Robot Wars is coming back
Discussion
I'd basically want to build carbide / tombstone. The whole fun IMO would be based on causing the most carnage possible. Having a robot that runs both ways up avoids that self righting cack, and if it's built strong enough, it becomes semi immune to flippers. I'd have a dual chain and belt setup, above and below the blade; a clutch of sorts so that the shock of impact doesn't get to the chain / motor, and cover the chain / belt more than on Carbide so you can avoid that failure risk.
Thing is, with my engineering skills it'd be a total failure. The chances are that the first time I turned it on, it'd shatter itself and I'd lose a foot. The days of bodge jobs is clearly over with the quality of entries like Carbide in there now.
Thing is, with my engineering skills it'd be a total failure. The chances are that the first time I turned it on, it'd shatter itself and I'd lose a foot. The days of bodge jobs is clearly over with the quality of entries like Carbide in there now.
As I mentioned earlier I thought a modular robot (convertabot) with different changeable weapons systems but there's really only one weapon that would be used the most and that's a drum spinner like Minotaur.
Basic shell will be angled 45 degrees on all sides to increase the thickness of protection, like the front of a tank. 4 wheel drive on electric suspension with 4 holes on the top that allows the wheels to be raised (lowered) partly through to run upside down, but are protected inside the body when the other way up. So no Cobalt style wheel beheading. Reversed drum spinner at the front.
Armour would be a laminate of titanium or hardened steel, rubber and polycarbonate (or another possibly something like proplex) to protect it from shock, cutting and flame damage.
Basic shell will be angled 45 degrees on all sides to increase the thickness of protection, like the front of a tank. 4 wheel drive on electric suspension with 4 holes on the top that allows the wheels to be raised (lowered) partly through to run upside down, but are protected inside the body when the other way up. So no Cobalt style wheel beheading. Reversed drum spinner at the front.
Armour would be a laminate of titanium or hardened steel, rubber and polycarbonate (or another possibly something like proplex) to protect it from shock, cutting and flame damage.
Some Gump said:
I'd basically want to build carbide / tombstone. The whole fun IMO would be based on causing the most carnage possible. Having a robot that runs both ways up avoids that self righting cack, and if it's built strong enough, it becomes semi immune to flippers. I'd have a dual chain and belt setup, above and below the blade; a clutch of sorts so that the shock of impact doesn't get to the chain / motor, and cover the chain / belt more than on Carbide so you can avoid that failure risk.
Thing is, with my engineering skills it'd be a total failure. The chances are that the first time I turned it on, it'd shatter itself and I'd lose a foot. The days of bodge jobs is clearly over with the quality of entries like Carbide in there now.
Agreed, shock resistance will be the main problem! The energy involved is huge!Thing is, with my engineering skills it'd be a total failure. The chances are that the first time I turned it on, it'd shatter itself and I'd lose a foot. The days of bodge jobs is clearly over with the quality of entries like Carbide in there now.
hairykrishna said:
300bhp/ton said:
Well just started watching Season 2 Episode 3 over lunch of Battlebots. Chomp vs Discoinferno.
Went the full distance.... but because neither robot had any form of effective offensive weapons. Don't think either robot was even dented, let alone damaged.
It's still fun and I still like watching it, but claiming Robot Wars is inferior just doesn't make sense.
That fight's a bit of an exception though. There's been nothing in Robot Wars to compare to Minotaur vs Blacksmith or Tombstone vs Beta.Went the full distance.... but because neither robot had any form of effective offensive weapons. Don't think either robot was even dented, let alone damaged.
It's still fun and I still like watching it, but claiming Robot Wars is inferior just doesn't make sense.
I like both series and both have good points. The massive budget both for teams and production shows in Battlebots. I don't think it's controversial to say the standard of robots is higher. Each of the sponsors shown on TV has chucked in a contract minimum of $7500, plus they get $8k from ABC just for showing up. There are not insignificant cash prizes for the higher placed robots. The budgets are on a different scale - hence the ratio of CNC porn/welded by a newbie in a shed ratio is different from RW. There's much less filler in the RW show though and I feel the judges decisions are handled better than in BB.
Edited by hairykrishna on Wednesday 19th April 14:41
Baron Greenback said:
Ok all, what style of bot would you go for, vertical/horizontal spinner, flipper etc! or something new!?
For me I would go a horizontal circular spinner!
I think a good flipper is still that way to go. Most spinners destroy themselves. All you need to do is make a flipper that can go toe to toe with the most leathal of spinners and no sustain damage. For me I would go a horizontal circular spinner!
That said my personal choice would be a crusher. But think it would be hard to pull off against some of the modern robots. To date there has only been one good crusher IMO.
300bhp/ton said:
Baron Greenback said:
Ok all, what style of bot would you go for, vertical/horizontal spinner, flipper etc! or something new!?
For me I would go a horizontal circular spinner!
