National Havoc Robot League (NHRL), formerly the Norwalk Havoc Robot League, is a
robot combat organization in
Norwalk, Connecticut
, image_map = Fairfield County Connecticut incorporated and unincorporated areas Norwalk highlighted.svg
, mapsize = 230px
, map_caption = Location in Fairfield County, Connecticut, Fairfield County and ...
, which holds tournaments of cage match fights between
hobbyist competitors. Kelly Biderman is the current CEO of the organization.
History
Austin McChord
Austin McChord (born October 8, 1985) is an American businessman and computer engineer. He currently serves on the Board of Directors for Datto, a data backup company he founded in 2007. By 2015 Datto had a "purported valuation of $1 billion," m ...
founded NHRL shortly after leaving
Datto in 2018. 18 competitors participated in the first event later that year. In 2021, McChord moved the organization to its current headquarters in South Norwalk. The facility also hosts a museum collection of past combat robots from multiple weight classes.
Events
NHRL hosts six tournaments each year which are open to all competitors.
Robots are separated into weight classes of 3, 12, and 30 pounds. They compete in 1 versus 1 matches in enclosed arenas with double-layer
polycarbonate
Polycarbonates (PC) are a group of thermoplastic polymers containing carbonate groups in their chemical structures. Polycarbonates used in engineering are strong, tough materials, and some grades are optically transparent. They are easily work ...
walls and a negative pressure fire suppression system.
Common weapons used by the competing robots include spinning blades, flipping devices, butane flamethrowers, and hammers. More unorthodox weaponry includes liquid nitrogen, airbags, and jet engines. Winners at each tournament receive cash prizes and are invited to a championship event held at the end of each year.
In November 2022, McChord announced that he would donate $1 million to
STEM
Stem or STEM may refer to:
Plant structures
* Plant stem, a plant's aboveground axis, made of vascular tissue, off which leaves and flowers hang
* Stipe (botany), a stalk to support some other structure
* Stipe (mycology), the stem of a mushro ...
charities chosen by that year's finalists in the championship tournament.
An additional $1 million of grants were made to collegiate robotics teams in 2023.
References
{{Reflist
External links
NHRL websiteNHRL YouTube Channel
Robot combat competitions