Unrelated to the Comedy Central BattleBots entry of the same name, the Robot Wars entry also of the same name, or the heavyweight Preying Mantis.
Mantis is a heavyweight robot designed by Team %Kb/s which applied for BattleBots World Championship VII.
It is a four-wheel drive robot with a low profile, rectangular-shaped chassis featuring sloped sides similar to that of Double Jeopardy. Mantis utilizes omniwheels for movement, as seen in robots such as Shatter! and Glitch previously. The robot boasts a rather large and unique arsenal of weapons. The two-stage flamethrower nozzles have been engineered into the eyes for aesthetics and additional weaponry.
On each side of Mantis is a fully independent, modular hammer, given the nickname "Mantis Claw" after the mantis shrimp's powerful thoracic appendages. While each claw rotates back and forth, an additional degree of motion was added, allowing the claws to extend and retract from the front of the bot. These claws have approximately 160 degrees of motion, also allowing the robot to theoretically self-right. While a bit slower in comparison, the centrally mounted "mantis jaw" is based upon horizontally-mounted jaws of life used by rescue services.
Mantis is designed to utilize an "active suspension system" to provide variable ground clearance to each of its four omni-wheels, as they are able to retract within the chassis. The system allows Mantis to protect the drive system from opponents attacks, and helps to absorb hits delivered to the chassis. Operation of Mantis is intended to be supported by means of an "autonomous robot targeting system".
Team captain Alex Crockett uploaded a video in April 2022 detailing its concept with the plan to release additional videos over the course of the build.[1] The team consists of Crockett and his eldest child, with their working team name %Kb/s referencing "killed bots per season". Although the team did not explicitly announce their rejection, Mantis ultimately did not compete in the show.
Following an unsuccessful application, Team %Kb/s were rumored to be building Mantis for BattleBots Proving Ground, but it is not yet scheduled to compete, even with dates extended to December 2023.
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