Clyde

Clyde is a 3lb "beetleweight" combat robot that my twin brother Alex and I have been improving and competing with since 2021. Now on it's 9th complete redesign, we have learned a lot about bulletproofing an inherently chaotic design. The latest version, Clyde V9.0, boasts a custom metal 3D printed fan and manifold assembly and a multi material TPU-Nylon GF chassis designed to take impacts and resist our own heat. It's not rocket science, but it's trying to be!

Clyde V1

Minimum viable product
Used servo-released butane refill cartridge and electric lighter as a basic flamethrower
Titanium wedge configuration and thin AR500 wedgelet configuration
Biggest issue was poor fork design causing manuverability issues

Clyde V2 - V3

Improved control thanks to iterated fork
Learned to use oxy-acetylene torch for wedge bending, importance of fuel-air ratio, and ways to increase manuverability and control
V3 added a computer fan to add more air to get a better fuel-air mixture, raising flame temperature to damage small components like 3D printed gears
Poor ignition reliability and insufficient heat due to lack of air

Clyde V4

Venturi burner better balances fuel-air ratio by pulling in air and mixing in a burning chamber
Finally reached high temperatures, able to melt wheels, belts, and electronics!
Refillable butane tank and solenoid increased reliability
Lacked adequate heat protection

Clyde V5

Innovative high-temperature UHMW and titanium wedgelets absorb impact, resist heat, and control other robots
Spring steel reflects heat and protects from our own flame
Switch from symmetrical geometry to new self-righting ears allows superior control geometry
First flamethrower to ever qualify for National Havoc Robot League (NHRL) Championship this December!
Ignition lacked reliability, difficult to repair

Clyde V6

Reached quarterfinals of the 2023 NHRL World Championship!
New wedgelet and and side fork design saved weight and increased weight for armor
Hot surface ignitor used as ignition increased ignition reliability
Limited by lack of fuel and air

Clyde V7

Increased fuel from 2.5 oz to 4 oz
Added RC car fans with custom aluminum fans to add additional air, dramatically increasing fire temperature!
Tilted fuel tank to get solely liquid butane
Improvements in temperature were not matched by heat resistance, required additional heat resistance

Clyde V8

Welded modifications to refillable fuel tank increased butane flow rate thanks to MicroArc welding sponsorship
Switched from high temp UHMW to aluminum/steel forks to stop melting our own forks
New machined hardned 4130 fork ends designed to counter vertical spinners
Needed more air to match increased fuel flow rate

Clyde V9

New 50mm custom fan adds significantly more air, resulting in a fire capable of easily melting any plastic
Aluminum 3D printed manifold mixes air and fuel completely
Multi-material PEBA/Nylon-GF chassis saves weight and adds fire resistance where needed
Surfaced chassis created in Onshape looks super cool
Very reliable and easy to repair
Needs additional armor configurations to counter some archetypes of robots