The Rivalry Rumble Robots is an electromechanical toy which features two rival mascots ‘battling’ one another to find out which is the superior competitor. The toy itself was largely inspired by the extremely popular Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, which was released in 1964, but included changes such as updating the system to be electromechanical, as well as making the toy more customizable, and thus personal, allowing each robot to be assigned a team of a notable rivalry. In the prototype shown in this report, the rivalry is that between Purdue University and Indiana University.
The key functions of the Rivalry Rumble Robots included the moving of the mascots, the swinging of the hammers, and the ejection of the heads, which played great homage to the motion of the Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots.
The Rivalry Rumble Robots could be the next Rock ‘Em Sock ‘Em Robots, allowing people of all ages to battle their frenemies. The innovative addition of lateral movement adds a stimulating complexity to the toy not present in its predecessor. The playability of Rivalry Rumble Robots was due to the effort put forth in the design of the toy.
