Robot combat counts as a sport, right?

Anybody watching the new season of Battlebots on Discovery? First episode of the season had some great fights and big surprises (is Captain Shrederator good now?), and a ton of things catching on fire. They made some rule changes this year that I'm not so sure about, but there are a lot of really interesting bots fighting this time.

I only got into robot combat just last year when my partner convinced me to watch the 2020 season with him. I became way more obsessed with it than he ever was. Now I like to build bots for the lower weight classes - usually 3d printed fairyweight (150g) or antweight (1lb) bots, but the 250lb monsters on TV are definitely way more exciting.

What's your favorite robot? Do you like big spinners like Uppercut or Tombstone, or unconventional designs like HUGE or Smeeeeeeeeeeeeeee? Are you also disappointed that Duck! doesn't have a face this season? Is Blip the cutest bot to ever compete? Tell me your Battlebot Battlethoughts.

End Game is going to win the giant nut again and it gives me no joy to report this.

New fights every Thursday, plus a bonus Sunday fight on youtube!

  • SaniFlush [any, any]
    ·
    3 years ago

    Just build a giant metal pencil eraser shaped wedge robot and shovel your opponent into the walls until they stop moving, works every time.

    • Society_Liver [she/her]
      ·
      3 years ago

      Wedge vs wedge matches killed the Comedy Central era, but modern rules require an active weapon that keeps things much more exciting.

      Some bots like Duck! and Free Shipping cut it close by being indestructible wedges with lifters as their weapon, but the new ruleset has been great for viewers.

      • ssjmarx [he/him]
        ·
        3 years ago

        modern rules require an active weapon

        Aww yeah, that's all I needed to hear. Is this available online or am I gonna have to set sail for iit?

        • Society_Liver [she/her]
          ·
          3 years ago

          I'm watching it on Discovery+ (got it just for BattleBots and 90 Day Fiance...), but I remember earlier seasons being on a couple streaming services.

          Lots of fights are on youtube (check out Valkyrie vs Rotator, one of the best fights of last season), but those are just the fights and you miss all the in-between.

      • SaniFlush [any, any]
        ·
        3 years ago

        Have spinning robots ever won a match? They seem to break down very quickly.

        • Society_Liver [she/her]
          ·
          3 years ago

          Gigabyte is probably the best modern full body spinner and is pretty consistently competitive. https://youtu.be/Q5HkX9ZBj7Q

          Last Thursday's episode had Captain Shrederator win against Tombstone, which was incredibly unexpected and mostly just Tombstone having issues with new parts. https://youtu.be/f7epG5wnTzs

          Full Body Spinners do have a bad tendency to break themselves though. https://youtu.be/tWULLwX-0Dc

          I've built a fairyweight full body spinner and an antweight ring spinner (just the outer ring spins on a bearing, so the bot can drive inverted). The former has a problem of putting out too much energy and the latter is a complex and has some weak points (vertical impacts).

          • SaniFlush [any, any]
            ·
            3 years ago

            Cool… as a kid I daydreamed about being a contestant on that show. You seem to be living that dream.

            • Society_Liver [she/her]
              ·
              3 years ago

              I don't imagine I'll ever be on the big show without some rich friends, but lower weight classes can be pretty accessible. You can even buy kits for 1lb or 3lb robots to get into it without a 3d printer or workshop.

              Norwalk Havoc is the premiere 3lb (Beetleweight) league and do regular streams. https://youtu.be/BkGCy7H9FPk