RobotRobot: Link new pages (round 3)

2026-10-17T23:26:43Z

Link new pages (round 3)

RobotRobot: Remove unreachable cost citation

2026-10-17T14:35:10Z

Remove unreachable cost citation

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

2026-10-17T14:34:22Z

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

New page

The '''Featherweight''' class is for robots weighing up to '''30 lb''' (13.6 kg). Featherweights hit very hard, need serious arenas, and take real investment to build, so they're fought at fewer events than the insect classes – mainly NHRL, some larger events, and in the UK under FRA rules. NHRL's starter guide doesn't recommend 30 lb as a first robot.[https://wiki.nhrl.io/wiki/index.php/Combat_Robotics_Starter%27s_Guide]

__TOC__

==Rules==
* '''SPARC''': 30 lb (13.61 kg), called Featherweight in the '''[[SPARC Tournament Procedures]]'''. Shufflers can weigh 37.5 lb, non-traditional drives 45 lb, and walkers 60 lb.
* '''UK (FRA)''': 13.6 kg.[http://www.fightingrobots.co.uk/documents/Build-Rules.pdf]
* '''NHRL''': 30 lb, its largest class.
* '''Sportsman''': the 30 lb '''[[Sportsman Classes|Sportsman]]''' class, with limited weapon power, is the most common Sportsman weight.

==Typical builds==
* '''Drive:''' brushless motors through heavy-duty planetary gearboxes with hex outputs, and high-current ESCs.[https://repeat-robotics.com/collections/bigger-bots-12lb-30lb]
* '''Battery:''' commonly 6S LiPo, sometimes higher.
* '''Materials:''' machined aluminum, steel and titanium frames and armor, hardened tool steel weapons (see '''[[Armor and Materials]]''').
* '''Arena:''' SPARC recommends 3/4" polycarbonate walls and at least a 16 × 16 ft floor, and notes that some older 30 lb arenas are no longer adequate for modern full-combat featherweights.[https://sparc.tools/SPARC_Arena_Construction_Best_Practices_v1.1.pdf]

==Getting started==
There are no common complete kits at 30 lb. Featherweights can easily cost a few thousand dollars – university capstone projects, for example, have budgeted around $2,500–3,000 for one[https://lsuonline.lsu.edu/eng/mie/undergraduate/mechanicalengineering/capstone/2017Posters/P_22.pdf] – so most builders gain experience in the smaller classes first.

==Where they fight==
At NHRL, at larger events such as '''[https://robobrawl.illinois.edu/ Robobrawl]''', at some Sportsman events, and at UK FRA events.

===NHRL 30 lb world champions===
{| class="wikitable"
! Year !! Champion
|-
| 2021 || MegatRON
|-
| 2022 || Emulsifier
|-
| 2023 || Emulsifier
|-
| 2024 || MegatRON
|-
| 2025 || KaZaA Lite
|}
Source: '''[https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Havoc_Robot_League Wikipedia]''' and the '''[https://wiki.nhrl.io/wiki/index.php/NHRL:Stats:Event_Winners-30lb NHRL event winners list]'''.

==See also==
* '''[[Hobbyweight]]''' (12 lb)
* '''[[Sportsman Classes]]'''
* '''[[RobotClasses|Robot Classes]]'''

@@ Line 16: / Line 16: @@
 ==Getting started==
-There are no common complete kits at 30 lb. Featherweights can easily cost a few thousand dollars &ndash; university capstone projects, for example, have budgeted around $2,500&ndash;3,000 for one[https://lsuonline.lsu.edu/eng/mie/undergraduate/mechanicalengineering/capstone/2017Posters/P_22.pdf] &ndash; so most builders gain experience in the smaller classes first.
+There are no common complete kits at 30 lb. Featherweights cost much more to build than insect-class robots, so most builders gain experience in the smaller classes first.
 ==Where they fight==

@@ Line 39: / Line 39: @@
 ==See also==
 * '''[[Hobbyweight]]''' (12 lb)
 * '''[[Sportsman Classes]]'''
 * '''[[RobotClasses|Robot Classes]]'''

Featherweight - Revision history

RobotRobot: Link new pages (round 3)

RobotRobot: Remove unreachable cost citation

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