February 2023 - Robots

Tap on any hint box to view it.

Location - Busted

  1. Combine left and right answers to make computer-related terms. The right side answers are in alphabetical order.
  2. Add the numbers on each piece to get a single number to index into the term.
  3. The left side answers are: DATA, BAND, TOOL, PRO, KEY, HARD, NET, MAIN, JAVA, and DESK.
  4. The right side answers are: BAR, BASE, BOARD, FRAME, GRAM, SCRIPT, TOP, WARE, WIDTH, and WORK.
  5. SHARD DRIVE

Autopilot

  1. Find the path that uses all of the steps, not necessarily in the given order, that leads to the X.
  2. Read the letters at each stop.
  3. Shift the first letter by zero, the second by one, the third by two, etc.
  4. SPEED ONLY MEMORY

Input-Output

  1. Find a rule for each of the six programs
  2. P1: Output an anagram of the input. P2: Output word with all consonants shifted forward by one consonant. P3: Output another item from the set.
  3. P4: Output first 3 from top word plus last 3 from bottom word. P5: Output characters 2-4. P6: Output word with different first and last characters.
  4. From LOP, the top P4 word must start with ?LO and the bottom P4 word must end with P??.
  5. The top word out of P1 must be GREED, a Deadly Sin. The only Deadly Sin starting with ?LO is SLOTH.
  6. The bottom word out of P2 is DOC, a Snow White Dwarf. The only Dwarves ending with P?? are HAPPY and DOPEY. But the P3 output must also be a word. SLOPEY is not a word, so HAPPY must be used, leading to SLOPPY.
  7. From LIFT, the input to P2 must be KIDS. So the missing word must be an anagram of KIDS.
  8. The only anagrams of KIDS are SKID and DISK. From the start of the path, the missing word must also be an anagram of a word with the pattern ?KI?, so the missing word cannot be SKID.
  9. SLOPPY DISK

Network Failure

  1. Can you find any common, related words hidden in StandardBot's profile sentences?
  2. StandardBot has dot and dash hidden in its sentences. In order, ..-. = Morse F
  3. Can you find similar dot/circle and dash/line related items in the other Bots' profile sentences?
  4. FRIEND CHIP

Some Assembly Required

  1. First, eliminate the gears and heads that cannot be in PuzzleBot.
  2. Second, find the high gear that must be used, and eliminate the other part with the same vowel.
  3. Third, find the head that must be used. Then eliminate the legs on that robot.
  4. Fourth, since a hook and the high gear must be used from the middle robot, eliminate the other gear and body from the middle robot. That leaves only one remaining middle gear.
  5. Fifth, now the legs can't be used from the 5th robot, so they must be from the 4th robot. Then eliminate the other features from the 4th robot.
  6. Sixth, select the only remaining feature on the 2nd robot. Now determine which hand and hook must be used.
  7. The used parts, top to bottom, spell GEARS R TO L. What could that mean?
  8. Reading all of the gears right to left provides the answer: STEP MOTHER BOARD.

Meta - Troubleshooting

  1. Enter the feeder puzzle answers into the spaces provided.
  2. Have you tried your code sheet?
  3. Try binary decoding for the groups of 5 letters. How can the letters be converted into 0 or 1 bits?
  4. Try vowel = 1 and consonant = 0. But flip the indicated "wrong" bits!
  5. Move the decoded binary letters into the 12 positions as indicated by the numbers next to the feeder puzzle names.
  6. TURN OFF AND ON

Bonus - Nanobots

  1. Pairs of partners with shared goals are hidden in the grid. But not straight, like in a normal word search!
  2. Each swarm shape represents one partner's path in the grid.
  3. For example, DORY & MARLIN can be found next to each other in the top left corner, and SHERLOCK & WATSON can be found in the top right corner.
  4. Once you've found all of the pairs, what could the black marks on the swarm shapes mean?
  5. Each pair has sets of black swarm marks by unused grid letters. For example, DORY & MARLIN have a C and P between their black marks, and SHERLOCK & WATSON have an E.
  6. Find all the paired extra letters from the unused parts of the grid and read them top to bottom.
  7. COOPERATING SYSTEM