Introduced in Season 3.0 of Comedy Central BattleBots, the Screws are large, continuously-rotating metal augers placed in various places across the outer edges of the BattleBox.
According to Peter Lamberston, these were intended to catch, lift and drag robots directly towards the Pulverizers, but rarely proved effective at this purpose.
For Season 5.0, the last to air on Comedy Central, the Screws were redesigned with serrated edges. This improved their effectiveness with their movements also changed so that each half could rotate in opposite directions. This resulted in their motion now making up a 'V' pattern near the center. On occasions, the Screws could drag over and pin a robot in place between themselves and the back wall, usually resulting in a knockout loss. They could also pull a robot up and assist in flipping them over, as was seen in IceBerg's Season 5.0 win over Phrizbee-Ultimate.
Untelevised Events[]
Following the cancelation of BattleBots on Comedy Central, the Screws would not return for several years. Spikes decorating the circumference of the arena walls were preferred for early untelevised competitions sanctioned by BattleBots, such a BattleBots IQ and the 2004 NPC Charity Open.
The Screws returned for the 2009 Collegiate, High School and Pro Championships with significant upgrades, completely serrated and now rotating at around 400rpm. One set was located behind both starting squares, with another set housed nearer the Pulverizers.
Witch Doctor becomes stuck in the screws during the 2018 season.
World Championship I-Present[]
Icewave becomes stuck on the Upper Deck's screws during the 2021 season.
For the ABC BattleBots reboot in 2015, the Screws returned, now manufactured from 0.5" thick titanium. Six individual Screws were installed across three sides of the BattleBox, each powered by their own motors housed beneath the arena floor. Paddles were also introduced to the BattleBox with the intention to guide robots into the path of the Screws.
Overhaul is taken to the screws by Claw Viper during World Championship VII.
Ahead of World Championship III, the first to air on Discovery, the Screws were reworked to be belt-driven and bidirectional. This allowed for robots to not only be dragged up and over the teeth, but be "spat out" to prevent them from becoming stuck.[1] The Screws themselves have sensors to detect jamming and automatically reverse their direction, as seen in Witch Doctor's win over Blacksmith during World Championship III, helping to prevent their motors from burning out.
The new Screws in July 2023.
Two set of Screws were implemented into the front-facing side of the Upper Deck, a new BattleBox hazard for World Championship VI. These made it easier for robot with good control to force their opponent atop the platform without the need for a dedicated weapon. They are identical in size to those behind both starting squares.
Brand new Screws were introduced in July 2023, as revealed by BattleBots in an Instagram story.
Outside BattleBots[]
The design of the Screws has inspired similar hazards in other competitions across the world. For example, the televised Chinese series King of Bots and This is Fighting Robots both had spiked, rotating drums known as Grinders, whereas Clash Bots sported rotating screws minus the serrated edges.
The arena for the UK event FightFest, hosted by Labman, sports a similar hazard called The Shredder, which only becomes active midway through a fight.
In Russia, Bitva Robotov events often feature rows of circular saws fitted to a rotating shaft.
Trivia[]
Damage caused to the screws by HyperShock.
- In December 2020, Team Witch Doctor produced and uploaded a 'Technical T-Rex' video explaining how the Screws work.[2]
- HyperShock accidentally carved a hole in the Screws behind the blue starting square in a drive test ahead of their first BattleBots Proving Ground fight against Magnitude.[3]
References[]
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