I think a good flipper is still that way to go. Most spinners destroy themselves. All you need to do is make a flipper that can go toe to toe with the most leathal of spinners and no sustain damage. For me I would go a horizontal circular spinner!
That said my personal choice would be a crusher. But think it would be hard to pull off against some of the modern robots. To date there has only been one good crusher IMO.
defblade said:
All this talk of high quality engineering on Battlebots... then, last night, a bot wins mainly by having a garden rake gaffa taped on 
Well, the drones are a bit of a gimmick in the first place so why not improvise up a gimmick to take one down? Where I could see drones actually being useful is if they were allowed to use entanglement devices - a drone could drop a net onto a spinner.Anyway, that was a massively entertaining fight with some great spectacle... especially when they hit the drone with the drum spinner after they brought it down with the rake, sent it flying back into the air and then it exploded in midair. Great entertainment.
Got to love the pundits/commentators when something like that happens - they usually are jumping up and down and laughing their heads off when the camera cuts to them.
Lucas Ayde said:
defblade said:
All this talk of high quality engineering on Battlebots... then, last night, a bot wins mainly by having a garden rake gaffa taped on
Well, the drones are a bit of a gimmick in the first place so why not improvise up a gimmick to take one down? Where I could see drones actually being useful is if they were allowed to use entanglement devices - a drone could drop a net onto a spinner.Anyway, that was a massively entertaining fight with some great spectacle... especially when they hit the drone with the drum spinner after they brought it down with the rake, sent it flying back into the air and then it exploded in midair. Great entertainment.
Got to love the pundits/commentators when something like that happens - they usually are jumping up and down and laughing their heads off when the camera cuts to them.
I have however really warmed to this programme. It's bloody brilliant, very slick and when you take the presenters with a pinch of salt very enjoyable.
Its really like WWF but with robots. The arena, the crowd, the presenters, the grudge matches, and the countdown is bloody brilliant.
That garden rake was genius. Best fight I think i've watched. Thats me hooked now. I'd normally see it in my planner and just put it on when nothing else is on. Now I wait for it.
I don't know what they have planned for entanglement nets and the likes in the next series but could kill off spinners entirely bringing everybody into flippers, whereas allowing armoured brick pushbots would not - but they are "boring" 
By golly you've cracked it! It's all so easy!Indeed, easy in principle, very hard to do when you come to real world engineering. You are always going to have an armour compromise on a flipping robot because of the weight of the internals needed to generate a powerful enough flipper to chuck a robot out of the arena or if it can run inverted high enough so that it comes down with enough force to cause damage.
PurpleAki said:
300bhp/ton said:
All you need to do is make a flipper that can go toe to toe with the most lethal of spinners and not sustain damage.
By golly you've cracked it! It's all so easy!
ChocolateFrog said:
The best robots are made with Hardox steel these days. I doubt you could package a strong enough crusher into a 110kg robot to do much real damage.
I think you are right, things have moved on, although many of the robots still have vulnerable sections to them. Armour costs weight and if you want a good offensive weapon there normally is a compromise.Plus not all the robots use Hardox. At least not everywhere.
Have to say that garden rake versus drone fight was the first time that I've done the American commentator bit of jumping out of my seat, laughing and shouting at the telly. For something just done as a bit of a piss take, excellent stuff.
Really warming to the slick American presentation, better than Season 1, this year's hosts just seem to be having fun rather than just being talking heads.
Really warming to the slick American presentation, better than Season 1, this year's hosts just seem to be having fun rather than just being talking heads.
defblade said:
All this talk of high quality engineering on Battlebots... then, last night, a bot wins mainly by having a garden rake gaffa taped on
The robot with the rake (Hypershock) has a chassis made of ridiculously expensive, high fracture toughness, pre-preg carbon fibre. It's not really shed engineering.moanthebairns said:
When I first started watching battlebots I couldnt really stick with it, the fights were good but the presenters annoyed me with their Americanism.
I have however really warmed to this programme. It's bloody brilliant, very slick and when you take the presenters with a pinch of salt very enjoyable.
Its really like WWF but with robots. The arena, the crowd, the presenters, the grudge matches, and the countdown is bloody brilliant.
That garden rake was genius. Best fight I think i've watched. Thats me hooked now. I'd normally see it in my planner and just put it on when nothing else is on. Now I wait for it.
Unfortunately, the future of the show is far from certain. It hasn't been renewed for another season in the Summer but no word if it has been canned for good or will be restored later in the year.I have however really warmed to this programme. It's bloody brilliant, very slick and when you take the presenters with a pinch of salt very enjoyable.
Its really like WWF but with robots. The arena, the crowd, the presenters, the grudge matches, and the countdown is bloody brilliant.
That garden rake was genius. Best fight I think i've watched. Thats me hooked now. I'd normally see it in my planner and just put it on when nothing else is on. Now I wait for it.
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