Battlebots 2019

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Discussion

ajprice

Original Poster:

27,317 posts

195 months

Wednesday 29th May 2019
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It's robot fighting time! (Starting from June 7th on Discovery in the USA)

Trailer. https://youtu.be/wIObm_ZGjjI

Rather than digging up the Robot Wars thread again, it can live here. It's already been filmed, so if anyone does know what happens, shush until it's been on TV and found its way to YouTube hehe . Looks like a few very similar looking bots to last year, some redesigned ones, and some new ones. For the Brits, Monsoon is in it and has been updated, Beta isn't in it and Warhead isn't in it this time, and they may have retired it after the disc was broken in the last Battlebots series. Cobalt is by the Carbide guys from Robot Wars.

Full robots list https://battlebots.com/2019-season-robots/

ChocolateFrog

24,852 posts

172 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
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Links (or whatever will get past the mods these days) to the YouTube episodes will again be very much appreciated. Really enjoyed the last series.

Lucas Ayde

3,541 posts

167 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
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Great news! This was fantastic entertainment despite (or maybe because of) the cheesy stereotypically glitzy American presentation.

Hopefully they keep the pundits, some of their remarks were comedy gold and they knew it.

Jasandjules

69,825 posts

228 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
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Whenever I see these things now I can't help but think of Big Bang Theory......

300bhp/ton

41,030 posts

189 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
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Would be nice if it was aired in the UK too.

AlexS

1,550 posts

231 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
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Though not strictly BattleBots news Rex Garrod, the guy behind Recyclops and Cassius (probably the first self righting robot) and also the co-presenter of the Secret Life of Machines died at the start of April.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
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Nice one!
Love battlebots. It's so entertaining (esp on youtube when you can skip the bilge before the fights).
I wonder if the crazy brazilian guy will go full troglodyte every fight, that just added to the show =)

Xaero

4,060 posts

214 months

Thursday 30th May 2019
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AlexS said:
Though not strictly BattleBots news Rex Garrod, the guy behind Recyclops and Cassius (probably the first self righting robot) and also the co-presenter of the Secret Life of Machines died at the start of April.
frown

He was one of the driving figures that got me interested in robots at a young age and building me own in my early teens. A great personality, he will be missed.

ajprice

Original Poster:

27,317 posts

195 months

Thursday 6th June 2019
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Episode 1 fight card


ChocolateFrog

24,852 posts

172 months

Saturday 8th June 2019
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Any links to the first episode?

hairykrishna

13,159 posts

202 months

Saturday 8th June 2019
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It's on the various torrent sites. Try rarbg.

First episode is amazing.

Some Gump

12,671 posts

185 months

Saturday 8th June 2019
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hairykrishna said:
It's on the various torrent sites. Try rarbg.

First episode is amazing.
go on, upload it to youtube with a cryptic title so we can all watch it? 😀

ajprice

Original Poster:

27,317 posts

195 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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This one isn't the main series, it's a one off Twitch livestream shown last week. https://youtu.be/wc_dqLcARLA
(It's a live recording, so there's a few dead microphones etc at times)

10 robots with 5 heats, then Twitch voted for the finalists from the 5 winners.

Free Shipping
Bronco
Biteforce
Icewave
Skorpios
Chomp
Lockjaw
Whiplash
Witch Doctor
Tombstone



From what I can find on YouTube so far, the new first episode is links to another website sign up, or they're being taken down.

FourWheelDrift

88,381 posts

283 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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S04E01 all fights, no filler - https://www.dailymotion.com/video/x7akgp1

hairykrishna

13,159 posts

202 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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The filler's not bad. Various stuff from the pits and the test box.

Lucas Ayde

3,541 posts

167 months

Sunday 9th June 2019
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hairykrishna said:
The filler's not bad. Various stuff from the pits and the test box.
Yep - for once the filler stuff was actually somewhat interesting. Helped that it mostly concentrated on things like the testing. The pundits were pretty entertaining too, hamming it up for all they were worth.

Just a very entertaining show overall - loads of fights and not really a duff one. Endgame vs Death Roll was a highlight.

Seems like the yanks just know how to make the whole thing into more entertaining TV ... are the robots allowed to be more destructive than they are on Robot Wars or is it that there is just more financial incentive to take part and thus more competition/ investment into the battle bots?


hairykrishna

13,159 posts

202 months

Monday 10th June 2019
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The rules are very similar between Battlebots and Robot Wars in terms of limiting destructiveness. BB has a tip speed limit for spinners of 200mph (with a bit of wiggle room), I think RW technically had 250mph but they never had to enforce it - Carbide was up at 230ish. There are a few minor differences about safety stuff but nothing that changes the damage they can do.

Like you say, I think the biggest difference is the money that the top teams have available - partly due to the sponsorship rules. Some of the big teams are spending easily 100k. It means they're close to full effectiveness most of the way through the tournament as they have full spare robots etc. None of the two robots limping around that we saw occasionally in RW. They also have a bigger pool of 'talent' to draw on. The live robot fighting scene is pretty big in the US and they have robogames every year which has an area that can handle full power spinners. It means the guys in the US have been building and developing them the whole time BB was off the air.

I bet we have two or more british teams in the top 16 though. Quantum and Cobalt are both incredible robots. Monsoon's also great. Cobalt could easily win the whole thing. Sadly no Beta this year though.

Andy S15

399 posts

126 months

Monday 10th June 2019
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I believe Battlebots allow a higher pressure CO2 to be used than Robot wars did.

Additionally, if you are picked for the show, I believe you got 20k towards your build. Explains why competitors are both less bothered about being destroyed and less guilty about doing the destroying.

These are only things I remember from a couple of years back. May be different now.

hairykrishna

13,159 posts

202 months

Monday 10th June 2019
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CO2 is banned at battlebots. They consider it a safety hazard because it can freeze valves and stuff. It's one of the reasons that flippers are much harder to do well in battlebots - storing enough high pressure air is bulky and much pricier than an old fire extinguisher with a new valve on top.

I think you're right that the maximum pressure of pneumatics is higher at battlebots though. That brings up another difference too - battlebots rules for some things are flexible if you can convince them you're competent. Bronco runs much higher pressures than the allowed limit. I think Beta was also running higher voltages than the 'limit' too.

Andy S15

399 posts

126 months

Monday 10th June 2019
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hairykrishna said:
CO2 is banned at battlebots.
Thanks for the correction. thumbup

Looking forward to watching this later.