15 Fun Facts About BattleBots That May Surprise You

BattleBots is a famous robot battle television show from the United States. The show was based on the British show Robot Wars, in which contestants create and run remote-controlled armed and armored machines that fight in a combat arena in an elimination competition. In fact, BattleBots is already available in over 150 countries. As a result, robotic combat fans all around the world will enjoy watching these exciting robot matches and performances on their television. Moreover, the BattleBots tournament entered its 22nd season this year. The Battle Arena featured 62 of the best heavyweight robots fighting head-to-head.

Besides the fights being combative, the series as a whole also demonstrates how science and technology can be enjoyable and engaging to anyone. Furthermore, there are many fun facts about BattleBots that you probably don’t know. We are sure that our selected fun facts will add more insight in your life.

1. Descended from The Former Robot Wars

Descended from The Former Robot Wars
Descended from The Former Robot Wars

BattleBots has a relation to a British show called Robot Wars, which some people may be aware of. However, it’s worth noting that BattleBots isn’t a descendant of that show, but rather of an older show of the same name. The former Robot Wars, the creation of Lucasfilm toy designer Marc Thorpe, drew builders from around the country and as far as France to build fighting robots and battle them in a San Francisco warehouse. 

He established the first season of Robot Wars with money from Profile Records. Unfortunately, Thorpe’s legal battles with his main sponsor, Profile Records, reached a breaking point in 1997, and Profile licensed Robot Wars to the BBC in the United Kingdom without Thorpe on board. Later, a sizable contingent of US Robot Wars sympathized with Thorpe and refused to interact with Robot Wars again, resulting in the cancellation of the 1998 and 1999 US Robot Wars events.

2. The Rules Continuously Change

The Rules Continuously Change
The Rules Continuously Change

BattleBots, like many other events, has refined the rules over time to provide better entertainment. This is especially crucial in this scenario because there are better and worse methods to create combat robots. Not to mention, it has been known that robot builders can solve the competition easily by leaving the rules unchanged for too long. As a result, more dull match-ups are produced, resulting in fewer viewers and, as a result, lower revenue.

Usually, design rules are subject to modification at any time, with or without warning. For example, design rules in the maximum permitted voltage for the weapon and motion systems is 60 volts. Meanwhile, 240 volts is the maximum voltage allowed for any low-power auxiliary systems elsewhere in the bot. These limits were revised from the previous year, when the maximum weapon and robot voltages were merely 48 and 220 volts, respectively.

3. New Season BattleBots Uses Simplification of Weight Classes

New Season BattleBots Uses Simplification of Weight Classes
New Season BattleBots Uses Simplification of Weight Classes

When BattleBots returned to television, one of the most noticeable modifications was the streamlining of weight classifications. In summary, a single weight class was established for the whole competition. The weight limits are based on the previous competition’s Heavyweight and Super Heavyweight classes.

In seasons 1–5, robots competing in BattleBots events were divided into four weight classes. Over time, the weight restrictions climbed gradually. Lightweight is 60 pounds, middleweight is 120 pounds, heavyweight is 220 pounds, and superheavyweight is 340 pounds. Meanwhile, there were no longer weight classes in Season 6, and the heavyweight weight limit was increased from 220 to 250 pounds.

4. The Introduction of Unreliable Flamethrowers

The Introduction of Unreliable Flamethrowers
The Introduction of Unreliable Flamethrowers

Another adjustment that was made for the resurrection of the show was the addition of flamethrowers. Until the revival of the series in 2015, flamethrowers were a weapon that was more typically employed outside of BattleBots as it had been outlawed with BattleBots tournaments until then. Stinger: The Killer Bee and Complete Control are two notable robots who employ the flamethrower.

Flamethrowers can be successful if you have the appropriate opponent and, of course, the right amount of time. However, what would cause terrible harm to humans isn’t quite as effective when applied to metal and other insensible, non-flammable materials. That isn’t to argue that the flamethrowers have been completely ineffective, since they have been used in some memorable matches.

5. Nightmare The Legendary Robot is Still Around

Nightmare The Legendary Robot is Still Around
Nightmare The Legendary Robot is Still Around

Well, it is fun to notice that Nightmare is still alive and well. This is an impressive record given that it competed in the very first BattleBots competition in 1999. It should come as no surprise, then, that it has amassed an impressive track record over the last two decades. 

Nightmare has been a regular performer and a feared opponent from its introduction. Thanks in large part to its massive spinning weapons, which has made it a poster bot for the show in subsequent seasons. Even though Nightmare earned the “Most Aggressive Robot” prize at the 1999 Long Beach tournament, he never advanced beyond the quarter-final round of any competition. 

6. Surprising Bombshell The Wild Swings

Surprising Bombshell The Wild Swings
Surprising Bombshell The Wild Swings

Bombshell is a robot created by The Chaos Corps that competed in the BattleBots. Bombshell was designed by a group of Georgia-based roboteers who are well-known for their participation in the long-running Robot Battles competition. In addition, Bombshell got its name from the fact that it was built within an abandoned World War II bunker in Georgia.

Because of its unpredictable swings in luck, Bombshell is a robot that some people may wish to keep an eye on. Despite a solid showing in 2016, it was eliminated from the regular season in 2018. It was able to re-enter the competition by winning the Last Chance Rumble, which was followed by a victory over the fearsome Tombstone. After that, it was eliminated in the quarter-finals by Lock-Jaw.

7. Tombstone Won Battlebots The Most

Tombstone Won Battlebots The Most
Tombstone Won Battlebots The Most

Former champion Tombstone remains one of the most successful robots in the BattleBots reboot. It won many of its matches via knockout, thanks to one of the most deadly weapons in the field. With an official record of 12 wins, one loss, and a trail of destruction, devastation, and sorrow in its wake, Tombstone is the BattleBots GOAT. 

