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Glitch is a heavyweight robot designed and built by members of Combat Robotics at Berkeley, which debuted in BattleBots World Championship VI.

A uniquely shaped robot, the team behind Glitch cited their inspiration from design of a B-2 bomber. It has a technical aesthetic and features an array of LED lights around the 6061 aluminum chassis and AR500 steel armor. Its weapon is a 58lb asymmetric eggbeater drum made from S7 tool steel, which the team stated had a max tip speed of 130mph in its debut year - slightly past half of the maximum allowed by BattleBots.[1] Glitch's holonomic drive, also known as 'X-drive', is also unique, as its use of omniwheels and angled orientation enables the robot to strafe and spin. Team member and designated driver Anthony Moody is also able to drive Glitch normally, with similar locomotion used to great effect with Bots FC and Shatter! in previous seasons.

Glitch wc vi hero shot

Glitch during the World Championship VI hero shots.

Prior to their first fight, the team had last-minute struggles with their bot as several of the mounting screws became stuck in the bot. With around an hour before their fight, their opposition Chuck Pitzer of Ghost Raptor assisted with a screw extractor to allow them to be fight-ready. However, the bot then had receiver issues, and their debut fight was pushed back a day.[2] Despite these adversities, as well as much of the team suffering from food poisoning during some of filming, Glitch was able to make the BattleBox fully operational. Glitch started strong in the 2021 BattleBots season, chalking up a win over a former semi-finalist in Ghost Raptor before backing it up with an upset win over Hydra. After going 3-0 with a knockout over Kraken, Glitch sealed an impressive No.9 seed in the Top 32. However, the team encountered major issues concerning their primary weapon having adjusted their pulley ratio, and despite their battle against Witch Doctor being pushed back in the filming schedule, they were forced to withdraw and were replaced in the bracket by Mammoth.

Glitch WC VII hero shot

Glitch during World Championship VII hero shots.

Following an impressive rookie season, Glitch returned for BattleBots: Champions I in ROTATOR's bracket. Its winning streak continued as it defeated Gruff, Retrograde, Uppercut as well as Victor Soto's ROTATOR to earn a place in the Golden Bolt tournament. Glitch suffered its first official loss at the hands of the robot it was set to face in the Top 32, Witch Doctor, and was eliminated in Round 1. At the end of the season, Glitch would end up winning the Rookie of the Year award, made from a retired hammerhead of a pulverizer, alongside fellow rookies, Riptide.

The team later moved into a larger workspace and worked to minimize space within the robot, opting for a lower capacity but higher cell battery. In July 2022, they announced applications for their BattleBots team ahead of World Championship VII.[3] The team would later confirm their participation through Instagram, and were ranked #9 in the Pre-Season Power Rankings.[4][5] Glitch remained visually similar, but now sported a flat front to which wedges can be added, as well as forks. The baseplate was also raised to increase its ground clearance, and its primary weapon boasted a tip speed of 180mph. Unlike in its impressive debut season, however, Glitch suffered consecutive losses in all four of its fights to Riptide, Lock-Jaw, Triton and Valkyrie, confirming a disastrous second season and its exclusion from the Top 32.

Glitch made its return during BattleBots: Champions II, looking to seek revenge in the final Sin City Slugfest bracket. This was cut short by RIPperoni, who defeated Glitch in Round 1.

In an April 2023 Reddit AMA, Kyle Miller explained the team's intention to move away from omnidirectional drive for future seasons in order to dedicate weight elsewhere in the robot. The team intend to apply for World Championship VIII, changing it to tank drive, reworking its front geometry and making new weapons after their previous eggbeater drum split during the previous season.[6]

"We're currently planning on switching to regular wheels. It's definitely possible to have them working great (the Triton fight was close), but ultimately its a big weight sacrifice to get them to the same traction, acceleration, and consistency of normal wheels. We'd rather have more exciting matches and deliver the weapon hard."
— Kyle Miller on Reddit[7]

The team announced on Glitch's social media platforms in August 2023 that they were seeking to recruit new team members to represent the team at smaller weight classes, as well as with Glitch.[8] Though no televised season would be filmed that academic year, Berkeley students competed in the 15lb event BattleBots: Metal Mayhem with Holy CR@B and Thunderstorm.

