BattleBots Return - And They're Powered by VEXpro!

[Darkseer54]

I found this on the battlebots reddit, and it about encompasses everyone here's complaints (or so I believe). http://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/c..._disappointed/

[CalTran]

Originally Posted by Darkseer54

Everyone here saying tombstone is the best, but you gotta remember, tombstone was beaten by mecanum wheels.

EDIT: My brother just pointed out that on the battlebots website, the tombstone builder said Alcoholic Stepfather is his favorite robot.

What in the world was the other robot made out of??

[gblake]

Originally Posted by CalTran

What in the world was the other robot made out of??

Straw.

It was the straw that broke the camel's blade.

[Zebra_Fact_Man]

Originally Posted by gblake

Straw.

It was the straw that broke the camel's blade.

Boo.

[Loose Screw]

After watching episode 2, I can tell most of the controversy was manufactured, just to build up "drama". A veteran would know better to do a blatant late hit. A grey area in the rules about entanglement? That all seems like stuff the producers shoehorned in to build up hype.

I do wish they would get into the more technical side of robots such as drivetrains and maximum momentum/energy of weapons. I remember watching the show as a kid and wondering why some weapons did better than ones that looked identical. That level of detail would answer those questions, and even inspire students to try to figure out how to improve upon some of their favorites. Plus maximum energy could give an actual stat to compare robots before a match, instead of arbitrary numbers with no basis.

[pmangels17]

For a slightly more advanced look at the robots, check out this video, as well as the few other Battlebots videos on the Tested Youtube page. These videos go into more detail about every robot at the competition, as well as the arena, and at least a bit more about the construction processes behind the different build teams. It's might not be the full CAD post that we are all secretly hoping for, but it is definitely more informative than the show's stories on the robots, from a technical aspect.

*Derails Thread*
For those of you who haven't heard of Tested, it is a channel produced primarily by Norman Chan and Will Smith (the tech guy, not the Independence Day guy), along with occasional contributions from Jamie Hyneman, and more frequent contributions from Adam Savage (AKA The Mythbusters). I've spent a lot of my summer watching this channel, especially the Adam Savage pieces. Adam has the coolest shop I've ever seen for just one guy, and he has all sorts of amazing things to show off. Will and Norm do a lot of reporting on nerdy stuff, including Maker Faire, trade shows, prop building, Arduino, and just about every aspects of tech stuff. For all the FIRST-ers out there, check it out, it's awesome.
*ReRails Thread*

[Billfred]

Originally Posted by EricH

Depending on superstructure armor and location of certain critical items, of course, if some copter had a payload on a quick-release (probably want it on a winch as well) and a targeting camera aka "bomb sight", I suspect that a fair number of robots could be damaged or disabled in their internals--see "frisbee on power switch" in FRC 2013. Naturally, the power switch would be the primary target, or anything that happened to be moving.


That being said, I rather suspect that that would be rather difficult given armor considerations and best-guess payload-carrying capacity.

And the fact that these guys don't have standardized switches. Some have buttons, some have removable links, some may have more than one of each. You'd need to do something special to pull that stunt off.

[Michael Hill]

Originally Posted by pmangels17

Adam has the coolest shop I've ever seen for just one guy, and he has all sorts of amazing things to show off.

His tool and hardware organization system makes me drool a little: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1OPSbF6kM9k

[Ryan Dognaux]

Originally Posted by Loose Screw

After watching episode 2, I can tell most of the controversy was manufactured, just to build up "drama".

Apparently not according to one of the teams doing an AMA on reddit: http://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/c...znuc?context=3

It doesn't really seem like there's any FMS type system so there's nothing really to stop someone from driving after the buzzer.

[Jared Russell]

Originally Posted by EricH

Naturally, the power switch would be the primary target, or anything that happened to be moving.

None of the robots have externally accessible power switches for obvious reasons.

[paul_v]

Originally Posted by Loose Screw

After watching episode 2, I can tell most of the controversy was manufactured, just to build up "drama". A veteran would know better to do a blatant late hit. A grey area in the rules about entanglement? That all seems like stuff the producers shoehorned in to build up hype.

I'm surprised you can tell all of that was manufactured, because it was in fact real.

I guarantee the producers and audience and event staff didn't know what was in the box because it would have messed up that team's strategy to reveal it to everyone. Furthermore, when you have a borderline legal devise, an "ask for forgiveness" situation will almost always help you. If you ask ahead, it will usually be looked at more closely and a gap in the rules closed.

The late hit stuff just isn't a big deal (when you're not a spinning weapon robot). Some people are just more sensitive and their are emotions involved. Both teams are good guys, I've known them both for forever, but they both get very sucked up into the competition.

The sort of hokey or "fake" looks stuff is still the builders being people. It's just a show.

Battlebots has a neat goal, to make robot builders be famous and look like rock stars. So kids look up to them like Michael Jordan or Britney Spears. My idols when I grew up? Battlebot builders. Isn't that strangely similar to another one of my passions?

/sarcasm Also, yes please come up with wacky designs to stop spinning weapons, especially if I am fighting you with a spinning blade! Please use anything besides angled hard steel plates. /sarcasm As a spinner builder, I would love to hit absolutely anything over just angled steel plates

[gblake]

Originally Posted by Darkseer54

Everyone here saying tombstone is the best,

Hmmm, I wonder if a sturdy main bot could cooperate with one or two minibots to pin Tombstone long enough for the minibot to latch a pincer onto a Tombstone tire (and later onto the other tire).

The pincer's job would be to destroy the tire, not to become entangled with it.

A Tombstone that can't easily point it's nose at you (no tires) is a one-trick pony without a trick....

Blake

[Citrus Dad]

Originally Posted by Loose Screw

I do wish they would get into the more technical side of robots such as drivetrains and maximum momentum/energy of weapons. I remember watching the show as a kid and wondering why some weapons did better than ones that looked identical. That level of detail would answer those questions, and even inspire students to try to figure out how to improve upon some of their favorites. Plus maximum energy could give an actual stat to compare robots before a match, instead of arbitrary numbers with no basis.

That could be a version of "Up close and personal" that ABC started with its Olympics broadcasts in the '70s. It just would have a different focus, and could be oriented toward kids rather than housewives (which was the original target back then.)

[carpedav000]

Anyone care to predict the final fight? Im going for IceWave vs. Sting with Sting winning.

[dodar]

Originally Posted by carpedav000

Anyone care to predict the final fight? Im going for IceWave vs. Sting with Sting winning.

I'll predict the final four: Tombstone vs Bronco and Icewave vs Aptyx.

But I like all 4 of them and honestly could see any matchup in the finals from those four.