jon-in-tha-hood OP t1_isdq7tp wrote on October 15, 2022 at 4:34 AM

Reply to comment by Listen_to_Psybient in 250lb Battlebot is flipped and sticks the landing by jon-in-tha-hood

(Copying this comment from another thread and expanding it for more detail as others here are doubting it)

These are /r/battlebots. Nearly every robot of its class is 250 lbs.

There are lower weight classes but the show is focused on the heavyweights (250 lb limit).

You underestimate how powerful the weapons are and how thick the armour is. These are not RC cars. As much as it's getting tossed in the air and how Blip (the blue robot) makes it look easy, a lot of engineering went into it to come up with a weapon that powerful.

The size of the arena and camera positioning make these not look as big as they are. If you look behind the protective glass, there's a cameraman there. You can get an idea of the size. And couple that with the fact that these are usually armoured in AR500 steel, have weapons themselves that can weigh up to 80 lbs, and house a ton of motors, batteries, electronics, etc.

These are 250 lbs. Most actually struggle to fit within that weight limit with all the armour, weapon systems, etc.

The heaviest robot to compete on Battlebots was Chomp. Because it used legs instead of wheels, it was given double the weight limit to play with, and it weighed 500 lbs.

Listen_to_Psybient t1_isduuh9 wrote on October 15, 2022 at 5:28 AM

Oh I see, thank you.

707Guy t1_isdqm0o wrote on October 15, 2022 at 4:38 AM

In the description to the video you linked, they say that 250 lbs is the absolute maximum weight allowed and the people in the video seem shocked to see something weigh that much.

jon-in-tha-hood OP t1_isdrj3m wrote on October 15, 2022 at 4:49 AM

No, they are surprised it fit within the weight limit and got it that close.

Most teams have to cut weight to fit within the rules, sometimes drilling holes into their armour/weapons.

Think about it this way, if the weight limit is 250 lbs, you have that much to allot to armour and weapons (there is a lot more to it than that like drive power, but for the sake of simplicity, we'll just talk those 2 things).

Now imagine you had to fight a 250 lb robot. If you only built a bot that weighed 170lbs, you would be severely disadvantaged as you would have maybe 40 lbs less armour and 40 lbs lighter of a weapon in those 80 missing pounds. Again, a weapon bar itself is allowed to weigh 80 lbs. Without spoiling any fights, this exact situation happened this past season as one robot took so much damage in a previous fight, ran out of spares, and entered the arena over 80 lbs underweight, only to get completely dominated by its opponent.

707Guy t1_isdrppb wrote on October 15, 2022 at 4:51 AM

Then why does the cameraman say “250? Are you serious?” And then chuckles if it’s a totally normal weight?

jon-in-tha-hood OP t1_isdsirt wrote on October 15, 2022 at 5:00 AM

It's very easy to find yourself over the weight limit with all the stuff you need to fit in the robot and the weight of the materials you need to make it this battle-tough.

You can ask on /r/battlebots how many robots are skirting the fine line of the weight limit. Most of the builders on the show are actually on there and will happily answer any questions if you don't believe me. They're super approachable when it comes to this stuff.

Funny, /u/teamtestbot is a builder and he already found this thread and replied to one of the other comments in this chain.

Anything, thinking logically, these guys are some of the top minds in engineering. Why would you not attempt to get as close as possible to get the maximum destructive potential for your robot? If you're competing to win, why would you settle for less?

teamtestbot t1_isdsuiy wrote on October 15, 2022 at 5:04 AM

> Why would you not attempt to get as close as possible to get the maximum destructive potential

because all spinners are shit and should be banned

TrippHazard t1_isf0dzf wrote on October 15, 2022 at 1:58 PM

The most likely reason for a cameraman to react like that is because that kind of performative amazement is what mammalian brains like to see and feel. Think about how many completely unnecessary “omg”s and “Really? Are you serious? No way!” You hear daily.

You’re not wrong that realistically, if 250 is the weight cap, it shouldn’t be surprising that someone brought a bot that weights that much.

“Wow, this purpose-built machine meets the requirements to enter this competition? Are you being real with me right now or are you pulling my leg. I was not expecting this thing to weigh as much as it should to get in.”