The team shared this again in August 2024, with World Championship VIII postponed until 2025.[9]

Outside BattleBots[]

Alongside a handful of other robots from the season, Glitch also made an appearance as a static display at a live premiere of the conclusion to World Championship VI in San Jose, California. Glitch was displayed at Sacramento Bot Battles alongside several other BattleBots 2021 season competitors, in February 2022.

Team CRB signed up to RoboGames 2023 with Glitch, renamed Anomaly for the competition. However, they were one of many withdrawals ahead of the event.

In August 2024, Glitch was displayed at Memorial Glade in Berkeley.

Robot History[]

World Championship VI[]

Glitch vs. Ghost Raptor

Glitch's BattleBots debut came against the returning Chuck Pitzer and Ghost Raptor.

Glitch ghost raptor 1

Glitch delivers an uppercut to Ghost Raptor.

Glitch started poorly as it was rammed into the screws of the Upper Deck early on, and Ghost Raptor landed a small hit to their side. However, Ghost Raptor made the mistake of lifting their weapon, which gave Glitch the purchase to land an uppercut on the veteran machine, flipping it over. Though Ghost Raptor was eventually able to right itself, its weaponry had been seriously hampered from this error. Glitch then found itself at the side of the Upper Deck and became stuck underneath the arena barrier.

Glitch ghost raptor 2

Ghost Raptor is attacked again in the closing moments.

Wanting to keep the fight going, Chuck Pitzer opted to continue the fight by freeing the rookie team. Ghost Raptor then drove Glitch into the opposite arena barrier but this time, they were able to drive away. Glitch strafed to keep its weapon pointed at Ghost Raptor as both bots evaded one another for some time. Glitch then landed another hit with its eggbeater spinner which tossed Ghost Raptor over. It self-righted, but Glitch showed a surge of power as it rammed Ghost Raptor into the Upper Deck and upended it once more, then began to grind at the underneath of its lifting weaponry.

The fight went the distance, and Glitch took the win by a unanimous judges' decision.

Glitch vs. Hydra

Glitch's second fight was against Jake Ewert and Hydra. For this fight, Glitch dropped the sloped front in favor of forks to increase engagement with their drum spinner. Despite this, the team was unconfident about their prospects, with captain Kyle Miller citing it as a "nightmare matchup" due to Glitch's weak wheels and lack of a dedicated self-righting mechanism.

Hydra glitch 1

Hydra launches Glitch into the air.

When the match began, both bots moved forward, with Glitch's weapon not even spinning up at first. As Hydra missed with its first flip, Glitch found itself pushed into the corner of the BattleBox in the opening seconds. Hydra then got underneath its forks and threw Glitch high into the air, measuring 13ft in total.[10] Fortunately for Glitch, the forks took the brunt of the impact on landing and it was able to escape, upright and on its feet. However, although Hydra's weapon was now at full power, it was struggling to drive in the center of the arena, a problem Glitch was also facing. Glitch was able to drift towards the red square, fighting its own low clearance to move across the box while Hydra began to smoke. This allowed for the rookie bot to strike the front of Jake Ewert's machine, tipping it upside-down, a feat which had only previously been achieved by veteran Whiplash.

Glitch Hydra 2 s6 2021

Glitch returns the favor.

Hydra attempted to right itself but landed on its lid, leaving it vulnerable to Glitch's follow-up, which ripped the tip off of Hydra's flipper and sent it spiralling into the corner. Glitch drifted in pursuit, striking its foe once again as it landed upside down. The Team Whyachi bot landed upright again, but its gearbox had locked up and a speed controller had blown, which when coupled with the neutered flipper it made it difficult for Hydra to engage. The two bots nudged together several times, with Glitch's forks unable to get under Hydra's front and Hydra unable to bring its weapon into use. The two struggled awkwardly to do anything to each other, with Glitch nearly driving itself into the screws, before it landed one more hit that sent the flipper bot spinning towards the wall.

Glitch backed away to allow Hydra to be counted out, scoring one of the biggest upsets in the modern era to date and pushing the Berkeley representatives to 2-0.

