Minotaur's Discovery Season 4 appearance.
Not to be confused with the robot which competed in Las Vegas 1999.
Minotaur is a robot that was built by the Brazilian Team RioBotz which competed in Season 2 of ABC's BattleBots reboot and both seasons on Discovery and Science. It is armed with a deadly 12,000 RPM spinning drum that was reduced to just under 10,000 RPM for competing.
For Season 3, Minotaur kept the drum spinning at 10,000 rpm due to safety reasons, but it had a few visual upgrades such as a loss of the LED lights in the eyes, as well as a bronze colored drum.
For Season 4, Minotaur gained a more edgy profile while its drum gained some bigger teeth. The new armor makes Minotaur look "cartoonish" this time due to the shine effects it has.
Minotaur was based around Touro Maximus, a robot that previously won the STEM Tech Olympiad in 2014 and RoboGames in 2015, as well as finishing 3rd in the next RoboGames. Since Touro Maximus was also made by RioBotz, it and Minotaur shared a lot of components and design elements, with most of the upgrades being used for the armor, the drum and the skids.
Minotaur did very well in the 2016 competition, landing a knockout blow on Photon Storm in the round of 48, causing Blacksmith to catch fire in the round of 32, decapitating Warhead in the round of 16 and removing Bronco's wheels in the quarter-finals. However, it lost out to Bombshell in the semi-finals.
It did one better in the 2018 season, qualifying for the main competition after going 3-1 with its only loss to Tombstone and reaching the Grand Final. However, it lost out to Bite Force in the end, marking its second loss of the season.
Minotaur didn't do as well in the 2019 season, losing its first two matches to Whiplash and Gigabyte. After entering the Desperado Tournament, Minotaur had a sudden luck swing, winning against Lucky and End Game, but lost out to Black Dragon in the final. It managed to make the Top 16 by defeating Shatter! and then Cobalt in a Play-In match, beat Hydra in the round of 16, but lost to DeathRoll after getting stuck on the arena wall in the quarterfinals.
In their Instagram page, Minotaur will not be competing in Season 5 due to travel restrictions amid the coronavirus pandemic.
Robot History
ABC Season 2
The final hit between Photon Storm and Minotaur's spinning drum.
Minotaur's Season 2 appearance
Minotaur's first fight was against British entry Photon Storm. The fight started off in Minotaur's favor, with Minotaur getting in a hit on Photon Storm, destroying its left wing. Afterwards, Photon Storm managed to get a grip inside the opening for one of Minotaur's wheels before releasing it. However, Minotaur then lined up a shot and got a good hit with its drum, causing one side of Photon Storm's welds to fail. This took out both of its drive motors and damaged the battery while also damaging the hydraulic line that powered the weapon. Photon Storm was left unable to move and spewing hydraulic fluid around the BattleBox, giving Minotaur the win by KO at 1:41. This win put Minotaur to the round of 32 with its No.7 seeding, where it faced the No.26 seed Blacksmith.
Things started out poorly for Minotaur as Blacksmith not only withstood the attacks from Minotaur but it was able to push Minotaur around. However, Minotaur started to take notches out of Blacksmith's wedge -
Minotaur delivers a bite on Blacksmith's wedge
eventually completely ripping it off.
Minotaur rips off Blacksmith's front wedge.
Minotaur then tore off the top plate but Blacksmith kept coming. Minotaur flipped Blacksmith but Blacksmith self-righted. Eventually, Blacksmith's weapon motor caught fire and Blacksmith stopped moving. However, there wasn't enough time to count out Blacksmith so it went to a judges decision, where Minotaur won on a unanimous 3-0 decision to advance it to the round of 16, where it faced the No.23 seed Warhead.
When the match started, both robots made contact with each other, but no damage was done.
The initial collision between Warhead and Minotaur
However, on the second collision, Warhead's spinning dome was ripped off by Minotaur's spinning drum and landed on the BattleBox floor.
Minotaur rips off Warhead's spinning dome.
