Build Log
The first Riot Robots arena began as a used utility trailer and a welded steel cage. It is now in final assembly, with the robot fleet taking shape alongside it.
Here is how the first mobile arena came together—and what is still left before the first fight.
Arena chronology
The photographs document the real build; the final milestone shows a concept view of the destination. The enclosure is nearly complete, not complete.
The build started with a used open-mesh utility trailer in good condition. It was mobile and structurally sound, but the deck sat too low and offered nowhere to carry the equipment needed to run an event.
The lower frame was boxed in and carpeted to create covered storage for Build-a-Bot Pit parts, event gear, and supplies. That storage base also raised the future arena several feet, putting the action where spectators could see it.
Jason designed the arena enclosure, and a local welding program took it on as a senior fabrication project.
The completed welded cage arrived as a bare steel structure ready to be mounted on the trailer and turned into a working combat enclosure.
Once the cage was mounted, the steel was prepared, primed, and painted. Finishing the frame before the wall panels went in protected the structure and established the black arena finish that would carry through the rest of the build.
The floor was built to fit the trailer and enclosure, then installed, painted, and finished with custom graphics. This created the first complete visual surface of the arena and established the footprint for the doors, walls, lighting, and robot combat area.
The door system came next. The doors needed to provide practical access for loading robots, clearing the arena, and making repairs while closing securely during a match.
With the doors installed, the enclosure began to function like an arena instead of a frame on a trailer.
Each lower wall panel uses a painted wood structure with two layers of clear polycarbonate. The polycarbonate can take an impact without shattering, while the panel construction allows damaged sections to be replaced when necessary.
All of the panels have been fabricated. About half are installed, leaving the enclosure visibly close to complete while the remaining side panels are fitted.
The three openings in the corner structures will hold spotlights and colored arena lighting. A large white light in the upper lid will flood the enclosure from above, keeping the robots visible while reducing reflections on the clear walls.
The backs of the corner structures will be closed with color-coded painted panels to complete the interior finish.
The remaining work is clear: install the rest of the side panels, complete the lighting system, add the surrender buttons, close the corner structures, and finish the upper lid.
After that, the first event setup will add a portable sound system, folding tables, tents, and an initial Build-a-Bot Pit parts bench. The first version will be practical and one-off; the polished repeatable event system will develop through testing.
Robot development
The arena is only half of Riot Robots. Cooper has designed the second robot chassis in CAD, and the first prototype parts are being built and 3D printed.
Version 0.2 is currently a drive base only. It has no weapon system yet. The parts are on site, and the goal is to turn the CAD model and early prototypes into a working fighting robot this winter.