Glitch vs. Kraken

Chasing a third win and a high seed in the Top 32, Glitch's last opponent of the Fight Night rounds was Matt Spurk and Kraken.

Kraken glitch s6 2021

Glitch and Kraken go weapon to weapon.

Glitch again opted for forks in this battle. As Kraken approached in the first few seconds, Glitch kept its weapon pointed at its opponent and strafed to avoid the crusher. Kraken attempted to push Glitch against the barrier but took a small hit from the eggbeater, followed by a bigger hit which sent Kraken spiralling through the air. Kraken landed on its side atop the screws, which dragged Matt Spurk's bot onto the Upper Deck.

Glitch Kraken

Glitch kicks Kraken from the side.

As a twenty second count began, Kraken struggled to right itself, but eventually escaped. However, its right side wheel was no longer turning and Kraken was vulnerable in the short corner. Glitch held back as Kraken attempted to maneuver its way back to its opponent, but it took a hit to its back panel. Kraken was again hit in the back and was sent bouncing towards the side screws.
Kraken was no longer mobile and was counted out, rounding off Glitch's remarkable Fight Night run.

Glitch vs. Witch Doctor (Withdrawal)

Now in the Round of 32 with a top ten seed, Glitch was due to face off against No.24 seed Witch Doctor.

Glitch team forfeit

The Glitch team are delivered the news.

Before the fight, the team made the risky decision to switch focus to their (unfinished) second Glitch frame, sacrificing the weapon setup and armor from their original Glitch frame in the process. This was due to the fact that their second Glitch frame contained upgrades intended to increase the weapon speed, which was vital to accommodating their initial game plan of forcing Witch Doctor into a drum-to-drum battle. However, due to various time-consuming issues in the pits, particularly concerning the weapon pulleys and the complexity of its design, production agreed to push the fight back in the filming schedule.[11]
"Then come the delays! Due to the reasons in the Background, not knowing build timing well and having to do a ton unbuilding and rebuilding to solve issues with the new pulleys, we started eating into our time. We started scheduled for the end of the morning Ro32 fights ~3:30 (Kraken was the last very fight card match), and progressively used up the 6 hours until the end of the Ro32 fights. It’s my biggest regret from BattleBots, causing production and other teams to have to shuffle things around and just wasn’t fair to them."
— The team's explanation.

Several roboteers came to help prepare Glitch during that time, including the teams behind HUGE and Big Dill. However, when Glitch entered the test box by 9pm that night, its drum failed to work properly. After spending around 40 more minutes trying to fix Glitch's weapon issues, removing and replacing armor panels and extracting damaged screws, the team were forced to withdraw Glitch from the tournament, having its No.9 seed given to Mammoth.

BattleBots: Champions I[]

Glitch vs. Gruff

Glitch made its return in BattleBots: Champions I, and it met Gruff in the first round of its bracket.

Glitch Gruff BB Champs

Glitch faces off against Gruff.

To combat Gruff's fire, Glitch covered the gaps in its armor in aluminum foil in order to protect its internal components. As the fight began, Gruff drove at Glitch, who drifted off to its left to spin up its weapon. Glitch spun around to face its opponent, but got its fork stuck in a killsaw slot. It then escaped and dealt a glancing shot to the front of Gruff, who retaliated by firing its flamethrower.

Gruff glitch BB Champs 2

Both robots at the end of the match.

Glitch appeared to be struggling to drive, but delivered a shot to Gruff's lifter and bent the forks. The two robots kept their distance for a moment until Glitch got underneath Gruff, throwing it over before Gruff self-righted. Glitch strafed around the BattleBox, keeping its vertical spinner pointed at its opponent as Gruff gave chase. Glitch eventually threw Gruff over again, but Sam McAmis' bot bounced back onto its wheels. Gruff managed to push Glitch into the short corner in the final ten seconds, but the last hit of the fight came from Glitch, who threw Gruff high into the air just as the clock hit zero, landing upside-down.

The fight went to the judges, who awarded the fight unanimously in favor of Glitch.

Glitch vs. Retrograde

In the second round, Glitch faced Retrograde, who beat Mammoth in the previous round.

