Black Ice was a robot designed and built by former astronaut Dan Barry and his team of the same name which competed exclusively in BattleBots World Championship II.
The robot featured two curved wedges at the front and rear and similar in shape to former Comedy Central era competitor Punjar. However, Black Ice was equipped with a flywheel-driven tethered harpoon weaponry measuring 5" in length, as well as two small vertical spinners protruding from the front. It also featured a very unique form of defence - an electromagnetic bar of steel which Black Ice would drop at the beginning of the fight and attract to the steel floor. Once placed, the idea was for opponents to drive into or over it and become stuck.

Black Ice enters the BattleBox.
Despite having multiple ways to attack, Black Ice did not have a self-righting mechanism or any way to run inverted. It also struggled to utilize its offensive weaponry in combat, with its vertical spinners suffering from limited reach and its harpoon weaponry failing to fire across both of its fights.
- "As submitted to the selection committee, Black Ice had a few weapons in the design, and the builder/driver was an astronaut so there was a great story to it. As competing though, all it had working was the small slit saws in the one large wedge face. So it was technically legal - there was an active weapon. But it really wasn't what was expected by the show when they picked them to be there."
- — Ray Billings on Black Ice[1]

Black Ice's depiction on the official World Championship II competitors t-shirt.
Captain Dan Barry built the robot in his garage over the course of a few weeks, with minimal machining and little in the way of sponsorship.[2] Black Ice made waves early in the tournament, winning its qualifier round against two robots who would become household names in future seasons of the show, but lost convincingly to eventual champions Tombstone in the Round of 48.
Despite a contact of Dan Barry stating he would "love to compete again if all goes well"[3], neither he nor Black Ice would return for future seasons of BattleBots. However, the robot remains in the team's possession.Citation?
Robot History[]
World Championship II[] |
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Black Ice vs. Skorpios vs. Bad Kitty Black Ice was forced to go through a preliminary qualifying round in order to advance to the main bracket. Its two opponents in this match were Skorpios and Bad Kitty.
![]() Black Ice watches on as Bad Kitty evades its roadblock. ![]() Black Ice approaches an inverted Bad Kitty as Skorpios attacks the screws. ![]() Alison Haislip interviewing Dan Barry after their qualifying rumble win. |
Black Ice vs. Tombstone This win put Black Ice to the Round of 48, where it faced the previous season's runner-up, Tombstone. Black Ice went into this fight without its electromagnetic barrier for unknown reasons.![]() Tombstone attacks Black Ice. ![]() Black Ice becomes caught on the arena. Tombstone used its weapon to carve into Black Ice's side armor before referee Michael Ayers acknowledged Dan Barry's robot could no longer move. A count began, and Tombstone advanced. Black Ice was not selected be a wildcard, meaning it was eliminated from the tournament. |
Results[]
BLACK ICE | ||
World Championship II | ||
World Championship Tournament Qualifiers | ||
Pre-Qualifier | vs. Bad Kitty, Skorpios | Won (KO) |
Qualifier | vs. Tombstone | Lost (KO) |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 1
Competition | Wins | Losses |
---|---|---|
World Championship II | Skorpios & Bad Kitty | Tombstone |
Faruq Tauheed Introductions[]
"From the immortal words of the philosopher Wesley Snipes, always bet on BLACK ICE!"
"Is there ice on the road? 'cause you're about to get a-salted! It's BLACK ICE!"
Trivia[]
- Prior to competing in World Championship II, Black Ice captain Dan Barry previously competed in the CBS show Survivor: Panama, where he was the sixth person to be voted out.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/161rsbd/comment/jxxj8me/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/4it0m4/comment/d30xjxz/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/4it0m4/comment/d37xc55/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
[]
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