Are you hyped about the NHRL Teams event on June 1st? Well, I was joined by the crew from Havoc Rundown including Ashley, Ryan, Justin, Thomas & Tony to break down the groupings in each division to discuss matchups and who we will will win it all! This episode is packed full of fun discussions like theories on how Paws could win it all in the 3lb division as well as some friendly smack talk between Ashley and Thomas. This is definitely one you won't want to miss!

Introducing this very important episode on the importance of safety in combat robotics where in the first half I chat with Quantum's James Cooper on the safety fundamentals and everyone's responsibilities to put together a safe event followed by a discussion with Triton's Brad Hanstad and Synthwave builder Kyle Kuffrey about why good safety practices are so essential to the growth of the sport and how event organizers have had to adapt and continue to adapt to the evolution of combat robots. This is an important one you won't want to miss!

It is another roundtable and this time I gathered together one of the most dominant forces in the NHRL - Team WPI! We talked about many things including the importance of growing combat robotics, the Loophole controversy and how it subsequently promoted more creativity in the sport, what you can expect from Team Too Hot To Handle at NHRL's Teams event and a special conversation with Gabe & Alex about the dominance of Clyde in April and what may be in store for Finals. It is all here!

In one of my biggest episodes to date, I got a bunch of strong performers together from the April NHRL event including the builders of Golden Dumpster winners Chonkiv (30lb) and Ambisbaena (12lb). Hear all about how the RoboJackets of Georgia Tech felt about having to fight each other in the competition and why their bot names usually end in the letter 'i'. Also, hear from Team Stamdamonium who had a great day with many qualifying robots including the punchy BattleTots and the amazing story of how builder Matt Lantry did not even know qualifier Half Life would be competing until shortly before the competition started. This is such a fun episode so make sure you check it out!   More about the RoboJackets: https://robojackets.org/ Team Pandamonium Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/share/Rp3ZDb26Ej6dDBby/?mibextid=qi2Omg Team Stamina page: https://www.facebook.com/share/hjzkopZHrCu5Bymp/?mibextid=qi2Omg

Hey fans and builders! For the two year anniversary of the show we did something a little different and THIS time, Ashley is asking the questions! Find out what inspired the podcast in the first place, why soldering is frustrating and what we think about the NHRL Teams event coming up in June. This was a really fun episode to record and hopefully it answers some questions that some of you may have had.

It is now two years to the day that the first episode of Outside of the Box premiered featuring Zach and Diana from Team Skorpios. The show has come a long way in that time and I have gotten to interview so many wonderful folks within combat robotics and beyond. I chose 20 episodes for this recap that were defining or important to the show in some way and I break them all down for you here. Thank you to everyone who has supported and I hope to make the next two years even better than the first two! #battlebots #combatrobotics #stem

It is time for a chat with Hacksmith Industries about the highly anticipated BattleBots entry - Orbitron! We talked about how Ben, Bogdan and Hacksmith became involved with the University of Waterloo's BattleBots idea which has turned into a super innovative AI robot that may change the landscape of combat robotics. They elaborate on the benefits and challenges of an AI robot and how important it is to continue inspiring others to get involved in STEM. They also teased a smaller version of Orbitron that you may see at lower weight class competitions in the future! Check out more content at https://www.youtube.com/@UCjgpFI5dU-D1-kh9H1muoxQ You can also get a mini Orbitron and much more at www.hacksmith.store

If you are already feeling high about April's NHRL event, please check out this roundtable featuring Corey, Chris, Gabe, Jaaron, Dan & Kyle where we preview what to expect from their robots and much more! We naturally talked about triple threat Jamison Go who will be competing in every weight class, dug into much of the rest of the field and I got super hype about multibot Barbie & Ken & Tim Hebert's new bot Pretty Fly which make their debuts at this event.

Last month, I got the opportunity to attend Indiana Comic Convention and nerd out with a bunch of people that share so much of the fandom appreciation that I do. I got to do a couple of interviews with fans and got to meet a handful of celebrities including some Avatar encounters with a couple of my favorite voice actors. Check out my review and feedback on the Con!

Prepare to be royally entertained in this episode as I chat with Gillian and Linden of Bot Barons about their court full of regal robots. We dove into how they came up with this amazing theme in the first place, why cam lifters are so hard to fight, their bot Prince's amazing performance at the March RIT event and how Emperor will be changing its "clothes" for the April event and moving away from the live shaft system it has had in the past. Also, hear about their new acquisition Yippee and the changes they plan to make to it!