Retrograde Glitch pin BB Champs 1

Retrograde pins Glitch against the wall.

Glitch immediately drove towards Retrograde and swerved, throwing its rear into the front forks of its opponent. Retrograde drove away and turned to face Glitch, though could not capitalize on getting underneath slightly as Glitch's primary weapon made contact and buckled a fork inwards. Retrograde raised its lifter into the path of the spinning weapon, which further warped it as Aaron Lucas instead opted to lead with the undercutter. This proved effective as Retrograde was able to land clean hits to the sloped armor of Glitch, and sparks flew as driver Anthony Moody struggled to escape the blue square. Retrograde took advantage of this, delivering glancing shots to Glitch's armor before deflecting away.

Glitch Retrograde 2 bb champs

Glitch and Retrograde duel in the corner.

Now Glitch's leftmost fork was bent out of shape, but it turned to land a blow to the right tire of Retrograde. With half the fight gone, Retrograde landed another glancing hit to the back of Glitch, ripping away an armor panel. Retrograde pinned Glitch against the wall, who struggled to escape. Soon after, however, Glitch tore into Retrograde's left wheel, tearing the tire clean off its hub. Glitch took a hit from the killsaws before tearing Retrograde's other tire, damaging the hub and opting to go spinner to spinner for the remainder of the fight.

Glitch bent one of Retrograde's forks again in the closing seconds, but the fight went to the judges. Following a split decision, they voted 2-1 in favor of Glitch, who advanced further in the bracket.

Glitch vs. Uppercut

One fight away from facing the bracket's gatekeeper to the Golden Bolt tournament, Glitch faced Uppercut in the next stage of the bracket. Notably for this encounter, Glitch was without its hinged forks.

Uppercut Glitch 1 BB Champs

Glitch and Uppercut face off.

Uppercut immediately drove towards Glitch, whose charge was interrupted by the killsaw slot. Uppercut hit the front of Glitch, but Kyle Miller's bot was unfazed as Uppercut lifted off the ground to reposition itself for another attack. While unbalanced, Glitch struck Uppercut several times before Alex Hattori drove Glitch back into the arena barrier, suffering another shot as it spun to face Uppercut. It was now without one of the stabilizing poles which protruded from the weapon bulkhead and as Uppercut struggled to move on one side, Glitch got to the back of it and tore its entire bottom panel away.

Glitch Uppercut double KO

Both robots are counted out.

But now, neither robot appeared to be showing sufficient movement as while Glitch's wheels were turning, they did not seem to be making contact with the BattleBox floor. As it happened, Glitch had actually become stuck on the floor panel which was severely damaged by Deep Six in its loss to Ribbot in the previous episode. However, Uppercut was also unable to escape the corner with its weapon warped into the side supports and one wheel damaged, so a count began on both robots. A simultaneous knockout was declared, and Glitch ultimately took the win by a second successive split 2-1 decision.
"While getting stuck on the seam technically should be an unstick, its one of those things where the mobility rules are ambiguous and the match seemed like a clear decision. We stopped and started the weapon to jerk Glitch and break free, but were counted out as soon as we broke away."
— The team's write-up of the fight

According to the Glitch team's post-fight breakdown, they were able to gain control of Glitch once again just as the count had finished. In the immediate shot of their team's booth, Glitch can even be seen turning in place as both teams were ordered to cease.[12]

Glitch vs. ROTATOR

Glitch's remarkable run continued as it earned the right to face Victor Soto and the previous year's Bounty Hunters winner ROTATOR for a shot at the Golden Bolt tournament.

As ROTATOR led with its forks, Glitch approached with its weapon powered down. ROTATOR spun around to hit with its undercutter, Glitch spun too and ROTATOR deflected away. Glitch then moved into the center of the BattleBox and got up to speed as ROTATOR recalibrated, looking to avoid hitting Glitch's weapon.

Rotator glitch ko

Glitch's spectacular knockout shot.

