Wrecks

Wrecks
Participation Information
Reboot Seasons	World Championship I World Championship II
Other Events	BattleBots Proving Ground
Other Names	Blade-O-Saurus Rex (Original name)
Team Information
Team	Team Wrecks
Team Members	Dan Chatterton (Captain) Joe Sena James Arluck Adrian "Bunny" Liaw (WC I) Orion Beach (WC I) Micah Leibowitz (WC I)
From	Petaluma, CA
Associated Robots	Yeti (Joe Sena, James Arluck) Skorpios (Orion Beach, Micah "Chewy" Leibowitz, Dan Chatterton) Shatter!, Malice (Adrian "Bunny" Liaw) Gigabyte (Micah "Chewy" Leibowitz) Free Shipping, VD6.0 (James Arluck)
Robot Statistics
Weight	250lbs 325lbs (BB Proving Ground)
Top Speed	1-2mph
Power	MaxAmps batteries (BB Proving Ground)
Drive	Ampflow A28-150 motor (Rear leg, WC I-WC II) Motenergy ME0909 motor (Vertical spinner, WC I-WC II) Castle brushless motors (BB Proving Ground)
Weapons	Vertical spinner
Statistics correct as of its most recent appearance on the show, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

Wrecks is a heavyweight robot built by Team Wrecks which competed in BattleBots World Championship I and II.

It is a dinosaur-themed robot which originally sported a 28" diameter vertically-spinning disk. Not only was this Wrecks' primary weapon, but this also provided the motion for its forward movement. Wrecks was the brainchild of Dan Chatterton, who originally prototyped this design on an antweight named Gyrobot. Gyrobot's unique design gave it an honorable mention in the Combat Robot Hall of Fame. Dan Chatterton cited Counter Revolution as his indirect inspiration for Wrecks.

"Seeing Counter Revolution at RoboGames 2009 was what sparked my idea for a gyro walker. I built a working prototype in my garage in 4 hours. Then spent the next few months making Gyrobot, which first competed at 2009 Halloween Robot Terror in Gilroy."

— Dan Chatterton discusses Wrecks in a 2021 Reddit post

Wrecks operated on the principle of gyroscopic procession. It was one of the few robots in the reboot area not to opt for wheels or tracks for locomotion, described by the team as a "walking vertical spinner". It used the gyroscopic forces of its vertical spinner to scoot across the arena, with a rear 'leg' stabilizing the robot, rotating to change the angle of the weapon. Its weapon was attached to an apparatus which tilted it back and forth. This rocking motion caused a large "foot" mounted at the back of the robot to rotate, allowing Wrecks to move forward. Due to using the wrong material property in CAD by accident, Wrecks turned up to filming approximately 40lbs above the weight limit. The team stripped enough weight from their robot, with one notable sacrifice being the horn of metal which allowed it to run inverted without the disk hitting the floor. Wrecks did poorly in the competition, failing to score a win in its debut season.

Wrecks during World Championship II hero shots.

For World Championship II, the body of Wrecks received a new paint job, now red and black rather than green and yellow. The leg of Wrecks had been reinforced, meaning it could now move slightly faster than before. It also had extra steel armor in the front and around of the bot. Wrecks would use the same batteries and motors for the 2016 competition but would fare no better in the competition, again failing to chalk up a win.

Though Wrecks would not return, individual team members would split off to other teams for future seasons of BattleBots. Bunny Liaw joined Bots FC, who were unsuccessful in applying with Doomba and Friends, but were accepted with Shatter!, and piloted her own build, Malice from World Championship V onward. Dan Chatterton, Orion Beach and Micah Leibowitz would all join Skorpios ahead of the 2019 season, and Joe Sena would pair up with Yeti. Micah Leibowitz would join Robotic Death Company for World Championship VI, who had ownership of both Gigabyte and Cobalt for the tournament.

Plans were made for Wrecks to be redesigned for future seasons of BattleBots. Though it would keep its unique locomotion, the body was considerably longer, with the vertical spinner being redesigned to be more akin to a hammer saw than the three-toothed disk used in previous seasons. Dan Chatterton stated the disk would spin at 4200rpm and be reversible, and though 8" smaller in diameter, it would be twice as thick - 1" versus ½" in its first two seasons.

This iteration of Wrecks was never built, however, and it would ultimately not compete again in BattleBots.

Bot Bash Party Crew co-captains Zach Lytle and Diana Tarlson confirmed that they became the new owners of Wrecks and plan to rebuild it for BattleBots Proving Ground. They plan to rebuild it as a 325lb robot, pending the green light for a weight bonus from BattleBots production. In May 2024, the team confirmed their intention to enter it into August's Destruct-A-Thon events, having received funding from their sponsor, Bishop Wisecarver. Wrecks is set to take on Skorpios, but no dates have been confirmed as yet.

Zach and Diana's brand new Wrecks CAD, circa 2023.

Dan Chatterson's design for Wrecks in 2019.

Wrecks in 2018.

A top-down view of Wrecks during World Championship II.

Wrecks in The Pits during World Championship II.

A side view of Wrecks during World Championship I.

Wrecks under construction.

