All Things Extinguisher, with Surprise BattleBots Guest John Flaacke

<p>This week on the podcast, we sit down with surprise guest John Flaacke, the 17-year-old captain of Extinguisher, the fire engine-themed modular heavyweight that made its debut on the 2019 season of BattleBots. John talks about his high school capstone project (an autonomous firefighting robot), why he decided to build a heavyweight first, and how he chopped 35 pounds off his robot’s emergency siren.</p> <p> </p> <p>This week’s combat robotics event calendar:</p> <p> </p> <p>Jan. 25</p> <p>Las Vegas, NV</p> <p>Desert Dust Up</p> <p>Fairyweights, antweights and beetleweights</p> <p>Organized by Vegas Combat Robotics</p> <p>robotcombatevents.com/events/451</p> <p> </p> <p>Jan. 25</p> <p>Miami, FL</p> <p>Robot Riot at RoboSLAM 2020</p> <p>Fairyweights, antweights and beetleweights</p> <p>Organized by Robot Riot</p> <p>buildersdb.com/eventdetail.asp?eventid=605</p> <p> </p> <p>Jan. 25</p> <p>Fullerton, CA</p> <p>Sparklecon Smash VII</p> <p>Fairyweights, antweights, plastic antweights and beetleweights</p> <p>Organized by Bad Kitty</p> <p>facebook.com/events/2418538445075996</p> <p> </p> <p>Jan. 25 and 26</p> <p>Monroe, WA</p> <p>WAR Hobby Expo 2020</p> <p>Fairyweights, antweights, plastic antweights, beetleweights, 12-pound hobbyweight and 30-pound sportsman</p> <p>Organized by Western Allied Robotics</p> <p>robotcombatevents.com/events/472</p> <p> </p> <p>Jan. 26</p> <p>Sherburn in Elmet, UK</p> <p>RoboDojo Feathers Full Combat and Sportsman</p> <p>Featherweights</p> <p>Organized by RoboDojo</p> <p>facebook.com/events/1220535418334975</p> <p> </p> <p>Follow us on Facebook: facebook.com/behindthebots</p> <p>Rate and review us on Apple Podcasts</p> <p>Tell a friend about the show; we really appreciate your support!</p>