Battlebots/Robot Wars?

Was anyone else REALLY into these shows when they were on the air? I was, they really inspired me to learn more about mechanical engineering, robotics, science, and electronics.

When the final season of Battlebots was on the air I built an antweight (1 pound, they didn't make it on the show. Smaller scale tournaments had them, the show had weight classes for 60-340 pounds)

For the last few months I've been working on a Beetleweight to fly back home to Washington to compete with at a tournament this August.

http://25.media.tumblr.com/370fbb0f16e3073e7cee66b51c1f0344/tumblr_mpjq992HyE1qh5q1to1_1280.jpg (picture is huge) Still need to add my bearing blocks for my drive shafts and mount the top armor and front wedge.

This one's armor is quarter inch thick bullet proof glass. Since I opted for lexan for armor, instead of making a frame out of aircraft aluminium to secure the armor panels on, I used a few nutstrips. This allows the armor to flex upon impact and spread the kinetic energy throughout the entire sheet rather than have the impact concentrated into a specific spot (which if you use metal armor is the battery strategy)

 

I remember watching the battle when they were still on and enjoying them. It's a shame there isn't much popularity or it'd be on and maybe more than 1 different regular series.

 

enjoyed robot wars back in the day, it should make a comeback i always wanted to build a robot for it lol

 

Oh i remember robot wars! epic times

 

I used to love robot wars! hypno disc was my favourite, I watched it religiously.

 

Razer was always my favourite, I always loved how Matilda seemed to lose her shell all the time. I will also have a Ro(bot)mance with Sir Killalot, purely because he wasn't overzealous like Dead Metal who seemed to have a mind of its own (ofc it was controlled by some guy but he was very mean and would attack if it got anywhere near them).

Sgt Bash was pretty gangster too.

 

i loved the mad Irish entry: Diotoir

View attachment 7441

 

Biohazard was my boy!

 

Loved these shows! If anything because they were hosted by Craig Charles. Hypno Disc and Chaos 2 were my favourites, even though they were probably the two best machines from the UK series, Hypno Disc for it's destructive capabilities and Chaos 2 simply because its flipper was entertaining to watch. Razer was pretty cool as well being able to self right its self, and it's pincers dealt some of the best damage I've seen. I really wished these shows would come back, technology is a lot different now and it would be interesting to see an evolution of these kinds of machines.

 

All you UK kids missed out on Battlebots. A lot of the UK competitors built robots for it - the UK ones couldn't take it. I enjoyed both but liked the realism of Battlebots more. Robot Wars was a game show through and through - some matches were staged, some were edited (with audience boos dubbed over with applause), and it was invite only. you had to submit an audition tape. Battlebots was a tournament created by competitors that just also happened to be aired on TV. Anyone who entered the tournament - provided they make it past the preliminaries rounds, got shown on TV (with royalties!)

Razer lost early in both 1999 Battlebots competitions, so they built Warhead. And what a beautiful machine it was.



In the UK, after RW went off the air, competitors still held tournaments under the name Roaming Robots: Extreme Wars Live and Robots Live.

Team Ripper recently finalized negotiations with Robot Wars LLC to use the name Robot Wars.

American veteran builders, including Michael Mauldin founder of Lycos, Will Wright of Sims fame, Jamie Hynamen & Grant Imahara from Mythbusters founded The Robot Fighting League to create a universal ruleset to use in the smaller grassroots tournaments that sprung up when Battlebot's TV show lost airtime.

There's still plenty of tournaments around - you just gotta look!

I recently tested my robot's saw blade out - cut right through some half a millimeter bullet proof glass. >=D

 

we had battlebots on tv here too, think it was on channel 5, can't remember now i preferred robot wars with craig charles, there was just something "off" with the battlebots format

 

Battlebot's was test marketed and pulled from the UK pretty quick. RW was already too well established. The timeline for Robot Combat goes like this...

