Shufflebots, also known as shufflers, are a unique class of BattleBots competitors which use cam-driven 'legs' for mobility. Part of the walkerbot class until Season 4.0 of Comedy Central BattleBots, shufflers were considered separate and not granted the same weight bonuses for later competitions.
History and Design[]
Shufflers typically work by having a drive motor powering a sequence of cam-driven legs in offset positions to give the illusion of walking. They are distinguishable from walkerbots as they only have one plane of independent motion, meaning they cannot move up and down as well as forwards and backwards.
Son of Whyachi in the pits during Season 3.0.
Shufflebots used to be classed as walkers, but were separated following Son of Whyachi's Season 3.0 heavyweight championship win. Any drive systems making use of "crankshafts, rotary camshafts, or non-reversing rotary electric actuators" were now prohibited from receiving the weight bonuses of StompBots.[1] Despite this limitation, shufflers persisted within the Comedy Central era but were moved up a weight division.
A look at the underside of Son of Whyachi.
Derek Young, best known for building Complete Control and serving as a judge for the reboot seasons of BattleBots, built a 1lb shuffler called Hoser'd for the inaugural BattleAnts event. Despite receiving no weight bonus, Hoser'd went undefeated and won the competition.
One of Overhaul's shuffler modules in 2015.
As BattleBots returned on ABC in 2015, Team JACD's Overhaul featured both wheeled and shuffling drive mechanisms, which were interchangeable. Although it has used wheels throughout its competitive career, Overhaul entered a three-robot rumble against Nightmare and Witch Doctor as a shuffler.
Knock Off White (30lb class, but weighs 45lbs)
Outside BattleBots[]
Nowadays, shufflers are notably more common in smaller weight classes. SawBlaze captain Jamison Go pilots two shuffling beetleweights called Silent Spring and Silent X. Shatter!'s Adam Wrigley also competes with a featherweight shuffler called Knock Off White.
Some events offer a significant weight bonus to reward the additional complexity of their design, with Norwalk Havoc Robot League offering an additional 50%, for example.
Notable Robots[]
| Robot | Seasons | Image |
|---|---|---|
| Dreadbot | Season 3.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0 |
 |
| Hoser'd | Season 5.0 (BattleAnts) |  |
| Overhaul | World Championship I |  |
| Son of Whyachi | Season 3.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0 |
 |
| Whyachi | Season 3.0 |  |
| More... | ||