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Not to be confused with the World Championship VIII entry, Max Q, which was originally revealed under the name Roundhouse.
It is a two-wheel drive, invertible robot armed with a 45lb[2]undercutting spinner at the front which spins at up to 250mph thanks to being powered by twin brushless motors. Roundhouse's design bears a strong resemblance to seasoned veteran Valkyrie. When inverted, Roundhouse is able to operate as an overcutter with its blade positioned higher up, and has fork attachments similar to those seen on Malice. In addition to its primary weapon, Roundhouse features a front-mounted flamethrower, which the team claim to the the "biggest flamethrower in BattleBots".[3] Roundhouse also sports large, vulcanized rubber wheels with the team name and '250lbs' across the sidewalls to resemble weight plates, enhancing the team's theme. RoboGym Robotics brought Roundhouse to BattleBots Proving Ground on the weekend of August 26-27, 2023, where took on and twice defeated Orbitron.
The team planned to make Roundhouse "more robust" ahead of future fights.[4] In August 2024, Roundhouse was confirmed to be returning for BattleBots FaceOffs. In at least one of its three battles, Roundhouse was accompanied by a two-wheel drive minibot.[5] However, Roundhouse suffered losses in all three of its fights and therefore finished bottom of its group.
Roundhouse's BattleBots debut came against a robot called Orbitron.
Orbitron strikes the front of Roundhouse.
Orbitron box-rushed Roundhouse with both its disks up to speed as the RoboGym Robotics entry turned to meet it head-on, losing parts of its decorative armor on impact. Roundhouse's flamethrower threatened to toast Orbitron, who continued to buffet against its front.
Orbitron suddenly stops working.
Just over twenty seconds into the fight, Roundhouse turned to spin up its weapon but left itself vulnerable to Orbitron's disks. The Canadian rookies struck the rear of Roundhouse, tearing away more decorative panels and halting its 50lb weapon again. Orbitron's controller suddenly disconnected and the robot stopped working.[6]
"Oh no... come on Orbitron!"
— Bil Dwyer as Orbitron stops working
Roundhouse strikes Orbitron.
Roundhouse took full advantage of this turn of fortune, swiping its opponent's side and causing it to spin away into the corner. Roundhouse continued to strike the defenceless Orbitron before lingering in the blue starting square.
Roundhouse post-fight.
A count-out began soon after and Roundhouse picked up its first win by knockout in under ninety seconds.
Roundhouse vs. Orbitron (8/27/2023)
Roundhouse's fought Orbitron again the following day, but not before getting help from Jeff Waters of JackPot with their speed controllers to maximize their weapon power.
Roundhouse strikes Orbitron.
Fortunately, this change proved to be just what Roundhouse needed, letting it spin up its enormous bar much quicker. At the start of the match it veered out to the left of the arena, avoiding the Upper Deck. Orbitron pursued, but slid its side directly into Roundhouse's weapon. Roundhouse lined up another shot, activating its flamethrower this time, and once again managed to hit Orbitron's exposed side. This attack launched the Canadian bot against the screws, and it came away limping.
The knockout blow.
Sensing weakness in its opponent, Roundhouse attacked again, smacking Orbitron against the screws and causing it to bounce against the floor. Roundhouse waited patiently, watching as its crippled foe attempted to crabwalk out of the corner. As one of Orbitron's vertical disks came to a halt the RoboGym team pounced, ripping away one of the Canadian's wedgelets and flipping it over in a brutal combo attack.
Orbitron catches fire.
Orbitron is counted out.
This final blow proved too much for Orbitron, which caught fire as it sat immobile in the corner. While referee Sean Bryan counted the Waterloo team out, Team RoboGym celebrated their second consecutive knockout.
BattleBots FaceOffs[]
Roundhouse vs. MadCatter
Roundhouse returned for BattleBots FaceOffs, where it took on MadCatter in the first of three group battles.
Roundhouse tussles with MadCatter early on.
Roundhouse evaded the early rush from MadCatter, getting its bar up to speed before delivering a glancing blow to its opponent's plow. A second hit popped Roundhouse into the air, loosening part of its decorative foam top but more importantly, dislodging one of Roundhouse's chains. MadCatter scooped up Roundhouse's minibot, charging at the main robot and managing to flip it over.
MadCatter drives Roundhouse into the corner.
With its flamethrower active but its weapon seemingly dead, Roundhouse attempted to reoriented itself, but was instead collected by its opponent and driven into the short corner, causing damage to Roundhouse's rear armor. Roundhouse drove into the the Upper Deck upon trying to escape the corner, allowing Martin Mason's robot an opportunity to approach. MadCatter violently threw Roundhouse back into the corner and then popped it vertically into the air.
Roundhouse is unable to move, and is counted out.
Though Roundhouse landed upright, damage to its back armor meant a section had twisted downward, causing it to become partially high-centered. Roundhouse was unable to escape this position and MadCatter backed away, leading to its first career defeat.
Roundhouse vs. Skorpios
Roundhouse then faced Skorpios, again accompanied by its minibot.
Roundhouse is unbalanced early on.
As Roundhouse approached with its blade spinning, it slammed into the front plow of Skorpios, but its experienced opponent tanked the initial shot, suffering minimal damage to its right wheel. Roundhouse showed its back to Skorpios in an attempt to give itself time and space to refire its weapon, though as it turned, Roundhouse was unbalanced by the former Bounty Hunters and Sin City Slugfest winner.
Roundhouse is pinned as Skorpios attacks its drive chain.