Tombstone’s destructive abilities are obvious, and the game’s durability is also impressive. Its enormous horizontally spinning bar, which weighs roughly 65-75 pounds and takes up the front of the robot, makes it difficult to get to the sides. The Achilles heel of many high KE spinners is that for whatever force they apply to the opponent robot, they also apply an equal and opposite force to themselves.

8. Gigabyte Has The Most Powerful Weapon

Fun Facts About BattleBots
Gigabyte Has The Most Powerful Weapon

Since Discovery Season 3, Gigabyte, a heavyweight robot developed by the Robotic Death Company, has fought in every season of the BattleBots relaunch. It’s a full-body spinner with more power than the team’s renowned heavyweight Megabyte. It also contains a self-righting bar that tells the drivers which way it is facing as well as righting itself.

With spinners being a popular weapon in Battlebots, Gigabyte takes it a step further by having the entire robot spin around to deal damage. Moreover, Gigabyte’s multicolored appearance is appealing, but once it’s up to speed, it’s a powerful machine.

9. BattleBox Floor Made of Powerful Steel

Fun Facts About BattleBots
BattleBox Floor Made of Powerful Steel

All BattleBots contests take place in the BattleBox, a purpose-built 48ft x 48ft square arena. It has a steel floor and a full Lexan enclosure, as well as a number of hazards that robots must avoid or exploit in order to damage or obstruct their opponent’s movements. Competitors begin one-on-one battles in color-coded red or blue squares on opposite sides of the BattleBox.

The 2020 BattleBox has received multiple revisions in reaction to events that occurred during the Discovery seasons of 2018 and 2019. It features a newer, more durable floor made of AR500 steel, as well as a new logo that matches the redesigned seasons.

10. The Winner Got 25,000 USD and The “Giant Nut”

Fun Facts About BattleBots
10The Winner Got 25,000 USD and The “Giant Nut”

Of course, there are rewards at the end of any decent tournament. Trophies are awarded to the winners and runners-up, with the champion receiving the “Giant Nut” trophy. A trophy is lovely, but there are also monetary rewards to be won. Between each game, anything from exhibition matches to finals offers some cash, and the further you advance, the more you earn. 

The tournament’s grand prize is worth a total of $25,000 to the winner. Runners-up still receive monetary awards of up to $10,000, as well as many trophies for individual accomplishments.

11. The World’s Largest Robot Fighting Sport on Screen

Fun Facts About BattleBots
The World’s Largest Robot Fighting Sport on Screen

Fighting robot competitions aren’t new, and they’ve previously attracted a large audience. BattleBots has recently returned to ABC in the United States, while Robot Wars was a huge hit in the United Kingdom last decade. Competitors built their own robots with various weaponry, creating fun and exciting robot fighting sports.

As this show is getting more popular, BattleBots is trying to expand its TV show worldwide. BattleBots is now available in over 150 countries. As a result, robotic combat fans all around the world will be able to watch the world’s largest and only professional robot fighting sport on their television screens.

12. Mammoth The Biggest Robot Ever Built

Fun Facts About BattleBots
12Mammoth The Biggest Robot Ever Built

Mammoth is the world’s most powerful heavyweight robot. It’s a two-wheeled, triangular-shaped robot that can thwack, raise, and swat opponents with a revolving “trunk” weapon. Ricky Willems, a long-time viewer of the show, built Mammoth, which has been a fan favorite in recent years. The bot first competed in the Robot Ruckus event in Orlando, Florida, in 2018. It advanced to the loser’s semi-finals before losing to Bots FC’s Blue.

13. It’s a Scripted Show

Fun Facts About BattleBots
It’s a Scripted Show

Just to answer your curiosity, yes, it is. Usually the two bouts were videotaped over three days, with several breaks for robot repairs and troubleshooting. Yes, the combat was planned. According to MegaBots co-founder Matt Oehrlein, in order to provide something exciting to watch, they need to use the script as well.

This news will come as no surprise to anyone who watched the stream. The action was clearly arranged such that neither robot was turned off before all of the relevant footage was captured. You can see Eagle Prime pulled down a camera gear with its claw and whirled it around aimlessly to fight off a nonexistent onslaught by Kuratas. After all, it is still an exciting show to watch.

14. BattleBots Launched First Casino Slot Games During New Season In Las Vegas

Fun Facts About BattleBots
BattleBots Launched First Casino Slot Games During New Season In Las Vegas

Robots from all around the world went to Las Vegas for the new season’s BattleBots World Championship. During the competition, the first official BattleBots casino slot games were announced by BattleBots.

The industry’s first BattleBots slot machine was developed by Konami Gaming. It is currently available to the public at Caesars Entertainment Studios during the new season recording and the 2021 World Championship. Some of BattleBots’ most renowned robot competitors, such as Tombstone, Witch Doctor, HyperShock, and others, appear in this never-before-seen slot game.

15. BioHazard The Most Successful Robot

Fun Facts About BattleBots
BioHazard The Most Successful Robot

It was Carlo Bertocchini who created BioHazard, a heavyweight robot from California. From 1999 to 2002, it competed in all seven original BattleBots events, winning four titles, as well as being a runner-up once and a quarter-finalist twice, and winning one heavyweight rumble. BioHazard also competed in and won the US Robot Wars championship twice, in 1996 and 1997. These achievements helped it become one of the most successful combat robots in history. 

Furthermore, it was created entirely on a computer before any parts were acquired. It  is expected to be the heavyweight robot with the second lowest height, at just 4 inches. In fact, one of Carlo’s greatest achievements was creating BioHazard’s low-profile frame.


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