Counter Revolution was a heavyweight robot built by Team Boilerbots which originally competed in the 2009 BattleBots Pro Championship, later returning for BattleBots World Championship I on ABC.
Developed from an idea by team member Curt Meyers, it was a low box-shaped robot with four-wheel drive and a custom-machined chassis with rounded 'blocks' at each corner. Counter Revolution's weaponry consisted of two identically-sized vertical spinning disks at both the front and rear, giving the robot the appearance of a reel-to-reel movie projector. Team Boilerbots' reasoning behind the symmetrical weapon configuration was to counter the gyroscopic procession affecting other vertical spinner designs, with each disk rotating opposite each other to cancel out these forces. Counter Revolution was originally built for the proposed 2009 revival of BattleBots, for which the Pro Championship served as a pilot to pitch to networks.
- "Curt Meyers created the original concept of Counter Revolution after watching many other robots with vertical spinning weapons fail. The design concept behind Counter Revolution is to use two counter rotating weapons to make the robot easier to drive. The symmetrical design with equal spinning mass allows the robot to rotate about its center easily. There is still a great deal of torque created from turning each spinning weapon but they cancel out in the center of the bot."
- — Team Boilerbots on Counter Revolution's design
This, in theory, would improve Counter Revolution's maneuverability and ease of driving while the disks were rotating. The entire robot was virtually modelled in Solidworks and multiple components subjected to FEA testing before completion.[1] Counter Revolution was chosen to participate in the 2015 BattleBots reboot as an alternate, meaning it would be ready to compete in case one of the selected robots could not. The robot was upgraded to take advantage of the increased 250lb weight limit, gaining a self-righting arm on one side along with new watercut steel disks and 'one piece' watercut aluminum chassis rails. To offer additional defence against flamethrower weapons - then recently permitted under the reboot Design Rules - fire-resistant covers were added over the chassis. These covers were coated in intumescent paint, which can form a 'thermal barrier' when heated and expanded.[1] Despite its powerful weaponry, Counter Revolution enjoyed limited success in each of its BattleBots campaigns. In the 2009 Pro Championship, it was eliminated without a single victory after losing both of its competition fights to Safety Factor and Stinger: The Killer Bee respectively. Counter Revolution was also scheduled to fight a 2v1 exhibition match against Stinger: The Killer Bee and Team Nightmare's Breaker Box, though this match does not appear in official match records for the event.[2][3]
In its role as World Championship I alternate[1], Counter Revolution was chosen to replace Beta, after the latter was forced to drop out when a bag of its vital components became lost in transit. However, it would end up being defeated in its only televised match by Tombstone in highly destructive fashion.
Team Boilerbots applied for World Championship II with an upgraded Counter Revolution, but were not selected to compete. This updated version would feature a new sloped chassis and improved drive with a suspension system. The team are not known to have applied for any future seasons of the show, with team captain Curt Meyers expressing that the time and money would most likely preclude Counter Revolution's return.
Outside BattleBots[]
With Counter Revolution, Curt Meyers' team fought at RoboGames with much more success in 2009 and 2015, finishing with 2-2 and 3-2 records in those competitions.[4] In 2009, it first took on a Mexican heavyweight called Yaotl, which broke down and suffered damage from the vertical spinning disks. Counter Revolution advanced to fight Sewer Snake, but was bullied around the arena and ultimately was left stranded. In the losers bracket, Counter Revolution received a bye as VD6 was unable to return following a destructive loss to Tombstone - a fate Team Boilerbots faced six years later. As a result, the team instead fought SJ, a revised version of the Comedy Central era competitor SlamJob. It was flipped over during the fight, however, and lost by knockout, ultimately exiting the tournament at this stage.
Returning for RoboGames 2015, Counter Revolution was scheduled to fight Gruff. However, Sam McAmis' team withdrew and Team Boilerbots moved on to face Whoops!. Having been pushed around for much of the match, Whoops! was able to overturn Counter Revolution and it was counted out. In the loser's bracket again, it defeated FunsDeads, Pump and Prometheus in succession before having its electronics scorched by The Great Pumpkin.
Robot History[]
Pro Championship 2009[] |
|---|
Counter Revolution vs. Safety Factor Counter Revolution's BattleBots debut occurred in the 2009 Pro Championship, where it was initially drawn against Backlash Robotics' drum spinner Safety Factor. Official match records suggest that it lost the match by knockout despite both robots fighting for the whole three minutes.[2][3] |
Counter Revolution vs. Stinger: The Killer Bee Now relegated to the losers bracket, Counter Revolution faced Stinger: The Killer Bee, a new heavyweight from concurrent RoboGames opponents Team PlumbCrazy. According to official match records, it would again lose by knockout, this time after 33 seconds. Counter Revolution was eliminated from the 2009 Pro Championship as a result with a 0-2 match record.[2][3] |
World Championship I[] |
Counter Revolution vs. Tombstone As an alternate for World Championship I, Counter Revolution was called into the main season as a replacement for the withdrawn Beta. Its first match in the competition put it up against Hardcore Robotics' horizontal bar spinner, No.1 seed Tombstone.  Tombstone capitalizes on an early driving mistake.   Tombstone catapults Counter Revolution. Counter Revolution was subsequently not given one of the four wildcard places, confirming its elimination from the 2015 championship at that stage. |
Results[]
| COUNTER REVOLUTION | ||
| BattleBots Pro Championship 2009 | ||
| Pro Championship 2009 Eliminated in Loser's Bracket (0-2) | ||
| Winner's Bracket, Round 1 | vs. Safety Factor | Lost (KO) |
| Loser's Bracket, Round 1 | vs. Stinger: The Killer Bee | Lost (KO) |
| World Championship I | ||
| World Championship Tournament Qualifiers | ||
| Qualifier | vs. Tombstone | Lost (KO) |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 3
| Competition | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| Pro Championship 2009 | None | Safety Factor Stinger: The Killer Bee |
| World Championship I | None | Tombstone |
Faruq Tauheed Introductions[]
"It causes more headaches than the guillotine... COUNTER REVOLUTION!"
See Also[]
- Counter Revolution (RoboGames)
- Team Boilerbots' website
- Counter Revolution on Melonee Wise's website
Trivia[]
- The drive motors used on the 2015 build of Counter Revolution were 14 years old at the time of World Championship I.
References[]
[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||