Minotaur continued attacking Warhead and ripped off Warhead's right side armor. Minotaur pushed Warhead under the pulverizer and Warhead was having driving issues. Minotaur backed away and went straight at the left side of Warhead, which ripped off the left side armor and flipped it onto its side. Warhead couldn't self-right and it was counted out. Minotaur won by KO at 1:11 and advanced to the quarterfinals, where it faced the No.2 seed Bronco.
The final wheel is torn off by Minotaur.
Minotaur came out at Bronco, whom faced forward and sparks went flying. Both robots circled for a bit, allowing Minotaur to get its weapon up to its maximum allowed speed. Minotaur made contact with one of the wheels and damaged it. Minotaur continued to attack while Bronco continued to circle to try and find an opening. Minotaur began attacking the wheels and flipper of Bronco, tearing off wheels and leaving Bronco's weapon useless. More attacks left Bronco with only one side of wheels remaining and driving in circles. Finally, Minotaur ripped off the remaining wheels and Bronco was counted out, allowing Minotaur to advance to the semi-finals where it faced No.19 seed Bombshell.
.jpg){kind=link}
Minotaur grinds down Bombshell's wedge.
The match turns.
Minotaur takes a panel off Bombshell.
The match started out fairly evenly for Minotaur as neither robot gained the upper hand. However, Minotaur eventually managed to tear off Bombshell's left side and send it into the overhead lights, bringing one of them down to the floor. Several seconds later, Minotaur started taking hits from Bombshell, including a big hit that flipped it over and dislodged a drive train. Minotaur used its drum's gyroscopic forces to help steer but Bombshell kept coming. However, Bombshell's weapon had lost one of its teeth and a wiring problem similar to its match with Red Devil had occurred, forcing Bombshell's driver to shut down the weapon, but Minotaur also stopped moving due to a minor cut in the bottom panel from one of Bombshell's attacks, causing the working wheel to no longer touch the ground. Minotaur was counted out and Bombshell advanced to the next round, eliminating Minotaur from the tournament.
However, at the end of the series Minotaur won the Most Destructive Robot Award as it destroyed Photon Storm, Blacksmith, Warhead and Bronco.
Discovery Season 3
Minotaur's Season 3 appearance.
The two robots collide with each other.
A flipped Minotaur gets underneath Tombstone.
Minotaur's first match of the tournament was against Tombstone. In this battle, Minotaur got its weapon up to speed but started taking repeated hits from its opponent. Minotaur continued to attack and after being flipped, righted itself using its drum's gyroscopic forces and resumed the battle. Damage to Minotaur was racking up as Minotaur could no longer get its drum up to top speed thanks to the initial impact with Tombstone, which sheared bolts holding the chassis together. Additionally, this prevented Minotaur from righting itself using the drum's gyroscopic forces. After the
Minotaur gets high-centered on the damaged arena floor courtesy of Tombstone.
repeated impacts, Minotaur's drum eventually stopped working, leaving it with little other choice than to use its own body to attack. These attacks also affected Tombstone's frame, causing it to warp, leaving Tombstone's bar to pull up pieces of the floor due to the bar now spinning at an angle. Unfortunately, Minotaur eventually found itself high-centered on one of these damaged areas of the arena floor where it couldn't move. Minotaur got its drum spinning again and desperately to use its vibrations to free itself but to no avail. As a result, Tombstone was given the win by KO at 2:22.
Minotaur's next opponent was Hypothermia. For this match, Minotaur opted for a slower drum speed in order to lessen the gyroscopic forces of the drum and added its new feeder wedge in hopes of preventing Hypothermia from getting any control of the fight. When the match began, the fight was surprisingly even as while Minotaur landed the first hit, it did little damage, only managing to bend the front wedge of Hypothermia up a bit. Minotaur continued to attack, each time flipping Hypothermia over but Hypothermia wasn't giving up and right itself each time it was flipped. Eventually, Minotaur tore off the bottom plate of Hypothermia and tore into one of the double wheels Hypothermia had opted to use for the fight. Smoke began pouring out of Hypothermia but the match went to a judges decision and in the end, Minotaur won on a 3-0 decision.
