Tracks

Tracks, also known as Treads and Caterpillar Tracks, are a method of propulsion seen in a number of BattleBots competitors.

History and Design[]

They typically consist of a continuous band of rubber with grooves to improve traction, but can also be made from connected metal plates. Tracks are often driven by a minimum of two internal wheels. Compared to wheels, tracks see a considerably greater surface area making contact with the arena floor, and are thought to provide better torque as a result. However, they are more often slower and more vulnerable to attacks.

Roninhw — Ronin, one of the first tracked robot to compete in a *BattleBots* competition.

Although wheels are seen to be the default and most popular propulsion method within combat robotics, the idea of using tracks is not new, and dates back to some of the earliest competitions. One of the first recognised tracked robots was Traxx, who only competed in Season 3.0 of Comedy Central BattleBots, but originally competed in the 1996 US Robot Wars competition. Pete Abrahamson entered the same event with his tracked featherweight robot, Gigan, and Killbborg was entered as a heavyweight.

In the first BattleBots event held in Long Beach in 1999, Pete Abrahamson competed with his tracked heavyweight, Ronin, and Stinger also competed. For the second event, this time held in Las Vegas, Ronin returned and was accompanied by both the British entry Mortis, and Scott LaValley's DooAll. Whereas Ronin would later compete in all five televised seasons on Comedy Central, DooAll fought in the first three and Mortis would only return for Season 2.0.

AtomicWedgievsDiesector — Atomic Wedgie fighting Diesector during the Season 2.0 title decider.

Several other tracked robots would debut throughout the televised seasons. Notably, Zack Bieber and El Diablo reached the title-deciding battle in the middleweight division in Season 2.0, losing only to thwackbot Spaz. Superheavyweight entry Atomic Wedgie also debuted and finished runner-up in Season 2.0, and would compete for the remainder of the show's original run.

In 2015, Paul Ventimiglia became World Championship I Giant Nut winner with Bite Force, which was then a tracked robot equipped with a grappling mechanism. The robot was redesigned to run on wheels ahead of World Championship II, and was armed with a destructive vertical spinner. Various robots have made use of tracks throughout the reboot seasons on ABC and Discovery, including Red Devil, fan favorite Rusty, and more recently, Emulsifier.

Advantages & Disadvantages[]

Advantages[]

They have more traction than wheels, and therefore can give more speed and make it easier to push.
- Additionally, they offer better balance than wheels.
They allow the owner to escape from lifts and high-centerings, depending on design.
It's possible to be invertible with tracks (one example is El Diablo).

Disadvantages[]

They are soft and easy to damage, particulary by Spikes, Crushers and spinners, and if the tread gets severed or dislodged the owner cannot move at all (El Diablo suffered this when Ankle Biter ripped its tracks off and it couldn't move at all without them in their rematch).
They're easy to hook for spikes and Drills, which can lift the owner or sever the tread.
They tend to give high ground-clearances for their owners.
They're harder to repair and replace than wheels are (this could be the reason why Bite Force stopped using tracks).

Notable Competitors[]

Robot	Seasons	Image
Atomic Wedgie	Season 2.0 Season 3.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0
Bite Force	World Championship I
Ronin	Long Beach 1999 Las Vegas 1999 Season 1.0 Season 2.0 Season 3.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0
El Diablo	Season 2.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0
El Diablo Grande	Season 2.0 Season 4.0 Season 5.0
Red Devil	World Championship II World Championship III World Championship IV
Dragon King	World Championship VII (Alternate)
Rusty	World Championship V World Championship VI World Championship VII (Alternate)
Emulsifier	World Championship VII
Mortis	Las Vegas 1999 Season 2.0
More...