Spikes are a type of weapon which have been present on BattleBots competitors since the very first events in 1999. Due to their simplicity and relative inexpensiveness, a number of robots have used spikes as a secondary or even tertiary weapon.
History and Design[]
As well as being used with the intention to cause damage when combined with a powerful drive system, spikes have also been used throughout the history of BattleBots as a means of controlling an opponent, either by impaling or getting underneath it.
Whereas robots such as Vlad the Impaler found great success in using its lifting spikes to breach the ground clearance of its opponents and then overturn them, more modern designs such as End Game and Tantrum use specifically-designed spikes called forks to slide underneath opponents and make it easier to get a hit in with their spinning weapons. Forks work very similarly to wedgelets, but are more compact and often lighter. Whereas true spikes made with the intention of damaging opponents have become scarce over the years, and now only exist as decoration or as part of another weapon system.
Types of Spikes[]
Depending on their application, spikes can either be a passive or active weapon.
Static spikes are, as the name suggests, sharp, static pieces of metal designed to poke holes in opponents. They can be attached to any surface of a robot and require no additional components to work as intended.
Main article: Static Spikes
Retractable spikes are an active variation on the traditional weapon which uses a specialized system, often pneumatic, to fire a sharp spike with enough force to puncture an opponent's armor or exposed wheels.
Main article: Retractable Spikes
Spikes designed specifically to get in underneath opponents to flip them over or win the ground game for control are called forks, and can also be either passive or active weaponry.
Main article: Forks
| ||||||||||||||||||||||||||