Featherweight

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.[1]

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.[2]
• NHRL: 30 lb, its largest class.
• Sportsman: the 30 lb 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.[3]
• 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.[4]

Getting started

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

At NHRL, at larger events such as Robobrawl, at some Sportsman events, and at UK FRA events.

NHRL 30 lb world champions

Year	Champion
2021	MegatRON
2022	Emulsifier
2023	Emulsifier
2024	MegatRON
2025	KaZaA Lite

Source: Wikipedia and the NHRL event winners list.

See also

• Hobbyweight (12 lb)
• Sportsman Classes
• Robot Classes