SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was a heavyweight robot entered by Joe Fabiani's self-titled team, which competed in BattleBots World Championship V and VI.
Essentially scaled-up version of Joe Fabiani's beetleweight of the same name, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was an 14ft wide, wedge-shaped robot with modules at either end housing the drive and weapon motors, as well as the bulk of its electronics. Made from polyethylene and weighing 74bls in total, its front wedge was able to pivot in four separate places and 'smother' opponents thanks to its hinge mechanisms. The drive modules, each of which were independently driven and armed with an asymmetric 17lb AR500 steel undercutter, would wrap around the opponent to cause damage. The wedge segments were made from UHMW plastic to tank hits from robots with spinning weaponry, and each featured springs to allow it to snap back into a more traditional wedge shape quickly after it released a robot.
Despite its unique design, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE did not perform well in the 2020 season, as its spinning discs were unable to cause significant damage against its opponents, and its drive wheels failed the team after each battle. At some stage in the season, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE inverted its color scheme on the front of the robot. Though SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE won in its debut versus Sharko, it lost its next two fights against Pain Train and P1, failing to make the Top 32 as a result. Joe Fabiani's machine also entered the Tombstone episode of BattleBots: Bounty Hunters episode, chalking up a second televised win against Mammoth before losing to Kraken.
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE returned in World Championship VI sporting a grayscale color scheme, and three-dimensional lettering replacing the decals from the previous competition, which had a tendency to tear on impact. Joe Fabiani announced he opted for wider Polytek wheels ahead of the season to improve traction and prevent SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's drive destroying the wheels, which he confirmed happened "after every fight" in the team's debut season.[1] To accompany these, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE boasted brand new brushless motors to improve the robot's drive and pushing power. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's first fight was a YouTube exclusive match against Deep Six, which it won after tearing away a tire and seeing its opponent become stuck in the killsaws. However, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE then lost to Gigabyte despite a valiant performance using a stiff AR400 steel wall mounted vertically. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was initially offered to fight MadCatter to decide whether they would finish the season with a positive or negative record, but withdrew due to damage sustained from Gigabyte. As such, Rampage took their place and fought Martin Mason's bot instead.
- "The robot deserved better, and Catter deserved a better opponent (or honestly, an opponent at all - if we had delayed and then not finished, it's unclear what would have happened to them), and the audience deserved a better fight. Someone was going to lose out on their third fight that evening because of the way things were scheduled and ultimately we didn’t mind it being us."
- — Joe Fabiani explains his reasoning for passing up on a third Fight Night battle.[2]
In February 2022, it was confirmed via Reddit that the 250lb SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE would be retired following the conclusion of World Championship VI.[3] On August 1, it was revealed as one of the competitors in the first Sin City Slugfest bracket for BattleBots: Champions I, thus potentially marking SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's final appearance in a televised BattleBots competition.[4] However, it fell in the first round of the bracket to Leanne Cushing's Valkyrie.
- "I think SMEEEEEEE had a good send off. It has done everything it was supposed to, and a few things nobody expected it to. Win or lose, I hope you’ve enjoyed watching me struggle to stay in control of it."
- — Joe Fabiani on SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE's retirement
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was later sold to the National Havoc Robot League for their bot museum.
Outside BattleBots[]
Outside of the show, Joe Fabiani also entered Button Lee in Season 2 of King of Bots, but it was largely unsuccessful in its fights. In the Chinese show, Button Lee lost to Mist Lion on its debut. It then entered a redemption rumble against Cracked Sword, Little Qinglong and Tank, but was immobilized and eliminated at this stage. Fabiani planned to make a successor to Button Lee with omnidirectional wheels, but this never came to fruition as the show was not greenlit for a third season.[5]
Button Lee made a brief appearance at the 2019 edition of Robot Ruckus in Orlando, Florida. It fought HUGH, a sportsman version of BattleBots competitor HUGE fitted with a 70lb thwacking arm rather than its spinning weaponry.
Joe Fabiani also brought an incomplete Button Lee to BattleBots filming as a display piece in 2021 to accompany the competing SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE.
