Outside of the Box

Twitch Streamer Totally Kaal on Talkin' Nerdy

If you like video games as much as I do, you'll thoroughly enjoy my guest on this episode of Talkin' Nerdy - Totally Kaal who has been a Twitch affiliate for several years now. Kaal is a variety streamer with a soft spot for Souls-like games and Pokemon. We talked about the process of starting and growing a community as well as a lot of the fun things he does for engagement on his channel that have made watching his streams such a fun and inclusive time. Shout out to everyone in the Totally Kaal community (you know who you are!) and I hope everyone enjoys this really fun chat with my favorite streamer. https://www.twitch.tv/totally_kaal

Talkin' Nerdy (& Robots!) at Indy POP Con 2024

This week, I am sharing a recap of my wonderful experience at Indy POP Con! I had the pleasure of attending the Podcast Awards where Outside of the Box was a Finalist as well as leading a discussion/workshop on combat robotics and we did a LIVE podcast recording from the POP Con floor with my guest/co-host Ashley Foor chatting about all things nerdy including whether Mandalorian actor Pedro Pascal was hiding at the con dressed as his character. Finally, I have a short interview I did with prop maker and creative genius John Marks while hanging out with his life-size Appa creation from Avatar The Last Airbender.

June NHRL Teams Preview featuring Havoc Rundown on Outside of the Box

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!

Safety in Combat Robotics on Outside of the Box

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!

WPI Takeover on Outside of the Box

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!

April NHRL Recap Featuring Team Robojackets and Team Stamdamonium

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
 

Ashley Interviews Christine on Outside of the Box!

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.
 

Two Year Anniversary Recap Show on Outside of the Box

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

Hacksmith Industries Talks About Orbitron on Outside of the Box | BattleBots

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 

Robot Roundtable: April NHRL | Outside of the Box

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.