Up next for Minotaur was a rematch with Blacksmith. In response, Minotaur's team opted to spin the drum up to only 60% in hopes of having the lower ground clearance when it came to head-on impacts. This proved to be effective as they were able to stay on the arena floor as the match got underway, Minotaur took shots from Blacksmith's hammer but they weren't doing much damage so Minotaur pressed on. Minotaur managed to get underneath Blacksmith and shove it against the arena barrier, causing sparks along the way. Blacksmith then got one of its front forks stuck in the slot for the killsaws so Minotaur dished out another hit.
Minotaur lands a tremendous hit on Blacksmith
Unfortunately, the lower weapon speed and Blacksmith's armor were not allowing Minotaur to deliver the big hits it was known for but it pressed on anyway, taking Blacksmith to the screws. Blacksmith fought back with its hammer but still wasn't able to cause any major damage and started to seemingly catch fire briefly. Time ran out and the judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Minotaur.
Minotaur was next against SubZero as part of a last-ditch effort to hopefully make the top 16. The match was off to a good start for Minotaur as SubZero had miss-timed their flip and allowed Minotaur to move in underneath. Minotaur continued to stay aggressive and took advantage of another miss-timed flip from its opponent. Since SubZero was still moving around, Minotaur caused more damage,bending up the front of SubZero's flipper and pushing in part of the side armor. Minotaur threw SubZero onto its back before helping it back up. Minotaur's drum then spun down briefly before it was back up to speed and resuming its rampage. Minotaur got underneath SubZero and pushed it almost to the arena barrier but SubZero got off. Minotaur threw SubZero over once more and SubZero was unable to self-right and was counted out, giving Minotaur the win by KO. Minotaur did enough to make the top 16 as the No.4 seed, where it faced No.13 seed, Witch Doctor.
For this fight, Minotaur added a new drum with more teeth in hopes of getting in more hits on its opponent. When the match began, Minotaur was the aggressor, causing sparks on Witch Doctor but causing drive issues for Witch Doctor. When they collided again, Minotaur managed to take off the wheel that was giving Witch Doctor trouble, allowing it to continue. Minotaur continued its attacks and took off the other front wheel. Witch Doctor was still mobile so Minotaur took its rampage to the arena barrier where Witch Doctor lost one of its rear tires. Minotaur made one final attack and removed the last tire, then flipped Witch Doctor over. Witch Doctor self-righted and caught fire but had no way to move around the arena and was counted out, allowing Minotaur to advance to the quarterfinals where it faced No.12 seed, Monsoon.
Both robots came at each other and Minotaur seemed to struggle to do much to Monsoon despite having their weapon at full power. Still, Minotaur managed to get underneath Monsoon and shove it across the arena. Monsoon recovered and tried to deliver some hits but Minotaur was staying aggressive and managed to take off Monsoon's weapon belt. Finally, Minotaur got Monsoon up on its side where its drive wheels were off the ground and took it to the arena barrier where it couldn't move. By this point, Minotaur had only one belt driving the weapon and to avoid further damage, Minotaur opted not to free Monsoon and Monsoon was counted out, allowing Minotaur to advance to the semifinals where it faced No.9 seed, Lock-Jaw.
Minotaur went into the fight largely unchanged from its fight with Monsoon and was intending to attack the wheels and go for the knockout. When the match began, things were pretty even as both robots hit but not much damage was caused. However, Minotaur was on the attack and started to get the better of the collisions, getting underneath Lock-Jaw and shoving them around a bit. Minotaur continued to attack, throwing Lock-Jaw into the air and causing minor damage to the wheels. Eventually, Minotaur hit hard enough to flip Lock-Jaw over. Lock-Jaw still boldly pressed on but after two final hits, Minotaur had knocked Lock-Jaw out. Lock-Jaw was counted out and Minotaur advanced to the championship finals where it faced No.3 seed, and former champion, Bite Force.
