Disk Spinners are a type of robot which make use of a single, disk-shaped mass which spins to create a powerful kinetic weapon. These can be mounted horizontally or vertically, and either be symmetrical or asymmetrical in design.
They are the most common type of spinning weapon seen on modern BattleBots competitors.
Design and History[]
Some variations of spinning weaponry can also be considered disk spinners. For example, undercutters are a type of horizontal spinners where a spinning disk or bar is placed low to the floor to hit, and hammer saws often utilize spinning disks for the "saw" part of their weaponry.
Symmetrical Disk Spinners[]
Symmetrical or symmetric disk spinners are designed in such a way that a line of symmetry can be drawn across their face.
They can often feature weight-saving holes which make them lighter without compromising their structural integrity.
Asymmetrical Disk Spinners[]
Asymmetrical or asymmetric disk spinners are designed in such a way that lack symmetry.
These will often feature a single tooth for increased bite, which spins upwards of 360 degrees before making contact with an opponent. These have often been favored for hammer saw robots such as SawBlaze and Skorpios for this very reason, but have also been utilized on more traditional vertical spinners. DeathRoll's vertical spinner, for example, is shaped like the country of Australia, and Cobalt features multiple disks with serrated teeth on the opposite side to feed opponents into its larger tooth for maximum bite.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
Advantages[]
- They are powerful and can inflict massive damage, regardless if vertical or horizontal.
- Horizontally mounted disks can protect the user from both the front and sides, and have a wide radius.
- Much like traditional drum spinners, vertically mounted disks can work as makeshift flippers.
- Vertical-discs have a high chance of damaging the underside of an opponent.
- Horizontal-discs are easy to make invertible as they lie flat against the ground.
- Vertical-discs can contort wedges and flippers, reducing their effectiveness.
- Vertical-discs can act as self-righting mechanisms, as demonstrated by Bite Force in World Championship II.
- Like all horizontal spinners, a horizontal disk will generate gyroscopic-forces that keep the robot more stable when airborne.
Disadvantages[]
- Regardless of positions, disks can be heavy and force the owners to make sacrifices to stay in the weight limit.
- Horizontal disks are easily damaged by impacts if they receive it, such as getting shoved into the wall.
- Vertical disks are harder to make invertible than horizontals due to their height, and would need to have the body built at an oblique-angle (like Sunshine Lollibot and Backlash) or have wheels etc. that are equal or taller in height (like Ribbot).
- Also verticals spinning downward tend to be less effective.
- Horizontal-discs are vulnerable to overhead attacks like hammers, which can damage or even halt the disk.
- Vertical-discs have narrow diameters and require high accuracy.
- Horizontal-discs that get broken in battle will cause the owner to flop about, while vertical-discs can make the owner rise up on one side when turning (horizontal Warhead suffered this when its disk broke in World Championship III, while vertical End Game (and vertical bar Deep Six) has a tendency to lift its flanks off the floor whenever it turns).
- Horizontal-discs often have a gap between themselves and the body, which can be hooked.
Notable Competitors[]
| Robot | Seasons | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Backlash | Long Beach 1999 - Season 5.0 |  |
| Bite Force | World Championship II - re:MARS 2019 |  |
| Cobalt | World Championship II World Championship IV World Championship VI - Present |
 |
| DeathRoll | World Championship II World Championship IV World Championship VII - Present |
 |
| Emulsifier | World Championship VII - Present |  |
| MechaVore | Season 3.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0 |
 |
| Minion | Season 3.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0 |
 |
| Nightmare | Long Beach 1999 - Season 5.0 World Championship I World Championship II World Championship IV (Exhibition) |
 |
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