Robot History[]
World Championship V[] |
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SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. Sharko SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's first fight of the season was against the redesigned Sharko, formerly known as Sharkoprion. As the match began, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE worked to cause damage to Sharko, but was unsuccessful and lost part of its lettering to Sharko's attacks. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE managed to get its weapons into play and damaged Sharko's right tire, affecting its mobility. However, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE continued to struggle getting any real damage done as the right spinner seemed to have problems, its plow wasn't flexing the way the team intended, and it continued to lose bits of its name from the front as Sharko spun around. Both robots remained mobile as time ran out, and the judges awarded SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE a 3-0 unanimous decision. |
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. Pain Train SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's next fight was against Pain Train, serving as a grudge match between the two teams from the Norwalk events. However, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE spent several seconds unable to do anything to its smaller opponent and eventually lost its left disk completely. This also meant the entire body was off-balance, leaving it mostly to spin in circles. Luckily, after another exchange, Pain Train's eggbeater drum is came out, leaving to a pushing match. Neither robot was able to do anything more before time ran out. The judges awarded a 2-1 split decision to Pain Train. |
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. P1 SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's next fight and final undercard match was against P1, at the start, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was immediately box rushed and lifted up for a bit before escaping. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE lost a piece of its side armor before being lifted all the way up by P1's flipper and carried on top of the screws. This left SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE high-centered but thankfully its opponent freed it. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE began spinning in circles as its right side weapon had come loose. The loose disk then came off and with 20 seconds left in the match, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was brought back to the screws and flipped over before being counted out, giving P1 the win by KO. |
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters[] |
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. Mammoth SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE also took part in BattleBots: Bounty Hunters and was first placed against Mammoth. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE took damage from Mammoth early on, though this was purely cosmetic. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE could not cause any damage in return, but was able to trade shots with its opponent. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was then flipped over and returned the favor, but Mammoth was able to right itself. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE, now with its undercutters sitting higher than usual, was able to get Mammoth on its side again. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE wrapped itself around Mammoth to prevent it from righting itself. Mammoth lost part of its lifter and remained unable to move well until it was counted out with seconds left on the clock. |
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. Kraken Fresh off its surprising win over Mammoth, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE found itself facing veteran Matt Spurk and Kraken. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE and Kraken were even in the opening moments as neither robot was able to gain an advantage. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was spinning mostly in place and then found itself in the grip of its opponent multiple times but luckily neither attempt was successful at biting down. However, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE then did take damage from Kraken's attack and was taken to the screws, losing letters from the front of the robot. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was unable to mount much of an attack as they were grappled from the middle and taken to a second set of screws before being released. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE survived to a judges' decision, which ruled in favor of Kraken. |
World Championship VI[] |
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. Deep Six Returning for the 2021 season, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's first Fight Night battle came in an untelevised meeting with Deep Six. As SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE slowly approached their opponent's box, Deep Six got their bar up to speed. As it tried to charge, the front forks of Deep Six lifted and allowed SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE to win the ground game momentarily, before backing its opponent near the corner and beside the Upper Deck. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE then attempted to wrap itself around Deep Six, but they were able to escape. However, as SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE was pushed and circled to reposition itself, it was able to slice one of Deep Six’s tires with an undercutter. Eager to land their first hit of the fight, Deep Six charged at SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE and in doing so, lodged its left-side fork into the killsaw slot. This lifted their right side off the BattleBox floor completely, and with their left wheel damaged, Deep Six did not have the purchase to free themselves. Joe Fabiani of SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE attempted to free their opponent to extend the fight, but Deep Six was ultimately counted out. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE took the win by KO, and began its 2021 season with a win to go 1-0. |
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. Gigabyte SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's second fight came against Gigabyte. Ahead of this fight, Joe Fabiani's team opted to adjust their undercutting spinners so they could hit higher up on their deadly shell. The bot also sported a solid midsection to try and deflect the energy from Gigabyte's attacks back into the shell spinner. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE was slow to approach as their opponent spun up to speed, trying to get to either side and disable their drive. However, Gigabyte was reduced to glancing shots and was largely unable to avoid its notoriously wide front. Though neither of SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE's spinners was able to land a hit in response, its left-side disk suddenly stopped spinning. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE continued to tank Gigabyte's hits and sparks flew as it attempted to smother John Mladenik's bot. Gigabyte then landed an attack with overturned SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE and followed it up with a hit to its back, but SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE was still able to escape and continued its tactic. Gigabyte was able to strike one of the drive pods of SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE, but in doing so, deflected off the barrier and ricocheted across the BattleBox. It became clear that SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE had taken damage to its right-side tire in that exchange and as Gigabyte prepared for another hit, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE was thrown towards the red square, ripping the tire away from its hub and tearing off a spinner in the process. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE was counted out, giving Gigabyte the win by knockout and putting them to 1-1 for the season.
