There are some new machines but they come from reputable teams with a history of interesting/destructive/fun robots. Past showings, potential performance, machine diversity, team history all play a part.

This is the first Robochallenge event where people have had to 'audition' for places. Before now you were pretty much guaranteed a place if you signed up but with it being the world champs, having 20 or so foreign teams coming to compete and the need to have the best of the best fighting it out, things need to be done differently to get the top 50 machines in the arena.