If all of the kinetic energy stored in a flywheel could be transferred into the opponent in one shot, Im sure that this would be more effective than a gas system. I agree that it may be difficult to design an energy transfer linkage that would be able to withstand the material stresses involved, but Im curious how much energy could be transferred with reasonable linkages (materials and geometry) without them yielding or quickly fatiguing. Transferring some fraction of the energy would simply mean that the unused kinetic energy of the flywheel would be left over for another shot or that it would take less time to spin the flywheel back up to speed.

In theory, you could hook any weapon to the flywheel and could even link the drivetrain as well for bursts of speed for ramming or evasion. Perhaps a flipper *and* an axe/hammer could go into the same design (simultaneously, not as interchangeables), but space would surely get cramped.

Fun to think, about, though! I think itd be fantastic to have a tossbot rather than a flipper that heaves the opponent vertically several meters. Getting under their center of gravity would be the challenge there, but seems possible.

I think that gas systems are a bit of a cheat because they enter the ring with huge quantities of energy that was stored prior to the match. Non-gas systems must convert chemical energy into kinetic energy no sooner than the start of the match. But given that those are the rules, it does seem quite wise to take advantage of this inconsistency.

Mack