When the match began, Minotaur seemed to have the edge as both robots were thrown backwards but Bite Force had lost one of its front wedgelets. Minotaur continued its assault but started to be on the receiving end of its opponent's hits, losing its left side rail. Even so, Minotaur had enough power to continue the hits, throwing Bite Force into the air once again. Both robots were now without a working weapon so it became a pushing match with Minotaur seeming to have the slight edge. However, Bite Force's weapon came back to life and now Minotaur was taking more damage, losing the left side rail as both side rails were also manufactured in China and thus were quite brittle. Minotaur stopped moving not long after was counted out, giving the win and the championship title to Bite Force.
Discovery Season 4
Minotaur started 2019 with a match against good friends in the Vasquez family and Whiplash. This match also served as a rematch to the fight in the 2017 RoboGames. When the match began, Minotaur had trouble getting its weapon up to speed, both from its own issues and from Whiplash's countermeasures. Minotaur tried to run away and get its weapon going, but Whiplash wasn't letting them get far. Minotaur tried to go weapon-to-weapon and Whiplash did lose use of their lifter. However, Whiplash continued to have control using its spinning weapon so Minotaur was still struggling. Both robots took a shot from the killsaws before time ran out. The judges awarded a unanimous 3-0 decision to Whiplash.
Next for Minotaur in 2019 was against veteran Gigabyte. For this fight, Minotaur went with a new silver drum that was hopefully going to perform better, especially with only two teeth. However, as the match got underway, it became apparent that Minotaur's weapon was struggling to maintain speed, as Gigabyte managed to damage the support poles that held up Minotaur's drum, causing it to dig on the ground. Unfortunately, with their weapon not doing what it was meant to do, Minotaur struggled to get a big hit on Gigabyte and generally ended up riding up Gigabyte's shell. Minotaur eventually managed to get in a particularly solid hit that took out Gigabyte's weapon but this resulted in mostly a pushing match that didn't favor Minotaur at all. Both robots went the distance but the judges awarded Gigabyte a unanimous 3-0 decision. This also marked Minotaur's second straight loss in a row so far this season.
Having had no success, Minotaur entered the Desperado Tournament. As the No.1 seed, it faced Desperado runner-up and No.8 seed, Lucky. The team had previously spent long hours grinding down the teeth so that the drum could get to the speed it's known for in previous seasons. As a result, they went with the lighter three-toothed drum and when the match began, Minotaur got its weapon up to speed and tore off Lucky's rear right wheel. Lucky tried to retaliate, but Minotaur stayed on them, causing sparks and shoving them around the arena. Smoke came out of Minotaur every now and then as its belts weren't gripping tightly. Minotaur then took advantage of Lucky's drive issues by throwing them upside down near the arena barrier. Lucky self-righted by Minotaur got in the way to deliver another hit. Lucky was no longer able to move and was counted out, giving Minotaur the win by KO to advance to the semi-finals.
Next for Minotaur in the Desperado Tournament was Jack Barker and No.4 seed, End Game. In response, the team went with Minotaur's heavier drum. As the match began, Minotaur first drew only sparks, but eventually ripped off one of End Game's front wedgelets. Minotaur continued to maneuver, getting back over, throwing End Game into the wall and ripping off the other three wedgelets of End Game. Minotaur then pushed End Game on top of the screws when it righted itself. End Game remained on the screws for a few seconds, but was released soon after. Minotaur began a winding path towards End Game and got a hit on their side, but that pushed the New Zealand spinner straight into the drum, flipping Minotaur over. Minotaur took a bit to right itself and then proceeded to throw End Game under the pulverizer. Eventually, End Game stopped moving, was counted out, and Minotaur won by KO. In the finals, Minotaur took on fellow Brazilian and No.3 seed, Black Dragon for the Giant Bolt trophy and automatic qualification to the round of 16.
