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Acme Pilot Drill, later Acme Drill, was a heavyweight robot built by Team ProVolt which applied for BattleBots World Championship II and World Championship III.

It was an unusual design which featured tracks for locomotion as well as a large, front-facing drill as its primary weapon. The design itself was inspired by cone log splitters, as well as drilling machines seen in old American cartoons. Acme Pilot Drill featured a single weapon motor, which spun a shaft with a small gear at the end. This gear engaged with the inside of a larger flywheel, which spun the drill in turn. According to captain John Fenley, Acme Pilot Drill's weapon was interchangeable with alternative tips such as a "corkscrew weapon" as well as a longer, narrower drill.

APD

The first CAD of Acme Pilot Drill. Note the model of Wile E. Coyote on top.

The team applied for the 2018 season under the name "Acme Drill". The builders arrived to the filming site a week before the competition was to start filming. However, a heated argument then occurred between Fenley and security guards from the aircraft company renting out the space for the BattleBots event about trespassing. With the builder threatening lawsuits against the aircraft company. The builder noted in a Reddit thread that due to his dispute with the aircraft company, he was contacted by Greg Munson, who is claimed to have said that, due to the BattleBots production company's agreements with the aircraft company that, "If they let (Acme Drill's builder) attend, even as a spectator, that they would shut down the entire production."[1] The builder additionally claimed that critical robot parts were stolen from their truck around the time of the argument, though this has not been confirmed or debunked.

Despite not applying for future seasons, work continued on Acme Pilot Drill in the months that followed, with several test videos being released. Team ProVolt stated they would apply with Acme Pilot Drill for the second season of the Chinese show King Of Bots. However, the robot was not chosen to compete and Acme Pilot Drill would ultimately never compete in either show.

Pilot Drill in the works

The most recent image of Pilot Drill.

References[]

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