ROTATOR approached and dealt a glancing shot to the front of Glitch. All of a sudden, Glitch retaliated by launching ROTATOR high and far, tearing the underside of Victor Soto's bot away.
Kenny Florian: "Oh my goodness, ROTATOR's guts are all over the BattleBox... and there's smoke! Are you kidding me?!"
Chris Rose: "I cannot believe a rookie bot just did that to one of the legends of the sport!"
Kenny Florian: "They remain undefeated!"
— Chris and Kenny react to the decisive hit
Rotator smoking BB Champs

ROTATOR is left to smoke.

As it flew through the air, its lithium polymer batteries came loose and the horizontal spinner cut through them, thus causing ROTATOR to smoke heavily upon landing.

ROTATOR was counted out and Glitch took the win by knockout, advancing to the Golden Bolt tournament as a result.

Glitch vs. Witch Doctor

In winning the third Sin City Slugfest episode, Glitch qualified for the Golden Bolt tournament. Its first opponent came in the form of the final bracket winner who it was initially set to face in the 2021 season's Round of 32, Witch Doctor.

Glitch BB Champs vs Witch Doctor

Glitch enters the BattleBox without its forks.

For this battle, Glitch opted against using its forks as the team believed they contributed to the robot's awkward mobility in previous fights. By contrast, their opponents added forks to Witch Doctor for the first time in the robot's BattleBots career.

Glitch Witch Doctor BB Champs

Witch Doctor prepares to strike Glitch.

Both robots immediately got up to speed and bumped into one another, but neither spinning weapon made contact. Glitch turned to face Witch Doctor as it became caught on the killsaw slot momentarily, before skirting around Glitch to try and find an opening. Glitch remained in the center of the BattleBox and Witch Doctor circled its opponent, but Glitch suddenly strafed to the outside and attempted to take advantage of Witch Doctor steering right and then left. Glitch missed, however, and then oversteered, allowing Witch Doctor to slide its forks underneath the front of Glitch and push it towards the wall. This attack was interrupted as one of its forks became caught on the killsaw slot, and Glitch ultimately escaped.

Glitch Witch Doctor BB Champs 2 KO

Glitch's unbeaten run comes to an end.

Glitch strayed closer to the slots but Witch Doctor's maneuverability showed, striking the side of Glitch and sending it back to the blue starting square. Glitch's left-side omniwheel was now not making contact with the floor and Mike Gellatly capitalized, striking the rear of the Berkeley team's bot and sending it twisting through the air in front of the judges. The 7-0 bot's left-side wheel was still spinning, but could not drive it away as Witch Doctor returned for another attack, sending Glitch onto the screws. Witch Doctor held off as Glitch was counted out, and their impressive campaign came to an end.
Glitch award 2021

The Glitch team are presented with their pulverizer.



At the end of the episode, the Glitch team were awarded a retired pulverizer to commemorate sharing the 2021 season Rookie of the Year award alongside Team Break32 and Riptide.

World Championship VII[]

Glitch vs. Riptide

Glitch's return to BattleBots saw it drawn against fellow co-Rookie of the Year for the previous season, Riptide.

Riptide glitch 2 wcvii

Glitch is thrown upside-down.

Riptide glitch 1 wcvii

Glitch and Riptide jockey for position.

Both robots got their weapons up to speed and as Riptide darted towards its starting square, Glitch strafed to avoid it. However, Riptide's eggbeater spinner caught the widest point of Glitch's chassis, which sent it careening across the BattleBox, slamming into the Upper Deck. Glitch landed upside-down and motionless.
"And Glitch lands on its head! Is this a one-and-done?!"
— Chris Rose as Glitch is upended
Riptide glitch 3 WCVII

Glitch is carried to the Upper Deck by the screws.

Glitch post-fight damage Riptide WCVII

Damage to Glitch post-fight.

Typically able to run inverted or self-right with its weapon, neither its drive or its weapon appeared to be fully functional. Riptide came in for another hit, which both teams mutually agreed was to try and right Glitch.[13] However, the screws instead carried Glitch on top of the hazard. Only one wheel was twitching on Kyle Miller's bot, which laid helpless on the Upper Deck. Riptide took the win by knockout, and Glitch lost its first ever Fight Night battle.
"Encoders all unplugged, tolerances were weird for inverted driving in test box vs in the arena? Idk, it ended up working in the test box (with and without rollers on the top). We think our shafts were slipping in our motors from wearing down the holes replacing the shafts, and our encoder readings got off."
— Kyle Miller elaborates on Glitch's problems.[14]

Glitch vs. Lock-Jaw

Looking for immediate redemption, Glitch next faced former a semi-finalist in Donald Hutson and Lock-Jaw.

