Three, two, one, ACTIVATE! Within seconds there is a sickening sound of metal grinding against metal; of metal being torn, twisted, broken and burnt. It may sound like some grisly medieval torture chamber, but it’s the scene of one of television’s biggest phenomena: Robot Wars. To anyone who hasn’t tuned into BBC2 and seen the series, a little explanation. Each programme sees a crop of competitors bringing robots they have designed and created into the studio. The aim is to pit your robot against a competitor’s robot, while at the same time trying to avoid having your metallic creation crushed, pummelled and trashed by a formidable army of in-house robots.

The battle takes place in a giant arena and the audience - consisting of children and adults of all ages - watch like a Roman crowd at an amphitheatre. The audience is also just as merciless, and when a robot has been defeated, the cry goes up “Pit! Pit! Pit!” as the broken robot is consigned to oblivion. Robot Wars was first broadcast in 1998 and is now BBC2‘s most popular programme with more than four million viewers. There is a Robot Wars website which receives four million hits a month and the series is now shown in more than 17 countries (the day I went to watch a recording of the show was a US special). The in-house robots - Matilda, Shunt, Dead Metal, Sergeant Bash and Sir Killalot - are household names, and there are Robot Wars national tours, computer games, T-shirts and model toys.

However, Robot Wars is more than just a hi-tech beat ‘em up. The series has attracted many entries from schools, who have recognised the potential to use the competition for both ICT work and design and technology projects. Professor Noel Sharkey, formerly professor of computer science at Sheffield University, but presently working at the Magna Science Action Centre in Rotherham, is one of the series’ judges. “The problem with key stage 3 of the national curriculum is that some things are not permitted and education isn’t integrated enough. In order to build a robot you need to use electronics, IT and design and technology and that’s difficult for schools,” he says.

The result, says Sharkey, is that robots are often built outside normal school lessons, with teachers and students forming clubs. “One of the great things about Robot Wars is its motivational value. Children are besotted by robots. When they first try and build a robot, they haven’t a clue. You start by, say, talking about how the robot will grip the floor and then you get into the area of gears. This leads them to ask questions that require technical answers and this drives kids forward.” Professor Sharkey says Robot Wars has helped raise the profile of engineering in the country:

“Engineering has fallen away and tends to be perceived as a dull subject, especially among females. But half the Robot Wars audience are female and I hope this will inspire a generation of women into engineering.”

Morriston comprehensive school in Swansea has entered the Robot Wars competition. The school’s first entry was in 1999 as part of an A-level design and technology project. “We got sponsored from a local company called Morganite and it grew from there,” says Dorian Caudy, the school’s head of design and technology. The school is now sponsored by a handful of companies and last June (2001) its latest robot, was one of the members of a robot tag team that won the World Championship. The school’s robot, made of fibreglass impregnated with silicon titanium skirts was like all robots taking part in the competition, operated by radio control. ICT played a prominent role in the robot’s creation, with a computer-aided design package used to design the robot. The robot took five months to build, from design to deployment. “It’s an energising experience being involved in the competition and appearing on television. It has definitely raised the profile of design and technology in our school and across Swansea. A number of children have opted for the subject and we’ve grown from one group to three, largely as a result of Robot Wars,” says Caudy.

The school also takes part in the BBC2 competition Techno Games. This involves building robots to participate in a “robot Olympics”. Some of the robots swim, perform gymnastics, sprint, cycle and climb ropes. “Many schools take part in Techno Games and some teachers prefer this to the rough and tumble of Robot Wars,” says Sharkey.

The series Robot Wars Extreme started on BBC2 on October 26 and runs for 15 episodes.

www.robotwars.co.ukwww.technogames.net