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The Return of Battlebots... — Parallax Forums

The Return of Battlebots...

Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
edited 2015-06-25 11:46 in General Discussion
I see Battlebots is returning to television...

Your opinion, hopes, dreams...?

Comments

  • idbruceidbruce Posts: 6,197
    edited 2015-06-20 17:33
    Your opinion, hopes, dreams...?

    Just give me one of these (http://www.battlekits.com/heavy.JPG) and show me the registration form :)
  • Beau SchwabeBeau Schwabe Posts: 6,566
    edited 2015-06-20 20:00
    Consider this .... last time there was a battle-bot competition, the mainstream battery technology was still SLA. With advances in battery technology, more power density is now available not only for robot speed, but brute force power that you can potentially deliver to your opponent in the form of a weapon, or all out tug-of-war. With that consideration alone it should be interesting as to what people might come up with. The REAL question is ... "How capable are the teams that have been assigned?" ... OR, if it's purely a sensationalism event for the TV network it could be a complete joke. I am planning on watching it but as someone once said to me minutes before an EXPO presentation I was giving ... "I have no expectations" ... <-- Which is somewhat Ironic given current lurking circumstances (That's another story though) ... As for the battle-bot competition, I could be turning the channel soon after it starts. We will just have to see.
  • rod1963rod1963 Posts: 752
    edited 2015-06-20 23:43
    If they want it to be interesting they need to have real terrain, gravel, sand, mud pits, rocks. Get away from those boring and useless chassis designed for concrete floors. They make the fights boring and repetitive. I'd also up the weapons they can carry to tasers, acid throwers, mini-harpoons.

    And do away with weight classes.
  • GadgetmanGadgetman Posts: 2,436
    edited 2015-06-21 05:38
    I wish they either stopped calling them 'bots' or changed the rules to require at least some onboard 'intelligence'...
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-06-22 08:03
    Sumobots still have a lot to offer for more intelligent battles.

    Battlebots have that 'destruction derby' attitude that means a lot of brute force designs without subtle programing.

    Of course, Beau might like to create a 25KV battlebot that just frys anything that touches it. Would that be fair?
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2015-06-22 09:05
    I'm for anything that keeps people saying the world "robot," but personally I never found these matchups to be interesting. I'll probably end up watching an episode or two if it comes on Hulu (don't get regular TV any more). As Gadgetman sez, they're not really robots. But on the other hand, they are useful for the R&D that goes into making them. The build crews find out what works and doesn't in frame construction, battery and power supply design, and so on. All that applies to real robots, and helps to expand the science all-around.
  • RagtopRagtop Posts: 406
    edited 2015-06-22 09:23
    The sad reality of battlebots is that nothing bets the simple wedge. The wedge bots always crushed the more
    interesting designs.

    Watched the show and really liked it overall. Would of liked more technical detail on the construction and less time watching the staduim lights blink on, but
    I understand it is meant for a general audience who like to see things ripped apart.

    The Tested youtube channel has been doing some background videos of the show.
  • GordonMcCombGordonMcComb Posts: 3,366
    edited 2015-06-22 12:17
    There was a fairly forgettable Alan Alda movie in the mid-80s (Sweet Liberty) where a film director is in town to shoot a movie version of the main character's historical book. The director dismisses all of the creative challenges to the script by explaining there are just three things an audience wants to see: Rebellion against authority, violence, and nudity. As I recall, in the old Battlebots there was only a hint of the latter, but plenty of the other two.
  • Dave HeinDave Hein Posts: 6,347
    edited 2015-06-22 14:11
    I watched the first episode of Battlebots, and it seems like most completive designs include a large rotating blade. However, some of these robots could be defeated if they could be flipped over. It looks like the best design in the first episode was the one that essentially had a lawn mower blade on top, and had a low center of mass.
  • Jeff HaasJeff Haas Posts: 421
    edited 2015-06-22 18:28
    I liked it. ABC did a lot of things to improve the format:
    - Got rid of all the dumb Comedy Central ideas. For example, who comes to mind as a good presenter and on-the-spot interviewer? Carmen Electra? No. There were no silly sketches for "comedy", either. Leave that for the fast-food commercials.
    - Regular presenters who were actually at the event. You might remember that the original "hosts" were never there and taped their intros and voice overs afterwards. These guys are sitting at a small desk right at the side of the box, so you actually see them react to what's going on.
    - Only one weight class, which makes things simpler, but a wider range of allowed weapons and multi-bots.
    - They actually showed the competition bracket and explained where all the competitors were in it, and how a losing team could get a wild card choice later.

