Battlebots returning - on ESPN

[Sam_Stone]

I think were quite a few fans of ‘Battlebots’, which used to be on the comedy network. Well, it’s coming back, bigger and better. This time it’s going to be on ESPN, and it looks like the quality of robots is likely to go up because they’re turning it into a championship for college teams. They’re also dumping the wacky announcer and Carmen Electra, and going for more of a ‘science show’ vibe. This could be really good.
Link here: BattleBots Returns to ESPN

For the new show, Roski has made it clear: “I’m not going to allow wedgers,” he says. He hasn’t worked out exactly how, but one option is to modify the arena. Half-in.-thick plates, for example, could be added to stop low-clearance models in their tracks. And newer, more powerful arena hazards could influence robot designs. “The ramps in the past were pretty slow,” Roski says, referring to the compressed-air-powered panels that could spring open, tossing an unlucky contender. “Now, these ramps could throw Toro five feet in the air.” Toro, the winner of the super heavyweight class (up to 340 pounds) in 2001, was one of the most popular robots on the show, with its own ability to launch targets with a pneumatic arm.

Limiting wedgers could inject some carnage back into robot combat, but the new show will also have a radically different pace, closer to the BattleBots pay-per-view events than the Comedy Central series. Although Roski is grateful for the exposure the network provided, he believes that by largely avoiding the pits, where teams had to perform repairs on their bots before sending them into the next match, the original show missed out on some the best drama. Although episodes were aired weekly, the competitions were a grueling, nonstop brawl, running as long as 10 days straight, and forcing some teams to make repairs in as little as 30 minutes. Now, the cameras can follow the engineering side of the competition, as teams representing their colleges (Roski is estimating as many as 150 participating schools) race the clock to fix their battered gladiators. And when a robot suddenly becomes unresponsive in the middle of a match, viewers might understand why, instead of listening to the commentators level zingers at its comatose frame.

Sounds like they are doing it right. Get rid of the cheesy interviews, focus more on the engineering. And there’s going to be an experimental class:

The new show will also introduce an experimental class, which could play out as a series of isolated competitions and demonstrations. A cross between a robotic circus and, as Roski puts it, “a science fair gone mad,” the entries include a proposed autonomous robot race and walkers bred for combat, one of which weighs 800 pounds. But the final decision as to which contests make it on the air will have to wait until the competition is held and the footage is edited.

Coming this November (they need to give schools time to build their robots).

[gonzomax]

Any program with Carmen Electra is enhanced.
I was a fan . I look forward to it.

[Hostile_Dialect]

This sounds awesome. I’m not sure I understand why they need to give schools time to build their robots–I thought most technical colleges had robotics teams participating in competitions year-round. Hell, the high school I work at does, and we’re not even a private school.

[Darth_Sensitive]

So ;going a little more towards the model of the UK Robot wars?

I like the wedges in moderation, but really like the flywheels. Razer, however, was my favorite.

[want2know]

Best news I’ve heard in a while! I loves me some BattleBots! Can’t wait till November!

I hope some of the classics will be back, especially the aforementioned Toro.

[Just_Some_Guy]

Sounds like they’re dumping the stuff I didn’t like in the Comedy Central version and adding good stuff. I’ve got my fingers crossed.

Oh, and I demand a Mythbusters join in for a celebrity match

[Randy_Seltzer]

@Just Some Guy

Oh, and I demand a Mythbusters join in for a celebrity match

I hope you are aware of Blendo…

After two fights it [Blendo] was deemed too hazardous to compete by the event supervisors and the insurance company. It was given co-champion status in exchange for withdrawing from the competition.

[Ro_Carter]

This is the most awesome news I have heard in a while. Wasn’t Bill Nye on BattleBots as a science commentator? I hope they keep him.

[waits]

What, if any, was the connection between BattleBots and Mythbusters? I seem to remember references to Grant’s “champion robot.” And did I once see a clip of Jamie on BattleBots?

[Cisco]

A FOAF was almost finished with a Battlebot that he had spent ridiculous amounts of time and money on when they cancelled the original series. Hopefully he’ll be able to get it in this time around.

[Contrapuntal]

@waits

What, if any, was the connection between BattleBots and Mythbusters? I seem to remember references to Grant’s “champion robot.” And did I once see a clip of Jamie on BattleBots?

Check out Randy’s link above.

Does anyone remember the Malcolm in the Middle episode where Malcolm’s dad built the robot that shot out bees? Malcolm pointed out that bees don’t hurt battlebots. Dad replied that the bees were aimed at the operators. Good times.

[Robot_Arm]

After two fights it [Blendo] was deemed too hazardous to compete by the event supervisors and the insurance company. It was given co-champion status in exchange for withdrawing from the competition.

I so want to see video of this.