For this match, Minotaur added front wedgelets and went back to the drum used in the first match to hopefully win the battle for low ground clearance. The match started off with both robots meeting weapon-to-weapon, sending lots of sparks flying. Minotaur continued to attack, but after taking off one of Black Dragon's front wedgelets, they began to face pressure from their opponent. Minotaur struggled to get away from Black Dragon, but still delivered hits when possible. Soon, Minotaur was up against the arena barrier, causing sparks to fly. Minotaur powered down its weapon and escaped, but was then shoved onto the
The first hit between the two robots.
screws, which eventually released it. By this point, Black Dragon was having weapon problems, but Minotaur was still having trouble getting an advantage as they were hit hard into the arena barrier before time ran out. The judges awarded Black Dragon a unanimous 3-0 decision, the Giant Bolt trophy and the first spot in the round of 16.
Fresh off a loss in the Desperado Tournament, Minotaur was now against newcomer Shatter! and was back to its three toothed drum and regular wedgelets. As the match began, Minotaur wasn't able to cause much damage, sending only sparks and one piece of Shatter's armor flying. Minotaur took a big hit from Shatter's hammer before getting in underneath, pushing the Brooklyn bot back while breaking one of its two hammer chains. From that point, Minotaur took light hits from Shatter's weapon that got weaker and slower. Eventually, Minotaur got under them and shoved them into the arena barrier, grinding into the front wedge a bit and causing a huge shower of sparks on two occasions. Minotaur continued to attack, but still couldn't get underneath Shatter! again until they got a lucky break and threw Shatter! onto its back. Shatter! wasn't able to self-right due to its slip discs burning up and was counted out, giving Minotaur the win by KO.
After such a rough start, Minotaur was now a battle away from reaching the Top 16 but had to face Dave Moulds and Cobalt. In response, Minotaur was back to its more traditional look with its front feeder wedges and three-toothed drum. The match was off to a good start as Minotaur ripped off Cobalt's wedge and brought down pieces of the lights from the ceiling. Minotaur continued to attack but struggled to gain much of a bite on Cobalt's chassis, causing only sparks. Minotaur was then flipped over and managed to right itself using its drum's gyroscopic forces. Both robots traded attacks before Minotaur threw Cobalt high into the air and nearly out of the arena but now had no working weapon. Luckily, Minotaur still had lots of pushing power so it used that to the best of its ability until time ran out. The judges awarded Minotaur a unanimous 3-0 decision and a spot in the Top 16.
Entering the Top 16, Minotaur was placed against Team Whyachi and Hydra. Minotaur had worked hard to get its feeder wedges as sharp as possible to win the ground clearance battle. When the match began, that's what they did as they immediately tore off a piece of Hydra's flipper. Minotaur then started to go around to the sides and ripped off Hydra's silver side skirt pieces. Minotaur continued to control the fight for a bit longer until Hydra was no longer moving. Hydra was counted out, giving Minotaur the win by KO and a trip into the quarterfinals.
For the quarterfinals, Minotaur faced off with DeathRoll from Australia. Both bots started out pretty evenly but Minotaur seemed to have the advantage, throwing DeathRoll through the air a few times. Minotaur was then flipped and took another hit from DeathRoll in return. As the match wore on, Minotaur's weapon stopped working as it had lost a belt on impact. Minotaur was now left with its pushing power, but DeathRoll's weapon was still working at top speed. Minotaur tried to continue fighting, but found itself inverted and high-centered on the lip for the arena barrier. Minotaur was unable to move and was counted out, giving DeathRoll the win by KO and a spot in the semifinals.
Wins/Losses
- Wins: 15
- Losses: 7
| Competition | Wins | Losses |
|---|---|---|
| ABC Season 2 | Bombshell | |
| Discovery Season 3 |
Hypothermia (Undercard Match) Blacksmith (Main Event/Undercard Match) SubZero (Main Event/Undercard Match) |
Tombstone (Main Event/Undercard Match) |
| Discovery Season 4 |
Lucky (Desperado Tournament) End Game (Desperado Tournament) Shatter! (Undercard Match) |
Whiplash (Main Event/Undercard Match)
Gigabyte (Undercard Match) Black Dragon (Desperado Tournament) |
Faruq Tauheed Introductions
"It’s Brazilian, so you know someone is about to get waxed. It’s MINOTAUR!"