1992 - Marc Thorpe at Lucastoys comes upw ith Robot Wars
1993 - advertises Robot Wars
1994 - needing additional funding, seeks funding from Profile Records.
1994 - 1997, Robot Wars is held in the US. After RW 96, Profile wanted to claim complete ownership, and RW 97 almost never happened. Queue years of court battles.
1998 - Profile sells UK rights to Menthorn who creates a game show (not a tournament, a gameshow) out of it
1998 - Former US robot wars competitors Greg Munson & Trey Roski create Battlebots to pick up where it left off. Queue sueing. Battlebots wins because Robot Combat is a motor sport - not a game. And you can't legally own a sport.
1999 - Battlebots is held in the US streamed on ZDTV, and another one on Pay Per View
2000 - Battlebots is picked up on Comedy Central and airs 5 seasons until 2002.
2001 - Robot Wars starts filming a US show, filmed in London.
2003 - Robot Wars airs series 7.

RW is like watching pro wrestling. A lot of scripting, a lot of flash (house robots, flame pits, pyrotechnics in the pit)
Battlebots was like watching boxing. Red corner, blue corner.

I like both but preferred the idea behind battlebots that - if you came to fight, you can fight. vs does your robot look wacky?

A lot of US builders were turned away from the US Robot Wars because Menthorn was concerned the house robots would be too damaged (Nightmare and Son of Whyachi are two examples that were denied being on the US RW because of having...well, too strong a robot)

 

There was also a BattleBot-esque special on either Discovery Channel or Science Channel in the past couple years. It was hosted by Grant Imahara of Mythbusters.

Since technology is so much better now and so much cheaper now, they could remake the show but the bots have to be completely autonomous. No R/C help. Now THAT would be cool.
Parallax makes a "sumobot" kit which is pretty cool. I think it's like $200 and you get 2 identical bots that battle. The only difference is the code each player uploads to their sumobot. I've always wanted one of those kits, but every time I have $200 to spend, something better comes along.

 

the competitions are still around. Including 1 and 3 pound autonomous robot combat.

The special you speak of was the 2011 Robogames, I uploaded the special in whole on my youtube channel (along with both unaired 1999 Battlebots tournaments, and I also have special video only given to competitors of the 2004 Robot Fighting League arena being constructed)



Here's some autonomous combat. It's actually pretty boring - AI isn't quite there yet.

Part of what made the shows interesting was the human element - someone driving them, and someone investing into them.

That was a big issue with Robot Combat League (created by a former Battlebots/robot wars competitor - Mark Setrakian)

He designed and built them all - all the competitors had nothing invested.

Someone also has a 1 million dollar challenge for someone to build a 220lb heavyweight autonomous Battlebot and have it face a human controlled one. No one has taken up on the offer yet - for obvious reasons.

 

I wasn't a huge fan of the show but I remember seeing Hypnodisc in action, most exciting robot in terms of pure destruction.

IMHO the UK version of Robot Wars/Battle Bots/Whatever it was called here really missed a trick. They should of had an 'Unlimited' or 'Group B' division where pretty much anything goes, invite a load of tech companies to sponsor different machines. Would of been much more interesting viewing if they were allowed projectile weapons and the like, instead of the 'flip robot over' snooze fests.

 

Hyponodisc, destruction? Hardly.



light weight

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=jRlkJfdlpzk


middle weight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=TeoJCYz10go&list=PL5A4731A542FB4C3B

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=eYCryx-1gqc

https://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_detailpage&v=mQFYzyrfrP0

heavy weights

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8hCD5tv1uv8

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FJYbKqZNPGo

Super Heavyweight

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL5A4731A542FB4C3B&v=1DOndrCPd0w&feature=player_detailpage

Battlebots didn't have as many flippers/lifters/clampers as Robot Wars. Mostly because there weren't any pits or ring outs.

Really obvious when you look at a typical American flipper design such as Toro



Where it's designed to get under and the flip the opponent into the air, taking damage on the landing.

vs the UK



Designed to flip and push the other robot up and forward to get a ring out.

The ring out in Robot Wars just lead to lots of flippers being made simply because it was the most effective.

The American style competitions arena style lead to lots of spinning kinetic weapon robots.

Probably the most successful UK bot that went to the US was Killerhurtz

http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PL5A4731A542FB4C3B&feature=player_detailpage&v=COQZqCyH6vQ

But Mauler tore it's pickaxe right off.

