The Joys of Pure Brute Gadgetry

Software engineers Justin Cook, Kevin Knoedler, Dave Newcomer and Dean Johnson met at Teradyne Inc. in Agoura Hills and for the last three years have been building Monster, a 198-pound robot with three nasty front-end spikes and impressive ramming speed. (Think of it as an armored turtle with an attitude.)

Although Monster lost a critical early bout and later was badly damaged by another robot’s thrusting spike, Newcomer took the time to talk about strategies:

Question: What is Monster’s basic concept?

Answer: Brute force. We wanted it to go fast and hit hard. That’s where these big spikes out front come in.

Q: All fine in theory, but how does brute force fare out there in the BattleBox?

A: We got beaten in [an earlier] bout. We were up against Biohazard [the night’s eventual heavyweight champion]. The only thing that might work against him is a sledgehammer. Big hammers are simple and straightforward.

Q: Was the BattleBox itself a factor?

A: Those buzz saws in the floor really hurt us. We were running upside-down and on four flat tires at that point. But we got some serious applause. The more things get smashed up, the more people seem to enjoy it.

Q: For those who like their violence guilt-free?

A: Everybody comes here with the understanding that some will get smashed and some won’t. That’s half the fun. You see things get smashed up, and then we haul them back and fix them. That’s enjoyable too.

Q: Is there a higher purpose to all this?

A: I think so. My 13-year-old son has decided he wants to build [a robot]. The idea of building something has started to intrigue him, and that [involves] all the engineering that goes along with it.