"It's raining, it's pouring, it's time for some goring! Part man, part cattle and ready for battle. It's MINOTAUR!"
"At the running of the bulls, the bulls run from him. Toro! Toro! Toro! These horns bring the gore-o. It's MINOTAUR!"
"In this symphony of destruction, this monster plays the horns. 1st Chair in the Gorechestra Pit. It's MINOTAUR!"
"From Brazil, the raging bull. When it's stampeding, you're going to start bleeding. It's MINOTAUR!"
"*singing* Ole, ole ole ole ole. When this bot sees red, you're.....well.....dead. It's fast, it's mean, it'll bust your spleen. It's MINOTAUR!"
"It's the bull from Brazil here to winotaur, wipe that face of that grinotaur, smash your chiny-chin chinotaur. The South American King Pinotaur, it's MINOTAUR!"
"Like a bull in a China shop, here's a bot you can't stop. The plate breakin', earth shakin', no fakin' MINOTAUR!"
"He's a bot cast in legend. They should call it Oprah Sprinfry. *points to random places* You get a kill. You get a kill. You get a kill. Everybody gets a kill. It's MINOTAUR!"
"If you mess with the bull, you get the horns and your robot will end up ragged and torn. So slap on the spurs. Hop on for a ride. Face this bot and you might die. It's MINOTAUR!"
"This bot took no bull. Come at it hard, you'll look like a fool. The tips are sharp, its speed is fast. Get out of its way or you might not last. It's MINOTAUR!"
"This Brazilian bull will smack you right in the face, leaving limping away, head down in disgrace. Its mission is simple, go in for the kill and bring the Giant Nut back to Brazil. It's MINOTAUR!"
"It's the Michael Jordan of bots. It's all about winning. Now trying to earn its first title, it never stops spinning. It's MINOTAUR!"
"It's the one and only bull from Rio. Here to make you all cry, dios mio. Think I didn't know that was Spanish? Please, you try rhyming in Portuguese. It's the holy terra, from Rio de Janeiro. It's MINOTAUR!"
"It's baaaaack, and somebody's about to get mino-tore up from the floor up. Listen for the drum, as it gets ready to blow up. It's MINOTAUR!"
"This bots nickname is Splat Binotaur. It's a bot breaker, scream maker, life taker. It don't mess around, no no no. It's MINOTAUR!"
"From Brazil, chiggity check yourself before it wrecks yourself cause bulls from down south are bad for your health. It put the smack-down on Lucky, and for you, that's just sucky. South America's most wanted, MINOTAUR!"
"From Rio de Janeiro, check out this bots scenario. He upended End Game in the semi-final, now it's time to lock horns with his cross country rival. It's the bellowing bull in this uncivil war. It's the mighty, fighty, MINOTAUR!"
"Who gave this bot a Visa? It'll charge you like a South American Express. All the way from Brazil, it'll cost you an arm and a leg for the bill. It's MINOTAUR!"
Merchandise
Any appearance by Minotaur in merchandise are listed below
- Minotaur/PushStrike
- Minotaur/RC
- Minotaur/VEX Robotics
- Minotaur/Tech4Kids
Trivia
- The sound of Minotaur's drum used in its battles for the ABC reboot is from outside when the drum was running as the sound of of the drum inside the arena wasn't as good.
- Coincidentally, Minotaur's HEXBUG RC toy accurately reflects the damage Minotaur received in its match against Bite Force despite being released prior to Season 3 being filmed.
- Minotaur's side rails were manufactured in China and thus were quite brittle, much like Gigabyte's self-righting pole. Despite this, Minotaur's side rails remained attached for several hits before the left one was damaged and then later removed.
- Out of the 4 losses by knockouts, its loss against Bite Force was the only one that was the result of Minotaur breaking down from the damage dealt to it.