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28 The History of Robot
Combat: BattleBots
by Morgan Berry
31 EVENT REPORT:
“Beware the Hobby that
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34 EVENT REPORT:
PennBots – The Battle
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CombatZone
28 SERVO 02.2012
The History of
Robot Combat:
BattleB ts
● by Morgan Berry
In the last issue, we discussed the birth of robot combat
with Critter Crunch at
MileHiCon, and the sport’s
growth into the popular Robot
Wars competition and British
television series. This month, we
examine the transformation of
the sport into a nationwide
phenomenon.
For years, robot combat in
the United States was a niche
sport reserved for relatively
small groups of builders. In the
course of less than two years,
however, the BattleBots™
competition grew from
another middle sized competition
to a nationally broadcast show
on Comedy Central. Television
audiences had never seen
anything like it; BattleBots was
a complete novelty — and
Americans could not get
enough. What led to the show’s
success? In an online Q&A
session with fans of the show
on the Washington Post’s