    I think the choice of a limited season makes more sense than trying to run a lot of episodes. Quality vs. quantity.

    Apparently teams had to submit an application, and if they got in, they got some extra cash for replacement parts, etc. I think it was 10K.

    Oh, and regarding splitting hairs about calling something without AI a "robot" - what do you call a bomb-disposal robot, then?
    I don't even think "self-propelled" is necessary for the definition. They have big robot arms that assemble cars...
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-06-23 00:28
    While research balancing bots on line, I discovered a website that was created by one of the long-term champions in Battlebots. He essentially has prevailed with a wedge bot that could flip and operate on either surface of the wedge.

    http://www.wa4dsy.com/robot/

    My impressions were that the main area of expertise was mechanical, more than programing skills. It also seemed that he had pretty much achieved dominance with one design and his use of more durable mechanical components (it is after all a destruction derby).

    In fact, he preferred analog over digital electronics in his solutions.

    The other thing is that it seems obvious that having adequate machine shop resources offer a huge competative advantage. So the guys with deep pockets get ahead and the rest of us just follow along... getting beat up.
    So this all takes me back to Sumobots being more of a programmer's competition.

    Battlebots seem to be still active with at least a 14 year continuous run. Take a look at Dale's site and you pretty much get a complete survey over the whole span of time.

    Dale says he was born in 1948. That makes him a bit younger than me. But he grew of with his dad's machine shop to explore. I am deeply envious, and hope that in my next life to be born into a family with a machine shop.

    There are tons of creative ideas at his web site.
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-06-23 01:32
    Here is the 2015 Battlebot's calendar webpage.
    Go there and register to compete in up-coming events.

    http://www.buildersdb.com/
  • jmgjmg Posts: 15,173
    edited 2015-06-23 02:06
    rod1963 wrote: »
    ...I'd also up the weapons they can carry to tasers, acid throwers, mini-harpoons.

    hehe, Imagine the audience shields needed for that ?!
  • LoopyBytelooseLoopyByteloose Posts: 12,537
    edited 2015-06-23 03:05
    One more major event that has been ongoing since 1994.
    http://robotbattles.com/

    Battlebots may not be on TV, but seems in good health.

    I even saw one 2015 entry for one event called "Coup de Gracey" amongst the previously mentioned contests. Could that actually be a Parallax Propeller driven entry?
    http://www.buildersdb.com/botdetails.asp?eventid=410&BotID=10042
  • TtailspinTtailspin Posts: 1,326
    edited 2015-06-23 21:56
    It's like watching MMA or UFC fights except with sparks and flying parts, instead of blood and flying parts...
    I like it.
  • LawsonLawson Posts: 870
    edited 2015-06-25 11:46
    rod1963 wrote: »
    *snip* mini-harpoons.

    You actually could have projectile weapons in the old BattleBot rule sets. The catch was that projectiles needed a tether that would stop them from going more than 10 feet if they missed. With the added complexity nobody bothered. I did have a few concepts on how to do it, but none of them were particularly dangerous. (someday I DO want to make a "Pneumatic Spike" that's actually dangerous...)

    Marty
  • Too_Many_ToolsToo_Many_Tools Posts: 765
    Anyone watching this show?
    I really wish they would spend more time on the construction of the Bots and the workshops/skills needed to build them.
  • xanaduxanadu Posts: 3,347
    There are much better robots on this forum. The show isn't entertaining for me at all. For the few minutes I watched I only imagined putting the arena together and the effects. I had an 60lb steel frame robot in the house for a year or so and that was enough for me! 
    Maybe I'm jealous people can invest into something to be smashed. Maybe I can figure that out. 
  • Heater.Heater. Posts: 21,230
    Battlebots is not interesting. Might be fun to see some highlights for a minute or two occasionally. 
  • Sam_sneakSam_sneak Posts: 14
    It is somewhat like Professional wrestling, a  creation of TV with added drama to keep the audience.

    The reality is in understanding the creativity involved, not the battles.
  • dgatelydgately Posts: 1,630
    I record the show and fast-forward to the bot descriptions and actual battles. An hour of the show condenses to about 15 minutes, with all the hype and commercials removed.


    dgately
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