It is time for the final spotlight on the National STEM Challenge Champions leading up to the National STEM Festival coming up here in mid-April. This time I spoke to Jasmine Lima who has had a longtime passion for STEM and has been working on her project for years which focuses on Tsunamis and T-Sound. She was inspired by a trip to Hawaii which potentially put her in the path of a tsunami and she is working to prevent this terrible disaster from occurring in the future. She is excited to get to attend the Festival with friends who are also Champions and network with all of the amazing young people who will be headed to Washington D.C. for this event. Please check this episode out to hear about Jasmine's amazing project.

After two years of the podcast, it seemed like it might be time to try out some new segments. Check out these amazing segments I did with Tom Farkas, Corey Nason and J Lee. It is sure to be an episode you won't forget!

It is Floor Friday and time for another clip with one of the most vibrant personalities on the show - Sunnie Allen! We talked about how auditioning for a different show led her to eventually be cast on The Floor, a really cool wildcard idea that Sunnie has for a potential next season of The Floor, and the excitement and challenge of taking Steve out of the game who was a well-liked contestant on The Floor. Hear more about Sunnie's experience on the show as well as what she's been up to since the filming!

This is a very special STEM Spotlight episode as I had the opportunity to speak with two sisters who are both National STEM Champions. Ananya and Advika Vuppala decided to pursue projects that help with early detection and diagnosis of Anemia and MS which are conditions that impact many people globally. Advika's project uses an app prototype to assist with detection of anemia while Ananya's project uses machine learning to diagnose MS without an MRI. They talk about their passion for innovation and how they are looking forward to networking with other STEM Champions.

I cannot believe it has been TWO years since I took a leap and started this show to put a well-deserved spotlight on the combat robotics community, especially all of the wonderful people in it. In this video, I share some thanks for the people who have helped and supported me along the way, included highlights of some great episodes we've done and a teaser for my BIG Giveaway that is coming in April. Thank you all for the continued support and I look forward to so many more amazing stories and robot fights!

It is time for another Floor Friday and this time I sat down with Stephanie Ross who went on quite a hot streak early on during her time on The Floor. We talked about how her real specialty is horror movies, which is why she had to adjust her strategy and challenge Tom, her experience in getting case for the Floor and Stephanie talked about they honeymoon she planned with her winnings from The Floor. Stephanie was a delight to talk to and I hope you all enjoy this one!

This episode was a very exciting STEM Spotlight as I got to talk about robots with STEM Champion Shiv Vinodshankar whose background in VEX robotics helped him come up with a new option for mobility as an alternative to a wheelchair. He has come up with a quadruped design that can make navigating things like stairs and rough terrain much easier for people like his sister who rely on a wheelchair to get around. We talked about his project as well as his future aspirations in this really spirited discussion.

For any fans who have asked about Destruct-A-Thon and Proving Grounds and wondered, is it worth going to Vegas for - this is the episode to listen to. Join me for several segments including an opening discussion with Craig Danby and Jason Rogers who have seen massive success at Proving Grounds with Slammo, Chad New who has been making his opponents quake with his new robot Magnitude and finally an amazing discussion with BattleBots co-creator Trey Roski who not only talked about the current Vegas show, but wants competitors to start getting ready for World Championship VIII which may be coming sooner than you think! Catch it all right here! #battlebots #combatrobotics #vegas

In this new recurring interview series which I am now calling "Floor Fridays", I chatted with Gene Magee who was dubbed "King of the Floor" and went on one of the greatest runs seen on the show. We talked about how being acquaintances with a fellow Floor contestant led him to being on the show, how being a natural entertainer impacted his performance on the show, a big debate about the level of specificity required in the answers during some of the duels, plus a very cool story about a chat Gene had with Host Rob Lowe on how he came up with his character on Parks and Recreation. Very insightful and fun discussion!

I've got another episode with one of the amazing National STEM Challenge Champions - Tushar Mehta. Tushar has been able to channel his passion for the environment into creating an app that can help identify whether items are recyclable. He talked about his passion for wanting to help make recycling accessible to more people and wanting to pursue a STEM career in the future. Check out this great discussion with another amazing Champion!