...burrowing or anchoring in the sand, digging a trench or building a hill, in-water operations. Making it solar-powered-only would introduce not only a "green" element, but make a number of additional choices available for sun-powered movement and weaponry.

(not, may I stress, intended in any way, shape or form, to replace volleyball or other swimsuit-related competitions)
-- FlyingToaster, May 18 2010

A whole bunch of wind powered robots http://www.google.c...mages?q=Theo+Jansen
[goldbb, May 18 2010]

Strandbeest http://www.strandbeest.com/
"beach creatures" (as cited by goldbb above) [BunsenHoneydew, May 20 2010]

"Live, on Fox, from 9pm"
-- coprocephalous, May 18 2010


Omaha Beach, reenacted.
-- RayfordSteele, May 18 2010


I envision this as being very slow. Robot sidles up to another robot... charging... charging...c harging - WHACK!

charging... charging... charging...

Sort of like turf battles between sea anemones. Fast forward function would help.
-- bungston, May 18 2010


I'm torn, for one I love robot wars, but solar power is both so low energy AND so fragile. The sand, depending on the beach, could really up the energy requirements and the surf could really add another whole dimention to the battle.
-- MisterQED, May 18 2010


Tracked vehicles would do well ... or balloon tyres.

Adding amphibious capabilites would be neat, too.

[+]
-- 8th of 7, May 18 2010


Dibs on leftover Mars Roverbot parts!
-- RayfordSteele, May 18 2010


Wind powered, without electronics, would be cooler.
-- goldbb, May 18 2010


The winner would be based on a large golf umbrella, with its own solar cells on top. Shading out all opponents who approach, thus depriving them of power.
-- prufrax, May 21 2010


Could be big in the German market, as soon as the sun comes up the robot covers the nearest sunlounger with the owner's towel.
-- S-note, May 21 2010


If they wanted to trade, I could think of a few choice locations in the Carribbean that are going cheap these days. And they come with a fuel source.
-- RayfordSteele, May 21 2010


// Germany will also legitimately own the greek beaches soon //

Yes, their previous tenure (1941 - 1945) was successfully challenged by the legitimate owners.
-- 8th of 7, May 21 2010


//successfully challenged by the legitimate owners// by some third parties, I'd have said.

If China's the world leader by volume, who's the world leader by mass?
-- mouseposture, May 22 2010


// world leader by mass? //

The Vatican City ?
-- 8th of 7, May 22 2010


// Fast forward function would help//

Well a lot of people have snail races in pubs so the low speed probably wouldn't be a show stopper.
-- Bad Jim, May 23 2010


If the robots were solar powered, then presumably the idea's suggestion of //burrowing...in the sand// would be ill-advised?
-- Germanicus, May 23 2010


//burrowing...ill-advised?// anchor, but you could save up solar power and actually burrow, or a solar-landshark thing.

<links> nifty, but a robot with a parabolic mirror (array) would take those out rather spectacularly.
-- FlyingToaster, May 24 2010


I'll just stand unobtrusively in the crowd, with my massive parabolic mirror concentrating solar energy on my robot's solar panel...
-- hippo, May 24 2010


ooh shiny, [hippo] on cloudy days (or even not), there could be "supercharge" spots on the beach from fixed mirror emplacements.
-- FlyingToaster, May 24 2010



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