Peter Garnache, owner/operator of Repeat Robotics and a board member of Texas Robot Combat, started building robots during his time in college. While attending Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, he entered only one competition, the Georgia Tech 20th Anniversary Competition in which he placed 2nd overall with a 3lb robot called M.A.D.
After graduation he started his own team, Repeat Robotics, which has fielded 30+ robots in weight classes from farieweights (150g) to hobbieweights (12lbs). He also competed on BattleBots Season 7 with rookie robot Horizon.
Peter has been building his own robots for about five years years now. During the last year, Peter has found success around the world, winning 2nd place in the International Robot Contest in Seoul, South Korea with his robot Agitation, as well as winning the 3lb division at the NHRL (National Havoc Robot League) world championships this year with his partner Ryan Lu and their robot Repeater.
Three years ago Peter started Repeat Robotics which produces and markets parts and kits for combat robotics.
Peter was gracious enough to answer a few of my questions about Repeat Robotics, Texas Combat Robotics and combat robotics in general.
Above Average, a 3lb robot similar to HUGE from Battlebots. The bot uses big wheels to avoid taking body damage. Peter recently took first place in the beatleweight competition at Red Dirt Rumble in Longview, Texas.
RH: Tell me about Repeat Robotics.
Peter Garnache: Repeat Robotics started out as my robot combat team. Three years ago I decided to try making a batch of brushless gearmotors for 1lb robots. I wanted to try to make high quality drive systems more accessible. One thing led to another and I kept expanding and making new products.
Now I have over 100 different custom built products. Everything from custom drive motors, to durable hubmotor setups, to wheel hubs and weapon systems. I’ve made custom speed controllers and competitive 1lb and 3lb kit robots. Anything you need to build a robot, whether its your first or your fourteenth, you can find on the Repeat Robotics website.
RH: How did you get involved with the Texas Robot Combat organization?
PG: I reached out to Brady Davis to ask about re-starting robot combat in Texas after Covid. When everything closed down, TRC decided to stop holding events. They didn’t start back up again until Ryan Lu and I reached out and joined the team. One thing led to another and I found myself helping run events.
RH: Any details you can give me about the next TRC event?
PG: Our next event, Robot Rodeo, will be on Saturday, May 24th, (2025) at REV Robotics HQ in Carrollton, Texas. The event will host up to 72 robots in three weight classes: Antweight (1lb), Plastic Antweight (1lb) and Beetleweight (3lb). We will be fighting all day! You can find more information at robotcombatevents.com.
RH: What is the competition structure at the TRC events?
PG: We usually run three weight classes. 1lb, 1lb plastic, and 3lb robots. Our tournament structure runs through three rounds of qualifying matches where bots are matched up according to their records, then into a single elimination bracket to determine the top finishers.
RH: For a newbie attending, and possibly participating in their first combat robotics event, what is your best advice?
PG: Talk to everyone you can. Builders are super nice and have tons of information and advice they’d love to share with you. We all were a beginner once, and we all want to see this sport grow larger and larger.
RH: From what you have noticed at the different competitions you attend, what are a few of the radios are being used for combat robotics.
PG: My personal recommendations are the RadioMaster Pocket as a beginner radio. The RadioMaster MT12 is also very popular for people who prefer a pistol grip style radio.
With plastic antweights, what is the best 3D printer filament to use?
PG: I personally like black Duramic PLA+ for weapons and any color of either Polymaker Polymax PLA+ or Overture Super PLA+ for everything else.
Any special 3D printing techniques that you use when printing antweights?
PG: I like to design parts with dovetails to mechanically lock them together. Also, printing your weapons with 5-15 walls and 100 floor/ceilings makes a stronger solid weapon than using 100% infill.
RH: For those just getting started with 3D printing, will you explain 5-15 walls and 100 floor/ceilings.
PG: 5–15 walls means you’re printing 5 to 15 vertical outer layers around the perimeter of your weapon, which is especially useful for impact resistance and overall strength, as thicker walls can take more abuse.
100 floor/ceilings refers to 100 layers printed on the top and bottom of your model.That’s an extreme number and used for solid parts.
Setting the infill to 100% solid can lead to over-extrusion and actually lower the strength, where printing the body with all top and bottom layers ends up stronger.
RH: What are current trends in combat robotics that you have noticed.
PG: The abundance of off the shelf parts designed for combat means bots high harder and harder and are more reliable than ever. Brushless motors are also making fights faster than ever before. So results are leaning more and more on hyper-optimizing designs and driver skill in critical times.
RH: At the last event I attended, I didn’t see any flippers. Was that unusual or are flippers just not competitive with the modern bots?
PG: It’s a lot harder to win with a flipper bot. Most bots can self-right themselves, and building a bot to take the damage that some of the spinners can dish out is a really challenging task. Flippers can still win fights and knock out opponents, it’s just way easier to win with a spinner as they’ve gotten easier to build with the parts available now.
RH: I don’t see a lot of competitions offering a sumo robotics division. Have you seen any interest in sumo in our area (north Texas)?
PG: We haven’t investigated sumo in the north Texas area, but another group North Texas Bot Battles has a 1lb sportsman division that is basically sumo.
RH: Tell me about some of the bots that you have built and how they have done.
PG: A few of my recent bots include:
- Agitation: 1lb with a record of 21-2 over five events with three 1st place finishes and a 2nd place finish in Seoul.
- Knuckle Sandwich: 3lb with a record of 24-6 over seven events with 2 1st place finishes (including one at NHRL) and a 3rd place in the NHRL world championships.
- Repeater: 3lb with a record of 22-5 over six events with two 1st place finishes including 1st place in the NHRL world championships (Co-built robot with Ryan Lu, another TRC officer).
RH: What is your best advice to someone just getting into combat robotics?
PG: Go to an event as a spectator and chat with some builders about their robots. Be open to their suggestions. Build a simple first robot (just a two wheel drive wedge) and take it to an event. A first bot is better done than perfect.
RH: In your opinion, what is the future of combat robotics?
PG: I think there is a big space in the future for creative bot designs. Bots like hammer saw or big wheel bots are hard opponents for meta bots to plan for and fight against.
RH: Can you explain what “meta bots” are?
PG: “Meta” robots refers to four wheel drive vertical spinners, whether disk or beater bar. Those styles of robots have been pretty dominant in the last few years.
RH: I can’t thank you enough for agreeing to this interview. You gave us some great insight into combat robotics. I’ll see you at a future TRC event.
Check out more info on combat robotics on my Knowledge Base page.