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jcforbes t1_isdf912 wrote

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

The most notorious one of all time was a spinner. Blendo was told never to come back.

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jon-in-tha-hood OP t1_isdibqy wrote

Not the full story. It gets better.

After having their weapon deemed "too unsafe to compete" as it was flinging metal shrapnel into the crowd every match, they were given co-champion status with a promise not to compete again that year.

They turn up with the same robot next year, start flinging bot parts into the audience again and badly damaging the arena walls, and are asked to stop competing again for co-champion status.

Funnily enough, when Battlebots was on TV, it entered but as robot design evolved and opponents (and the walls) were able to take the hits, the design had aged out, and it didn't win a single one of its 4 next matches before retiring.

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DoctorSalt t1_isdjzw1 wrote

That sounds like an organizer problem if parts are getting into the crowd

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InternetProtocol t1_isdv3l6 wrote

IIRC, the original walls were about half as high, then the blendo thing happened, so they doubled the height, then it happened again, so they doubled the height yet again and re-enforced them.

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danielv123 t1_isetap0 wrote

They now also have double spaced half inch plexiglass on the walls. There was a case in one of the lower weight classes when a spinner was launched at the wall and broke through the inner layer.

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TheGazelle t1_isetdmz wrote

Is there a reason they never just.. Put a roof on it?

Like just make them fight in a large cube so there's no way for shrapnel to get out?

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Qwerty1418 t1_isfg7ph wrote

They did that in the early 2000s, Blendo was around like 1997 or something. All of the modern fights have been in a heavy duty fully enclosed box.

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Zathrus1 t1_isfsxni wrote

Bots routinely (couple times a season) hit the ceiling, which is fully enclosed.

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MrFluffyThing t1_isfugvb wrote

Backlash started flinging stuff over the high walls so they added a roof at that point.

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sybrwookie t1_iset7xm wrote

It does, but if the organizers don't have the ability to redo the walls on the fly while the event is going on, all they can do is say, "nope, you can't participate, we can't guarantee the safety of people with a bit that strong."

That's happened quite a few times over the years. Many times, they can work something out with the builders where they tell them they can compete, but only if they can throttle down the power 25% and show they've done so before the event starts in a way where they can't just turn it up again later.

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fresh_gnar_gnar t1_isdhhx7 wrote

Nearly choked on my lunch laughing when I looked up Blendo. Holy shit lol!!!

Of course Jamie Hyneman is responsible….

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