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SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. MadCatter (Withdrawal) SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was billed to fight for a third time in the 2021 season, this time against Martin Mason and MadCatter to determine whether they would be in the running for a Top 32 spot. However, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE could not be repaired in time despite help from their scheduled opponents MadCatter. As such, the robot did not fight again during the Fight Night rounds and finished 1-1, missing out on the Top 32 as a result. |
BattleBots: Champions I[] |
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE vs. Valkyrie SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE returned for BattleBots: Champions I, which would become its final televised competition before retirement. For this battle, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE used its flexible steel wedge which previously stood up to Gigabyte. It also repositioned its twin undercutting blades to sit on top of the drive pods, so as to hit higher on its opponent. From the off, SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE welcomed Valkyrie to attack its center as the undercutting disk defaced the lettering on the front of Joe Fabiani's bot. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE ran its left-side disk into Valkyrie, but both discs stopped working shortly after. Valkyrie continued to attack the middle of SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE but this did not cause much damage, so it eventually attacked the left drive pod instead. One of its four wheels had been shredded slightly and chunks flew away as Valkyrie continued to attack from the rear. With half the fight gone, Valkyrie pressed SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE back into the red square and the left-side disk as well as its full weapon shaft came out of its housing. Despite SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's efforts to smother Valkyrie in the corner and hit it with the pulverizer, it became apparent that it was now struggling to move. The flexible steel wedge had bowed inwards and the next attacks from Valkyrie tore away an armor panel and tore a rear wheel completely off. SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was no longer mobile and a count began. Valkyrie advanced by knockout and SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's final battle ended with a loss. |
Results[]
SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE | ||
World Championship V | ||
Fight Nights 1-2 | ||
Fight Night #1 | vs. Sharko | Won (JD) |
Fight Night #2 | vs. Pain Train | Lost (Split JD) |
Fight Night #3 | vs. P1 | Lost (KO) |
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters | ||
Bounty Hunters - Tombstone Bounty Semi-Finals | ||
Quarter-Final | vs. Mammoth | Won (KO) |
Semi-Final | vs. Kraken | Lost (Split JD) |
World Championship VI | ||
Fight Nights 1-1 | ||
Fight Night #1 | vs. Deep Six | Won (KO) |
Fight Night #2 | vs. Gigabyte | Lost (KO) |
NOTE: SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE was drawn to face MadCatter in its third Fight Night battle, but it could not be repaired in time and it was replaced with Rampage. | ||
BattleBots: Champions I | ||
Sin City Slugfest I Quarter-Finals | ||
Quarter-Final | vs. Valkyrie | Lost (KO) |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 3
- Losses: 5
Competition | Wins | Losses |
---|---|---|
World Championship V | Sharko (Undercard Match) | Pain Train (Undercard Match)
P1 (Undercard Match) |
BattleBots: Bounty Hunters | Mammoth | Kraken |
World Championship VI * | Deep Six (Untelevised Undercard Match) | Gigabyte (Undercard Match) |
BattleBots: Champions I | None | Valkyrie |
* SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE dropping out of their third fight in the 2021 season does not contribute to their win/loss record.
Faruq Tauheed Introductions[]
"From New York City, the choke artist, it's SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"From New York City, he's got wiggle in the middle but he packed much smack. It's SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"From New York, New York, this bot's name has 19 Es and none of them stand for empathy for the suffering of other robots. It's SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"From New York, New York, the bot so terrifying, it’ll make you evacuate your vowels! It's SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"From New York, New York, it's long and it's strong, and it's down to get its construction on, it's SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
"From New York, New York, it's the weirdo to be feared-o, this is SMEEEEEEEEEEEEE!"
See also[]
Trivia[]
- SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was the first robot in BattleBots history to utilize 3D printed drive and weapon gears.
- SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE proved to be too wide to turn in the test box at filming for World Championship V.
- SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was the least expensive robot to build in World Championship V according to a poll ran by Bloodsport member Seth Schaffer.
- SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE cost $3800 to build ahead of World Championship V.
- The robot uses a custom font type on its front and twin undercutter discs.
- SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE applied for BattleBots with yellow lettering, as featured on Joe Fabiani's 3lb version, though this was changed to orange in the build process.
- SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE was the only 2021 season robot to finish Fight Night on an even 1-1 record.
- Following the conclusion of the 2021 season, one of SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE's weapon discs sold on eBay for $680, with another being used on the BattleTrot sculpture.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/SMEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE/photos/a.112875156969880/345780277012699/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/taiiwn/why_smeeeeeeeeeeeeee_had_only_two_fights_this_year/
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/t1hw5y/comment/hygj0ql/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/battlebots/photos/a.10150179252701406/10158570578476406
- ↑ https://grabcad.com/library/smeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-1
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/t1hw5y/comment/hygbr0g/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
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