Snakebyte

Snakebyte
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship VII (Not selected)
Live	BattleBots Proving Ground
Other Names	Snakebite
Team Information
Team	Team Lone Star (also Team Boom Bots)
Team Members	John Culleton Kathy Culleton Russell Abel
From	San Antonio, TX
Robot Statistics
Drive	2x Magmotors
Weapons	Crusher Lifter
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Snakebyte, stylized on the team's application as SNAKEBYTE and also spelt Snakebite, is a heavyweight robot designed by Team Lone Star which applied for BattleBots World Championship VII and fought at Proving Ground.

Armored primarily in AR500 steel and titanium, Snakebyte is armed with a crushing and lifting weapon, though it is unknown whether these are separate mechanisms or one combined primary weapon. The team pride its speed and maneuverability to make it competitive, though little else was known about Snakebyte as no CAD or images were shown off in its February 2022 application video. Snakebyte's official design was revealed in July 2022, revealed to be a two-wheel drive robot with sloped sides and a snake aesthetic across the robot. For weaponry, Snakebyte featured two grabbing and crushing arms designed to resemble snake fangs, as well as a central lifter painted to look like its tongue. Although the team did not explicitly announce their rejection, Snakebyte ultimately did not compete in the show.

Snakebyte was due to fight Banshee on the weekend of May 27-28, 2023 as part of Proving Ground. The updated render of the robot showed it with a more compact, pentagonal chassis and a Texan flag adorning the top panel. Snakebyte would later pull out of this appearance for unknown reasons with BattleBots wishing the team "a speedy recovery and hopes to see them soon". They were replaced with OverKill for their scheduled matches. It was later revealed issues with the build caused the team not to be ready by the intended fight date and more time was needed to finish construction.

In July, it was revealed that Snakebyte had been rescheduled to fight Traves T. in August 2023. In the most recent CAD, the crushing arms were hollowed out and the lifting wedge appeared longer. Its side panels flipped colors on their respective sides from red to white and vice versa, and it featured a slightly different wheel design. However, it again had to pull out of its first battle. After the team and various crew members worked on Snakebyte in the day which followed, it eventually got to the BattleBox for the Sunday show. However, it was knocked out by its opponent and suffered a quick loss in its only fight.

Snakebyte with its team during BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon.

Snakebyte in The Pits in August 2023.

CAD of Snakebyte around the time of World Championship VII.

Outside BattleBots

Under the name Team Boom Bots, the team previously competed with a heavyweight robot called Baby Boomer armed with a linear actuator-powered lifter. It is unknown how well it performed, though footage exists of it beating another robot called Pandemic in the early 2000s at Battle Beach 3, hosted by Brian Nave. Team captain John Culleton has also built robots called Boomer and Overbyte in the past, but stopped competing in 2007.

In 2023, the team signed up for the revival of RoboGames with Snakebyte, following its five-year hiatus. However, Team Lone Star ultimately withdrew.

Robot History

BattleBots Proving Ground
Snakebyte vs. Banshee (5/27/2023) The promotional image for Banshee versus Snakebyte, as it was originally billed. Snakebyte's BattleBots debut was set to come in BattleBots Proving Ground, where it was scheduled to fight World Championship VII rookie Banshee. Snakebyte was announced the night before to have withdrawn from this fight due to needing more time for construction.
Snakebyte vs. Banshee (5/28/2023) Snakebyte's second fight against Banshee was also canceled due to the team being unable to participate during their scheduled weekend debut. OverKill was drafted in to replace it for both battles.
Snakebyte vs. Traves T. (8/5/2023) The promotional image for Snakebyte versus Traves T. revealed in July 2023. Following its withdrawal, Snakebyte was rescheduled to fight Traves T. in August 2023. Snakebyte at the time of the August 8 BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon show. However, on the night of the show, Snakebyte had to undergo a total rebuild and was not ready in time. As such, Traves T. took on OverKill instead.
Snakebyte vs. Traves T. (8/6/2023) Snakebyte was again scheduled to fight Traves T. during the Sunday Destruct-A-Thon show. In a last minute effort to get it running, Snakebyte was held together with tape. Traves T. immediately immobilizes Snakebyte. The fight began with Traves T. driving towards Snakebyte, striking the front with its horizontal spinner in the opening seconds. This proved enough to disable Snakebyte as parts flew away and its top panel sat loose on the robot. Traves T. strikes Snakebyte. Traves T. maneuvered to the side of Snakebyte, attacking its exposed wheel and dislodging the drive motor from its mount. Traves T.'s final attack. One final attack from Traves T. caused Snakebyte's side and rear armor panels to come away. Snakebyte was counted out, and lost its first and only BattleBots fight.

Results

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 1

Competition	Wins	Losses
BattleBots Proving Ground	None	Traves T.

* Snakebyte's withdrawals from fighting Banshee and Traves T. do not contribute to their win/loss record.