Glitch lock-jaw 1 WCVII

Lock-Jaw circles Glitch early on.

The match started with Lock-Jaw driving around Glitch, looking for an opportunity to hit their sides. Glitch did not back down but had problems driving forward to attack them, so Lock-Jaw eventually initiated a weapon-on-weapon attack. The resulting shots popped Glitch into the air but one of Lock-Jaw's forks bent upward in the process, rendering it useless.

Lock-Jaw Glitch WCVII

Lock-Jaw looks on as Glitch is counted out.

Nevertheless, neither bot had incapacitated the other yet. But with Glitch now backing into the near right corner, Lock-Jaw charged at them from the front yet again. This warped Lock-Jaw's frame and caused a fire somewhere towards the weapon system, but Glitch was launched a few feet in the air and it landed upside down.

Glitch found itself unable to drive inverted and with no dedicated self-righting mechanism, a count began soon after. Lock-Jaw retreated and Kyle Miller's team fell to 0-2.

Glitch vs. Triton

Desperate to avoid a nightmarish 0-3 record, Glitch now faced a rookie bot from the team behind Deep Six, Triton. For this fight, HyperShock captain Will Bales served as a guest fight analyst.

"For tonight's fight, we really just want to go weapon-on-weapon, because that's really the least risky for us... [t]he record really doesn't reflect it, but Glitch is really the best it's ever been right now. The weapon's hitting harder in the test box. Hopefully if we can have a great fight, we can show that we fixed the mistakes that we've made in the first two fights. We really need to win this fight tonight to make the Round of 32."
— Kyle Miller
Triton vs Glitch WCVII 1

Both weapons collide.

Both weapons got up to speed and Glitch approached, Triton drove to avoid an early hit, but Glitch was able to strike Bradley Hanstad's bot and it spun into the corner. Not long after however, Glitch's weapon suddenly stopped spinning for unknown reasons. Triton returned to the center of the BattleBox to capitalize, striking the right front of Glitch and causing sparks to fly.

Glitch smoking vs Triton WCVII

Glitch begins to smoke.

Triton backed away as it appeared Glitch had been hurt from this attack. Its weapon was not spinning and smoke began to pour from Kyle Miller's machine, which Will Bales identified as battery smoke. As it was still mobile, however, Glitch was still in the fight, meaning Triton had no choice but to continue engaging.

Glitch Triton WCVII final hit

Triton is thrown in the air while Glitch falls upside-down.

Glitch's eggbeater drum spinner then got back up to speed and arced into the path of Triton, sending the rookie bot flying through the air. As the smoke began to subside, Triton recovered while Glitch could still only drive on one side. The more recent hit had caused Triton's weapon belts to snag around its 80lb blade, stopping it dead.
"Okay so Triton's weapon is out of commission but you can hear the roar coming from that 58lb drum on Glitch. And with Kyle Miller's bot still crab-walking, that means that Triton's got to poke the bear one more time."
— Chris Rose
Glitch WCVII KO vs Triton

Glitch finds itself inverted and lifeless for the third fight running.

With no active weapon, Triton tentatively pushed Glitch towards the wall, hoping to ram Glitch weapon-first into the rails and use its own power against itself. With its back facing Triton, Bradley Hanstad's bot drove up the back of Glitch, throwing itself into the air, but more importantly, overturning its opponent.

Triton retreated as Glitch was counted out, extending its winless run to four fights.

As it turned out, the second hit that Glitch sustained from Triton managed to cleave through the right front of its frame, penetrating a receiver battery and disabling part of Glitch's drive in the process.

Glitch vs. Valkyrie

Now facing the possibility of having its season cut short with an 0-4 record, Glitch needed to defeat its final Fight Night opponent Valkyrie to have any chance of making it into the Round of 32.

Glitch Valkyrie drive issues WCVII

Glitch struggles to face Valkyrie in the opening seconds.

