Rex Garrod (10 September 1943[1] – 8 April 2019) was an inventor and roboteer notable for building the radio controlled car that starred inBrum, and co-presentingThe Secret Life of Machines.He also entered several successful robots into the early series of British TV seriesRobot Wars.[2][3][4][5]
Garrod grew up inMickfield,Suffolk. He was aspeedway rider for theIpswich Witches (1971) andScunthorpe Saints (1972–74).[6] He and formermotocross racerDave Bickers then moved into special effects.[1]
Garrod married Sally in 1992, and they had two daughters.[7] He hadAlzheimer's disease for the last eight years of his life, and died on 8 April 2019, aged 75.[6][7]
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Brum was a British television series which ran intermittently between 1991 and 2002. It told the story of a small car called Brum, which in reality was a giant remote control car. Garrod is credited with both designing and building Brum.[1] He also made devices on the children's programmeTeletubbies.[6]
Garrod co-presentedChannel 4'sThe Secret Life of Machines withTim Hunkin, another inventor from the same county.[4][6]
Garrod was Team Leader of Team Cassius, a team of roboteers which entered several robots into Series 1, 2 and 3 ofRobot Wars. In addition to the performances of his robots, he was known for his generosity in helping other teams fix their robots.[8]
In Series 1, Team Cassius entered "Recyclopse", which reached the Grand Final but lost toRoadblock.[6]
In Series 2, Team Cassius entered 5th seeded "Cassius", a wedge-shaped robot armed with a front-pivoted flipper. Cassius was the first competitor in the show's history to "self right" (i.e. to turn itself over when it was upside down), and as such Garrod is often credited with inventing the so-called "srimech". Cassius also reached the Grand Final, but lost toPanic Attack.[9]
In Series 3, Team Cassius entered 2nd seeded "Cassius 2", a similar robot to its predecessor "Cassius", which lost to Series 4 runner-upPussycat in the 2nd round of the heats.[9] His team then quit and never returned to the show, as their complaints about insufficient health and safety precautions were not listened to by the producers.[8]