Skorpios then got around to the back of Roundhouse, holding it against the bumper of the Upper Deck as its arm swung over. The disk of Skorpios made contact with the left wheel of Roundhouse, snapping its drive chain on that side and limiting its ability to escape.
Roundhouse remained vulnerable as Skorpios continued its pin, this time bringing the hammer saw arm down onto the top of Dan Tisza's machine. Skorpios took Roundhouse back towards the Upper Deck as it swatted its own minibot away, and a glancing shot from the hammer saw narrowly missed Roundhouse's other wheel, but peeled up some of its top armor.
Roundhouse loses mobility as Skorpios snipes its other chain.
Skorpios scooped Roundhouse's functioning wheel onto its plow and attacked with the hammer saw again, successfully breaking the other drive chain and instantly immobilizing Roundhouse. Sensing victory, Skorpios dealt one final attack to its opponent and backed away to hone in on the minibot, but it proved too low for Skorpios' weapon.
Skorpios snapped both drive chains, immobilizing Roundhouse as it fell to 0-2.
Roundhouse vs. Calypso
"Lot on the line tonight. Calypso and ourselves, 0 and 2..."
— Dan Tisza
On Day 3, Roundhouse took on Calypso - a new robot built by Team Horizon - in the battle for third place. Satisfied by the robot's performance in a morning test session, Dan Tisza outlined his intention to immobilize and damage the frame of Calypso, primarily by attacking its corners. He considered the larger diameter and reach of Roundhouse's bar to be its main advantage, while acknowledging the risks of being boxrushed.
"We're going to be looking for that boxrush. We're going to be avoiding that if we can and really work that spinner weapon up to full speed, I think. With us at full speed and Calypso at full speed, I think we've got the advantage. So that's what we're going to be looking to do tonight. We would love to get a win tonight. It would mean so much for our World Championship VIII selection, and we’re really pulling out all the stops now."
— Dan Tisza
Roundhouse and Calypso meet head-on.
Both undercutters squared up to each other in the center of the BattleBox. Roundhouse fired its flamethrower before turning to strike Calypso's front plow. Two rapid hits flicked it into an aerial spin; Roundhouse was jostled around as its bar struck the arena floor. Roundhouse spouted more flames and sparks while weathering two follow-up attacks from Calypso, the second ripping a chunk out of its left wheel as it drove along the inner perimeter. Turning around, the RoboGym Robotics machine twice slammed into Calypso, sending more sparks flying and causing both machines to recoil. Sent backwards into the red square screw bumper, Roundhouse followed up with attacks to Calypso's front-right and inner front-left corners. The second of these, however, caused Calypso to jump up and remove its top-right panel.
Roundhouse loses a tire.
Roundhouse continued exchanging blows with Calypso, again targeting its plow and flywheel. A head-to-head exchange allowed it to flick Calypso onto one side, while also severing and flinging a belt into one of the Upper Deck screw mounts. With Calypso recoiling into the blue square and struggling for forward drive, it rushed in for another set of head-on attacks. However, this chain of hits proved detrimental to Roundhouse, as a blow from Calypso's disk tore its right tire off its hub and severed the drive chain on the same side. Now reduced to one wheel, Roundhouse kept shuffling forwards and spinning across the BattleBox, struggling for aim. A few moments passed before it hit Calypso twice more, both in the front-left corner.
Steve Judkins: "Woah! Why is everything flying at me tonight? I've had about five things going for me! [Bil laughs, Calypso rips off Roundhouse's right tire] Oh no! We've lost a wheel!"
Steve Judkins: "Can he still operate? He looks functional! He's still got his weapon."
Bil Dwyer: "Now... is it time for Roundhouse to pick apart... Calypso? [long pause as both competitors struggle for mobility] Both bots have lost a wheel!"
Bil Dwyer: "One minute into this fight, and it is a great one!"
— As both competitors are reduced to one side of drive
Both bots struggle for mobility.
As the battle entered the one-minute mark, Roundhouse crabwalked over the nearby Killsaw slots. However, it struggled to engage with Calypso, instead slamming blade-first into a mount for the top-right screw. Roundhouse recoiled, and started its undercutter back up while trying to shuffle back towards Calypso. As it moved, its weapon skimmed the BattleBox floor, causing its shaft and belt to loosen, and the top-left cover to flex. A small set of gears flung out of Roundhouse's front-left corner and into Calypso's disk. Neither competitor was able to engage, as Roundhouse squirmed and proceeded to drive blade-first into the screw. The screw trapped Roundhouse in place for several seconds, until it was able to pull free with side-to-side movements.
Roundhouse, with its spinner belt fully detached, fired its flamethrower once more and kept crabwalking across the BattleBox until the end. The remaining 90 seconds saw no further engagement from either robot, as Calypso was still left without movement in its own right-side drive.
Bill Dwyer: "Ladies and gentlemen, as long as these bots are movin', the fight continues!"
Steve Judkins: "Could it be strategy, Bil? I don't think so!"
— Commentary as Roundhouse and Calypso both struggle to engage in the final minute
The pair limp to an audience decision.
Roundhouse ended the match near the center, pending a Judges' decision and audience vote. Despite its early effort to partially immobilize Calypso, it ended up losing a close decision to the Team Horizon machine. Roundhouse and RoboGym Robotics thus ended their FaceOffs run 0-3 and fourth in the Group A table.
"You know, our first fight with Roundhouse was against another rookie team and we got some success there. But you know, you really start finding weaknesses in your design when you're going against bots that have been vetted for years on end. They have all the weaknesses, you know, carved out; they have competitive drivers. So, now I think we know a lot more about our design, what are the weaknesses, and what we're going to change in the future."