Glitch held back as Valkyrie approached, strafing from side to side as it appeared unable to point its eggbeater spinner at Lucy Du's machine. Valkyrie looked to capitalize, getting its fork underneath Glitch and landing a shot to its frame. Glitch's weapon was still spinning, but the robot was positioned over the killsaw slots and unable to move. Valkyrie got around to its unprotected rear, but opted to hold back.
"Uh-oh. Valkyrie gets around to the back side and has Glitch lined up for the killshot... but Lucy Du's hanging back, she's hesitating! What in the world is going on here, Kenny?!"
— Chris Rose anticipates a knockout blow, but Valkyrie refrains from attacking
Glitch valkyrie WCVII 1

Valkyrie gets around to the back of the immobile Glitch.

Not wanting to hit an incapacitated opponent, Valkyrie intentionally held back as the referees initiated multiple count-outs on Glitch. This, however, was cut from the final edit.[15] Glitch was able to get itself away from the killsaws and now faced the other way, but its wheels were spinning on the right side, unable to make contact with the floor. One of its armor panels had also been peeled away at this stage. Valkyrie took a controlled approach as it grazed its undercutter against its opponent, something Kenny Florian lamented in commentary.
"If Valkyrie wants to give themselves a chance to make the post-season, they have to win in impressive fashion tonight. This is not a good start; you cannot afford to drive conservatively in a fight of this magnitude."
— Kenny Florian questions Valkyrie's approach to the fight

Valkyrie vs Glitch WCVII

Glitch struggles to move as Valkyrie approaches.

With its eggbeater drum still spinning, Glitch arced to face Valkyrie again, and a burst of acceleration saw Glitch slide under its opponent, tearing away its hinged fork in the process. Valkyrie retaliated by attacking the side and then the rear of Glitch, its blade dancing around the 0-3 bot.

Glitch valkyrie WCVII 3

Valkyrie strikes the back of Glitch.

The two robots then met head-on, halting Glitch's eggbeater as the impact cracked the weapon diagonally, splitting it in two. With its primary weapon down, Glitch's front was pinned against the rails as Valkyrie continued to grind away at the angular back panels of Kyle Miller's machine.

Glitch eggbeater split vs Valkyrie WCVII

Glitch's weapon post-fight.

More content to attack with its opponent's weapon disabled, Valkyrie swung its undercutter into the front of Glitch, tearing parts away with seconds left on the clock.
"Holy s**t... the weapon!"
— Glitch driver Anthony Moody acknowledges the damage to their eggbeater drum spinner

Both robots survived the three minutes, but Valkyrie was declared the winner by unanimous judges' decision, sealing a winless season for the Berkeley students.

BattleBots: Champions II[]

Glitch vs. RIPperoni

Glitch Champs II

Glitch equipped with its wedgelets.

Seeking redemption after a "devastating season" according to team captain Kyle Miller, Glitch also fought in BattleBots: Champions II and fought newly-crowned Best Design Award winner RIPperoni in Round 1. Glitch was fitted with its wedgelets, which the team believed to be their best configuration for RIPperoni as it offered the lowest ground game. Pre-fight, the Berkeley team sported fake mustaches as a nod to their opponent's driver, Frederick Moore.
"We've seen their wheels lock up in the past, so hopefully we can get some shots on the wheels or just go directly weapon-on-weapon."
— Kyle Miller on his plan to beat RIPperoni

Glitch RIPperoni BB Champions II teaser

Glitch takes on RIPperoni.

RIPperoni got its disk up to speed while Glitch strafed around the BattleBox, appearing to show improved mobility from the regular season as its newly-fitted eggbeater was also spinning. The pair almost met weapon-to-weapon, but this only resulted in a glancing shot which harmed neither team. RIPperoni continued to circle Glitch before riding up the wide left flank of Kyle Miller's machine.

Glitch RIPperoni BB Champions II teaser 2

RIPperoni and Glitch face away from one another.

