I have just read that the focus of the next JYW to be filmed in the United States will be robotics. DON'T DO IT!! I think this will ruin the whole flavor and point of the show. I am trying to imagine two teams rummaging through a computer srapyard and bodging up a device from what they find. Doesn't sound like much fun to watch. "Wow, they're soldering more wires!! Yippee!" I don't think so. If I wanted to watch robots, I would tune into Battlebots...which I don't do.

-- Ron Fornator (ronster666@aol.com), February 28, 2001

Answers

A robot is not all computer stuff. a robot is basically anything that does work for a human or something like that. So all the have to do is make a machine peroform a task for them (whatever that might be)

-- Robert (Robo_man80@hotmail.com), February 28, 2001.

ron,i agree.what about the loud banging and roaring engines,thats were the fun comes in. well i guess all we can do is wait,but if thats the challange they give us i'm up for it.anything to biuld,rumage salvage. grant you though the robotics thing would be sad. casey

-- casey,(the test tank babies) (finishrad@aol.com), February 28, 2001.

Ron, where did you hear this bit of news?

-- Waddy Thompson (cthomp3851@aol.com), February 28, 2001.

I got it from this link off the JYW site. http://www.epinions.com/tele-review-4FD-3BC532DE-3A1F427B-prod6

-- Ron Fornator (Ronster666@aol.com), February 28, 2001.

Ronster, evidently the shows that they are describing on that site are the all British ones filmed two seasons ago. The first "Americanized" season has already been filmed and aired, and no shows have featured robotics, except for the one called "Bombers", where they flew RC aircraft to bomb a target, which isn't exactly robotics. They may have changed the format some when the show "Battlebots" became so popular. In any case, I don't think that robotics would be overly exciting, or logical to attempt with raw junkyard materials, as it takes a lot of precisely coordinated electronics and machine parts to do very much with robotics. It just isn't the kind of thing that lends itself to hurry-up "cutting torch and bigger hammer" tecnique very well. Thanks for the link, and we are all happy that you are watching, and care enough to post on the board about something that seemed so alarming. Waddy, "wrexpert" for the "Rusty Juveniles" "Missile Launchers" Jan 3, US. (Punkin Chunkin)

-- Waddy Thompson (cthomp3851@aol.com), March 01, 2001.

I saw a show where they had to build wind mills and grind coffee. The team that ground the most coffee won. Sounds boring right, well it wasn't at all. They made the show interesting to watch and it was a hoot.

What I am saying is you can't always have big engines, if you do in time you'll lose me. I like them, but I also like the variety and the challenge. The wind mill thing was a bit of a robot in a way.

I know junkyard wars isn't battlebots but neither is it always big engines, what it is to me is pure imagination and make do with what you can find, it is variety. The challenges are part of the surprise each week.

I just hope they don't think they need to come up with a new challenge each week, some challenges are good enough to repeat.

-- Richard James Retey (theswampie@cs.com), March 01, 2001.

I believe the reporter got a little confused.

TLC has enlisted RDF to produce their new robot challenge series, which has a number of different catagories and age groups, unlike battlebots. Challenges like obstacle courses, mazes, etc.

RDF ofcourse also produces Junkyard Wars, two totally different shows.

JustJay

-- JustJay-Captain-Three Rusty Juveniles (justjay@neo.rr.com), March 01, 2001.

Either way I put an RC expert on my team... ;^)

-- Dan Denney - Team Captain (rustrenegades@hotmail.com), March 01, 2001.