Despite Razer's cool design, it couldn't stand up to the american tournamnet with a focus on destruction rather than showman ship. Warhead definately had both style and destruction going on though.

Projectiles ARE allowed - they have to be tethered for obvious safety reasons.

In all honesty projectile weapons on robotics are REALLY boring to watch. MechWarfare involves building hexapod based airsoft machines that are remotely operated with cameras rather than directly seeing the arena. The arena is designed to look like a city.

Its pretty boring, lots of walking around and trying to take shots from a distance rather than seeing something go at it up close.

Hardcore MechWarfare allows the use of explosives and rockets. IT is ALSO very boring because instead of going directly at the opponent and trying to get around him while he tries to get around you - it turns into who can sneak up and shoot the other.

Weird - I know. A lot of people thing "if they could shoot or have explosives it would be WAY cooler" no, it is the opposite lol. Lots of waiting for the right opportunity and then pop done.

 

Is there anyway I can "obtain" battlebots? I liked Robot Wars but did think that the ability to eject opponents was bad because everybody started making shit boxes with overpowered flippers because it had a monopoly on the sport similar to how Wrestlers in mixed martial arts can just take down and pitter pat over and over and win fights.

 

You mean similar to how the UK competitors are now leasing the RW brand?

No, Greg & Trey are still using the brand. The last couple seasons of Battlebots they started Battlebots IQ,a specific 15lb weight class with classroom curriculum. High Schools and Colleges compete in the 15 class, and if you make it to nationals you also can build a middleweight (120lb) to compete. Classroom/lab implementation of electronic engineering, mechanical engineering, machining, CAD, materials, Science and technology, and physics. They have yearly competitions - some filmed, some not. The college tournament was filmed for 2009, and ESPN was going to air it. But they bailed after it was all filmed and edited. Episode 1 is on YouTube for rent from Battlebots. You can see part of the 2011 tournament in the documentary Bots High.

At nationals they also have 220lb pro class invite only tournaments. A lot of the high schools/colleges have previous competitors acting as a mentor.

I was speaking with Greg about it the other day, and he said there just isn't funding to put on another Battlebot tournament without a TV company footing a lot of the bill. He estimated running the tournament cost about $3.3 million each time.

Makes sense when you consider they had a LOT of staff (pit coordinators, frequency coordinator, judges, trophy girls, Mark Beiro as an announcer) on top of renting out the large venue. The Battlebox was pretty expensive to maintain itself - pneumatic lifters to operate the kill saws, hell raisers, ramrods, pulverizers, pistons, screws and spinner.

By the end of the tournament, they had to do lots of repair work everytime. Replace lexan, replace the steel flooring. The BotsIQ arena is pretty tame compared to what we used to see on TV. Which is why after the shows went off the air, the arenas in all the grassroots tournaments were more along the lines of a steel box, with sometimes spikes installed on the kickplate.

Most of the US builders went to Robocide, which then turned to Steel Conflict, which was renamed Combots/Robogames. However, Dave Calkins (founder of Combots/Robogames and former Battlebots judge) announced after 10 years he's ending it.

The other day (yesterday actually) the World Combots Championship was announced.

www.worldcombotschampionship.com

http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/world-combot-championship

It's from 2 previous competitors. They're asking for 10K to renovate their arena and get it all ready to be a streaming show.

The arena is portable - their idea is to take it on tour. And then have a world championship in Las Vegas. They already have the venue reserved in Vegas.

This business plan has worked in the UK with Roaming Robots (now renamed Robot Wars). So it's promising.

 

Got the last parts I needed for my robot from Robot MarketPlace and the Turnigy ESC from eBay to run my weapon. The weapon DIDN'T die from being tested out - which means my last one died simply because...well...well because HobbyKing. I think that's a fair statement. xD

I just need to mount the armor and ship it off to Seattle. :tears_of_joy:

 

I remember watching a show similar to the ones you mentioned about ten or so years ago; I think it was called Robotica. I don't remember much about the show because it wasn't on the air very long, but if I remember correctly, the contestants had to navigate their robots though obstacle courses to score points and the two robots with the highest score would duke it out. I think that was how it went. It seemed much more like a game show than a "true" robot combat series. Either way it didn't last very long. I only remember watching one season of it.