RobotRobot: New page: Antweight weight class overview (rules, typical builds, getting started, where they fight)

2026-10-17T14:34:20Z

New page: Antweight weight class overview (rules, typical builds, getting started, where they fight)

New page

The '''Antweight''' class is for robots weighing up to '''1 lb''' (454 g) in the US. It's one of the most popular classes at local events, and includes the very popular '''[[Plastic Antweights|Plastic Antweight]]''' class, where robots are 3D printed. ''Note: in the UK, Australia and New Zealand, "antweight" means a 150 g robot – see '''[[Fairyweight]]'''.''

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==Rules==
* '''SPARC''': 1 lb (454 g), called Antweight in the '''[[SPARC Tournament Procedures]]'''. Shufflers can weigh 1.25 lb, non-traditional drives 1.5 lb, and walkers 2 lb.
* '''Plastic Antweight''': custom parts must be 3D printed from specific plastics, under the '''[[SPARC Restricted Class Regulations]]''' (see '''[[Plastic Antweights]]'''). Some events use slightly different material lists.
* The UK has no 1 lb class, and NHRL doesn't run 1 lb robots (it holds separate antweight events).

==Typical builds==
* '''Drive:''' N20s or 16 mm brushed gearmotors such as the FingerTech Silver Spark or Repeat Mini Brushed, or small brushless gearmotors (see '''[[Insect Class Motors]]''').
* '''Weapon:''' small brushless outrunner motors with a brushless ESC; belt drives are common.
* '''Battery:''' usually 2S or 3S LiPo, around 300–450 mAh.[https://repeat-robotics.com/products/scalar-robot-kit-bundle-1lb-horizontal-spinner-1]
* '''Materials:''' aluminum, UHMW, polycarbonate, titanium and printed plastics for metal-class robots; printed PLA+, PETG and similar for plastic robots (see '''[[Armor and Materials]]''').
* '''Common designs:''' wedges and control robots, lifters, vertical and horizontal spinners, drums and undercutters.
* '''Arena:''' SPARC recommends 1/4" polycarbonate walls and at least a 6 × 4 ft floor.

==Getting started==
* '''Kits''' (as of October 2026, many go in and out of stock): the classic '''[https://www.fingertechrobotics.com/proddetail.php?prod=ft-viper-robot FingerTech Viper]''' (about $160 before radio and battery, with lifter and spinner add-ons); '''[https://palmbeachbots.com/collections/plastic-ants-3d-printable-1-pound-combat-robot-kits Palm Beach Bots]''' plastic and metal kits (roughly $100–250); '''[https://repeat-robotics.com/collections/plastic-antweight-kits Repeat Robotics]''' kits and parts; and the Turnabot SCAR plastic ant drive kit. See '''[[Kits]]'''.
* '''Plastic Antweights''' are often recommended for first-timers because they're cheap and damage is low.[https://combatrobotics.byu.edu/getting-started]
* '''Printable designs:''' many free 1 lb designs are listed on the '''[[3D Printing]]''' page.

==Where they fight==
1 lb and Plastic Antweight are among the most common classes on '''[https://www.robotcombatevents.com/ RobotCombatEvents.com]''' – plastic ant classes appear at most US local events, and some events are plastic-only. They're also popular at school and university events (see '''[[Combat Robotics in Schools and Universities]]''').

==See also==
* '''[[Fairyweight]]''' (150 g) and '''[[Beetleweight]]''' (3 lb)
* '''[[Plastic Antweights]]'''
* '''[[RobotClasses|Robot Classes]]'''

Antweight - Revision history

RobotRobot: New page: Antweight weight class overview (rules, typical builds, getting started, where they fight)