KYLE MURPHYStaff Writer

Sparks, parts and even pieces of the arena went flying this weekend as the Hands-On Science Center (HOSC) and TeamPyramid presented the “T-Town Beat Down” robot fighting competition.

Throughout Saturday, July 22, HOSC hosted “T-Town Beat Down” where competitors from all over the country gathered at the science center at 101 Mitchell Blvd to prepare 28 robot competitors to face off in a double elimination tournament, with commentary courtesy of 93.9 The Duck FM and event organizer Hal Corum. The tournament consisted of three weight classes for the robots: fairyweight, 150 g, antweight, one pound, and beetleweight, three pounds. All participants were part of the SouthEast Combat Robot Association (SECRA). The event was also sponsored by Repeat Robotics, Turnabot and 8020 Inc.

During the event, attendees who paid for general admission had the chance to watch the pit crews prepare the robots for battle and view the fights via the monitors throughout the science center as they checked out some of the exhibits and enjoy grilled burgers and hotdogs. Guests also got the chance to have an enhanced experience by watching the fights live in the auditorium for an extra fee.

After the smoke cleared, the winners were decided for each weight class. For the fairyweight group, taking first place was The Edge, with Confabulation and Juggernaut taking second and third place respectively. For the antweight division, Cyber Wolf came out on top with Swoop and Recyclops taking second and third. Winning first place in the beetleweight division was Performance Anxiety while 3Wood took second place and Ramses II claimed third place.

HOSC Executive Director Sean Amidon said “T-Town Beat Down” was a huge success and people are asking when the next robot combat fighting tournament will take place.

SECRA is a collaboration between several robot combat event organizers in the Southeastern US. Some of the organizations that SECRA has collaborated with include Faceless Productions of Atlanta, Ga, Backwoods Combat Robots of Chapel Hill, Maximum Effort Robotics of Chattanooga, Little Chicago Combat Robotics of Johnson City, Turnabot Turnament of Atlanta, Ga, Grind City Robot Combat in Memphis and more.

Anyone interested in watching the tournament can visit the SERCRA’s YouTube channel or visit buildersdb.com/TTOWNBEATDOWN001.

Next up for the science center will be it’s a-MAZE-ing preview event where attendees will have the chance to get a preview of the “a-MAZE-ing Science” exhibit, supported by a grant from Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation, before its grand ribbon cutting at the HOSC Birthday Bash on Aug. 12.