Suddenly, Glitch stopped driving in the middle of the arena, allowing RIPperoni to capitalize. The pizza-themed robot struck the back of Glitch, punting it into the corner before clipping the back end again, leading the former Slugfest winner weapon-first into the spiked barrier and tearing top armor away. RIPperoni retreated as Glitch's mobility was assessed by judge David Sanfilippo, but as it twitched in place, showing intent for the fight to continue, Frederick Moore charged into the wounded Glitch again, throwing it into the air as it landed upside-down.

Glitch vs RIPperoni KO Champs II

Glitch is immobilized.

Glitch was mercifully counted out, condemning the Berkeley team to a sixth successive loss and eliminating them from the tournament.

Results[]

GLITCH
World Championship VI
Fight Nights
3-0
Fight Night #1 vs. Ghost Raptor Won (JD)
Fight Night #2 vs. Hydra Won (KO)
Fight Night #3 vs. Kraken Won (KO)
World Championship Tournament
#9 Seed, Withdrew
Round of 32 vs. Witch Doctor Withdrew
NOTE: Upon its withdrawal, Glitch was replaced by Mammoth.
BattleBots: Champions I
Sin City Slugfest III
Champion
Quarter-Final vs. Gruff Won (JD)
Semi-Final vs. Retrograde Won (Split JD)
Final vs. Uppercut Won (Double KO, Split JD)
Golden Bolt Qualifier vs. ROTATOR Won (KO)
Golden Bolt Tournament
Quarter-Finals
Quarter-Final vs. Witch Doctor Lost (KO)
World Championship VII
Fight Nights
0-4
Fight Night #1 vs. Riptide Lost (KO)
Fight Night #2 vs. Lock-Jaw Lost (KO)
Fight Night #3 vs. Triton Lost (KO)
Fight Night #4 vs. Valkyrie Lost (JD)
BattleBots: Champions II
Sin City Slugfest V
Quarter-Finals
Quarter-Final vs. RIPperoni Lost (KO)


Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 7
  • Losses: 6
Competition Wins Losses
World Championship VI * Ghost Raptor
(Undercard Match)
Hydra
(Undercard Match)
Kraken
(Undercard Match)
None
BattleBots: Champions I Gruff
Retrograde
Uppercut
ROTATOR
Witch Doctor
World Championship VII None Riptide
(Undercard Match)
Lock-Jaw
(Undercard Match)
Triton
(Undercard Match)
Valkyrie
(Undercard Match)
BattleBots: Champions II None RIPperoni

*Glitch's Top 32 withdrawal against Witch Doctor does not contribute to its overall record.

Honors[]

GLITCH
World Championship VI
Rookie of the Year Award
(shared with Riptide)
BattleBots: Champions I
Sin City Slugfest Winner

Faruq Tauheed Introductions[]

"From Berkeley, California, he came from a college town to beat you down. It's GLITCH!"

"From Berkeley, California, he's more fatal to machines than the blue screen of death, It's GLITCH!"

"From Berkeley, California, repping the fraternity of 'Alpha Kappa Die', give it up for GLITCH!"

"From Berkeley, California, The bot that'll have your doctor saying, '404 Error: pulse not found.' It's GLITCH!"

"Like spilling soda on a Nintendo, he'll make your system overload. Crushes other bots so easily, you'd swear he had a cheat code. He'll beat you up, up, down, down, left, right, B, A. You don't get any extra lives when this killer comes to play. Press START... it's GLITCH!"

"This team's full of college students not old enough to drink. Sure, I believe you. Wink, wink. Be careful in the box, because if you happen to steer wrong, this vertical spinner will leave you totally smashed, like a good game of beer pong. Give it up for GLITCH!"

"From Berkeley, California, this little rider is ready for war, it's GLITCH!"

"In the blue square, in the blue square... Sorry, y'all. That must've been a... GLITCH!"

"From Berkeley, California, the NorCal assassin that'll leave you feeling hella bad. It's GLITCH!"

Trivia[]

  • Glitch was given pit number 32 for filming of World Championship VI.
  • The aluminum chassis of Glitch was cut from a giant block measuring 50” x 30” x 6”. Each chassis weighed 55lbs, and the team had three made for the 2021 competition.
  • Glitch's 2021 season Rookie of the Year win was the first time a best in show award had been shared among multiple teams.

References[]

Navigation[]

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