Battlebots

BattleBots, also BattleBots Inc., is an American company whose purpose is to host combat robot competitions. BattleBots is also the name of the television show created from the competition footage, and a nickname for the combat robots which compete. BattleBots Inc. is headquartered in Novato, California and holds most of its competitions in San Francisco.

Robot design

Robots vary widely in shape, size, weaponry, and number of wheels. They can be made of mostly scrap metal and recycled or surplus parts, or they can have custom parts and machining and exotic materials, or anything in between. The cost of a competitive robot can be as low as $500, or it can be $50,000 or more. The average is $3000-$5000.

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• Boxbots, also called rammers or bricks. These spend their weight budget on heavy armor and a robust drivetrain, rather than on weaponry. They often have four or six wheels. Their strategy is to survive the weapons of the opponent and arena while driving the opponent hard into the walls and hazards. Notable ones include Punjar and Vlad The Impaler
• Wedgebots. These have a strong drivetrain and armor, with a sloped front and low ground clearance. They usually have two or four wheels. Their strategy is to shove their wedge under the opponent and break its contact with the floor, then flip the opponent over or carry it to the arena hazards. The sloped face is also good at deflecting weapon blows. Wedgebots and boxbots are often designed to run equally well upside-down, preventing them from being immobilized if they get flipped; other designs tend not to be so easily made invertible. Include Atomic Wedgie and Scrap Daddy LW 55.
• Thwackbots. These have a two-wheeled body and a long arm with a weapon at the tip, such as a sledgehammer or pickaxe. The strategy is to get close to the opponent, and then spin the whole bot about its own center so that the weapon arm swings quickly in a circle. By rapidly throwing the bot into reverse it can also deliver overhand blows. The arm is also good for keeping dangerous opponents at a distance. Include T-Wrex, Toe Crusher and Serial Box Killer.
• Hammerbots or axebots. These have weapons on one or more swinging arms, such as hammers, picks, or axes. The strategy is to land as many blows on top of the opponent as possible and crush or puncture its armor. It is difficult for a hammerbot to deliver a powerful blow without just lifting itself off the floor, but it can be done and has been. Include Killerhurtz, Diesector, Deadblow, and The Judge.
• Clampbots. These have jaws, pinchers, or grappling arms that can close on an opponent and capture it, crush it, or lift it into the air. The strategy may be to damage the opponent directly, or to take it to the hazards. Include Jaws Of Death, Diesector and Complete Control.
• Lifters. These have an arm that gets under the opponent and lifts it off the floor, breaking its traction and keeping it helpless. The strategy is to prevent the opponent from attacking and to take it to the hazards. Include Biohazard and T-Wrex.
• Flippers. These also have an arm to get under the opponent, but instead of a slow lift, the arm fires upward with great force, throwing the opponent in the air. The strategy is to flip the opponent upside down or on edge, or to simply throw the other robot so high and so often that the repeated landings cause it to break. Include Toro, T-Minus, and The Matador.
• Spinners. Spinning weapons are popular and varied. These use a motor to spin a solid weapon, such as a bar, disc, saw, or cylinder (drum), and strike the opponent with the kinetic energy of the weapon. Spinners can be mounted anywhere on the robot: in front, at the sides, or on top. Their effects range from showers of sparks to tearing the wheels or armor off the opponent, or even throwing the opponent many lengths in the air. The strategy is simply to destroy. Include Backlash, Nightmare, El Diablo, Hazard, Son Of Whyachi, and Minion.
• Full-body spinners, also called shell spinners. These are round robots in the shape of domes, pucks, or cones, in which the entire outer shell is the spinning weapon. Usually the shell is studded with teeth or blades to tear into the opponent. Because the weapon of a shell spinner is so large and heavy, these bots tend to have weak drivetrains, and if the spinner breaks the bot is easily pushed about. Shell spinners are also helpless if flipped upside down. However, it is not easy for the opponent to get close enough to do so. Include Ziggo, Mauler 51-50 and Blendo.
• Weird Bots, such as Mechadon, Crash Test Dummy, Chia Bot, Mecha Tentoumushi, Dr. Inferno Jr., and Snake. Some robots use combinations of weapons, such as both hammers and jaws, or a wedge with a spinning weapon on top, or a spinner at one end and a wedge at the other. There are also robots that fit no strict definition, such as snake robots.
• Multi Bots, These are mutiple bots designed to fight as a team. Typically one of the most difficult types to engineer and build as the entire team is not allowed to exceed the weight limitations of the class, thus each bot must be able to withstand punishment from an opponent that can weigh 2 to 3 times as much. Includes Raptor Pack, The Swarm.