Babróg - Beetleweight Lifter Build Diary

[Shooty]

Robot Rebellion 2023:

Robot Rebellion 2023 would see both of us returning in a very similar manner to 2022, with minor upgrades to Babróg and an entirely new Schnake to test. The only major change done to Babróg outside of redoing the sides and front panels, was a change to the wheel hubs that used the actual hex Pololu hubs pressed into the 3D print instead of the dual square nut system I’ve used since Brawl 2022, which surprisingly didn’t increase the total weight all that much. To improve reliability, I redid all of my brushless motors and gearboxes to make sure I would have no more shaft failures, following as exactly as I could the instructions laid out by Alex Mordue (at this stage, who else?). Mercifully, tech checks went far smoother this year, and so both bots were ready to fight with minimal fuss.

This year the format of the competition was slightly different: each of the 12 heats would contain four robots in a round robin format, with the only rule to the order being that the winners in the first round would fight each other in the second. Points were no longer being used to score a heat by the method of winning or losing, merely if the fight was one or lost. The robot with the best record would go through in each heat, with the second place robot going to a three way playoff to determine the final entrants to the top 16. There was also the potential for “lockdown” melees to determine heat order should three robots have the same W:L record by the end. Finally, each heat would have a seeded robot competing. Remarkably, Babróg was actually the seed for its heat after making the top 16 last year, though it should be noted that we were the only team in our heat without an overall BW competition win!


Babróg and Schnake ready for the tournament!


Here is the heat Babróg took part in, which has all of its tournament fights.

Babróg: Fight 1 Vs. Chucky

Babróg’s fight was against Chucky, a 2WD lifter robot that was really more like a flipper, sharing most of its non-weapon components with Icebreaker, one of the most dangerous BW’s in the UK scene right now. With both our powerful brushless drives and aggressive driving styles, this fight promised to be like a cartoon battle in a dust cloud, and it basically was. Chucky definitely had the raw speed, and got Babróg airborne far more frequently, but Babróg’s wedge and more stable platform allowed it to profit off of the failed whiffs of Chucky, and nearly get it into the pit halfway through (incredible job by Chucky to get out of that situation by the way!). It looked like the fight would go to a very close judges decision, but ultimately Chucky ended up driving into the pit with less than 10 seconds to go. A slightly anti-climactic ending, but I was happy to take a win against such a strong opponent.

Babróg: Fight 2 Vs. Baby Dead Bod

Babróg’s second opponent was Baby Dead Bod, a horizontal spinner that already had an event win under its belt with Battle in the Burgh 2, and was a robot that had been refined across multiple Robodojo events to become an incredibly reliable and hard hitting machine. Babróg had sort of come across horizontal spinners before, but Baby Dead Bod was a real test, spinning up very quickly, and often able to hit above the protective wedge and dig right into the more conventional plastic armour. I was very happy that my more solid plastic grabbing arm was justifying itself in this match, taking direct hits but still able to hook an opponent. After about a minute of a solid beating, Babróg finally got the grab I had been hoping for, stopping the horizontal spinner at last. Unfortunately, I wasn’t quite able to suplex Baby Dead Bod out of the arena, and in my haste to go for a pitting before having to put my opponent down, I misjudged my charge, and ended up in the pit first. If this was antweights I may have gotten the win, but at beetleweight level the loser in a double pitting is determined by who hits the bottom first, so unfortunately Babróg lost the fight.


Babróg Post-BDB. Quite a few gouges out of the plastic for sure!

This was one of those really frustrating losses where the disappointment comes from knowing how close you came to a win, but there was a lot to be happy about with Babróg. Baby Dead Bod hit like nothing else Babróg had ever fought before, and despite all of the gouges and bending in the weapon, front, top, and side panels, Babróg remained fully 100% operational. All that was needed was to pull out one of my old side panels, and Babróg was ready to be converted to its standard config for its final fight.


A top-down view, showing the gouge taken out of the horizontal grabber arm, as well as how much the side has bent out.

Babróg: Fight 3 Vs. Oubley

Babróg’s final match would be against the robot to eliminate it at its first event nearly two years ago, Oubley. The drum spinner had suffered a much tougher run this time around, suffering from issues while also taking two losses in its first two matches, but still remained at its core the same robot that made deep runs in previous tournaments. I went into this match as cautious as I dared to be, trying never to engage head on with the weapon, and slamming the robot whenever I managed to get around it. Oubley’s wheelguards made for a great grabbing point for much of the fight, before I finally managed to stop the weapon from spinning. I got my lifter forks into the space between the beater and the main robot, and with some more careful driving this time around, managed to finally get the pitting I had tried for earlier. This was probably the most complete performance Babróg had put on in a fight yet, and the win meant that I remained in the competition with a 2-1 record.

Heat H 1st Place Playoff: Babróg Vs. Chucky Vs. Baby Dead Bod

Babróg had a far more explosive match coming its way with its heat being the opposite of Schnake’s, where one robot went 0-3 and the rest went 2-1. The winner of this match would move into the round of 16, while the runner up would take 2nd in the heat and go to a playoff rumble for another shot at a top 16 spot. Babróg ran its horizontal config, which slightly compromised it against Chucky in the battle for low ground, but we both seemed to recognise that Baby Dead Bod was the robot that was more dangerous to expose yourself to. This was very much a battle of choosing your fights, not wanting to expose yourself to too much damage, but also being careful not to lose points in aggression. Both me and Chucky were taking hits from Baby Dead Bod, and we both took it in turns to hold Baby Dead Bod whenever the other opened up a spot. Neither of much took any structural damage, but Baby Dead Bod certainly did a great job keeping the weapon going, landing hit after hit, and keeping as aggressive as possible, only losing a wheel in the last 10 seconds of the match.


Babróg following the melee. Very similar gouges to the first fight with Baby Dead Bod, that bot really has become super consistent when it comes to dealing damage.

The fight ultimately went to the judges, and after plenty of deliberation, it was decided that Baby Dead Bod took the win, while Chucky took second place, knocking Babróg out of the tournament. I feel like I put on a great performance, but I do think it was the right call looking back at the fight and seeing how Chucky had a slight edge in pinning Baby Dead Bod down. Definitely no shame in losing to either of these machines, and with minimal damage, Babróg was free to compete in other side competitions.


A side profile of the bot post-melee. You can really see how many ways plastic can flex in small ways that add up.