026.
- 1 2 Stone, Brad (10 March 2003). Gearheads: The Turbulent Rise of Robotic Sports. Simon & Schuster. p. 16. ISBN 9780743229517.
- ↑ Liptak, Andrew. "Coronavirus: The Sci-Fi/Fantasy Conventions Canceled So Far". reactormag.com. Reactor. Retrieved 7 March 2026.