Robot History

World Championship I
Wrecks vs. Plan X Wrecks first competed in World Championship I, where it took on Lisa and Mike Winter's Plan X. Plan X pushes Wrecks around the BattleBox. Wrecks shuffled towards Plan X, who gingerly exited its starting square. However, Plan X's superior maneuverability allowed it to get behind Wrecks. However, Dan Chatterton's robot changed direction and its vertical spinner chewed at Plan X's outer armor and dislodged the rod from its back end. Lisa Winter's robot retaliated by pushing from the back again, tipping Wrecks in such a way that its disk hit the BattleBox floor. "He's lacking mobility here and Plan X [is] really trying to take advantage here." — Kenny Florian as Plan X attempts to control its opponent With Wrecks unable to turn around, Plan X continued to shove the gyro walker until one of its teeth became caught in the floor. Wrecks was flipped over, but used its vertical spinner to drag itself toward the screws. Though it initially landed upright, Wrecks threw itself over again, struggling to escape the sides of the arena as Plan X approached with its spinning hammers. Plan X charges at Wrecks. Lisa Winter's robot charged forward, attacking the legs of Wrecks with its primary weapon but not causing significant damage. Wrecks eventually righted itself, but was again facing the wall rather than its opponent. It twisted around as Plan X's team discovered their robot was stuck in the closing seconds. "I'm stuck on something - get me off. Get me off... I'm stuck on the tail. Minibots, hit me, minibots." — Lisa Winter instructs the minibots to assist as Wrecks closes in Wrecks' late assault on Plan X. With just five seconds to go, Wrecks tore into the side of its immobile opponent, sending parts flying as the the battle went the distance. However, this superficial damage was not enough to sway the judges, who gave Plan X a unanimous victory. Wrecks did not receive a wildcard, meaning it was eliminated from the competition at this stage.
World Championship II
Wrecks vs. Red Devil Returning for the 2016 season, Wrecks first faced Jerome Miles and Red Devil. Wrecks drags itself to the corner of the arena. Wrecks got up to speed and edged its way towards Red Devil. However, it tipped itself over and Wrecks' blade tore into the BattleBox floor, propelling the robot across the arena. Red Devil looked to capitalize on this error, but retreated as Wrecks' disk got back up to speed. The gyro-walker was still unbalanced, however, and continued to carve into the steel floor. Red Devil hooks onto Wrecks and slams it into the arena. As it tried to face Red Devil, the tracked robot got around to Wrecks' back and lifted its rear leg, driving it into the housing for the screws. Red Devil moved its upper jaws, but it soon became clear that both robots were stuck together. A timeout was called by the referees and the robots were manually freed. Red Devil looks on as Wrecks is counted out. The fight resumed and Red Devil promptly maneuvered around to the back of Wrecks, which was not moving following the unstick. The chain for Wrecks' rear leg had fallen off and therefore, Wrecks could not gyrate from side to side. It was declared immobile and a count began, giving Red Devil the win by knockout. Wrecks was again not selected to be a wildcard, so was eliminated from the tournament.
Wrecks vs. Bite Force vs. Witch Doctor (Exhibition) Wrecks returned for a three-way rumble against Witch Doctor and former BattleBots champion Bite Force. During the introductions for the robots, Wrecks was mocked by Kenny Florian and Chris Rose for not being able to make it into the green square and very nearly tipped over at the start of the match. Bite Force and Witch Doctor clash. Wrecks stayed out of the action in the opening moments as Bite Force was quick to target Witch Doctor. The two exchanged blows in the middle of the arena while Wrecks practiced its handstands in the corner until Witch Doctor was thrown backwards into it. Shaman intervened on behalf of its parent bot, throwing fire around the arena to distract Bite Force, but ultimately was rewarded for its efforts with betrayal as Witch Doctor slammed into it and caused a large fireball. Wrecks throws Witch Doctor out of the arena. While the green and purple spinner fled to try to get its weapon spun up, Bite Force attacked the struggling Wrecks from behind, striking its legs and causing it to bounce towards the screws. Bite Force then turned back to Witch Doctor, who had lost one of its wedges, and began to apply pressure. A big hit forced the Floridian machine into the air, and before it could recover, Paul maneuvered his robot to trap Witch Doctor between itself and the now active Wrecks. In a brutal exchange, Witch Doctor lost its self-righter followed by its left front wheel, only to be flung out of the arena by Wrecks. Now alone with only a robot who could barely move, the former champ smelled blood in the water. Wrecks and Bite Force clash, resulting in the latter being flipped over. Not to be underestimated, however, the gyro walker landed a shot which sent itself spinning across the arena, but also ripped one of Bite Force's wedges off and flipped it over in the process. Bite Force self-rights in impressive fashion. Fortunately, Wrecks' limited mobility gave the Aptyx Designs machine ample time to self-right by ramming itself into the wall repeatedly. Once back on its wheels, Bite Force hunted down the still-mobile Shaman, punting it against the wall in a vicious kill shot. After disposing of the minibot, Bite Force turned its attention back to Wrecks, landing several more shots which left the gyro walker smoking. Sensing his opponent's imminent demise, Paul drove back to the center of the arena to play around with some of the debris before going back to finish off Wrecks, delivering a series of vicious hits that left Wrecks hung up on the arena barrier. Although it was able to climb back into the arena, Wrecks was declared unable to move effectively enough to keep fighting and was counted out, thus handing the victory to Bite Force.

Results

Competitive Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 2

Exhibition Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 1

Total Wins/Losses

• Wins: 0
• Losses: 3

Competition	Wins	Losses
World Championship I	None	Plan X
World Championship II	None	Red Devil Bite Force

Faruq Tauheed Introductions

"It's a modern day dinosaur with an appetite for destruction. Here to make a Jurassic Mark in the competition, it's WRECKS!"

"It's in a 12-step program because it's a wrecks addict. It's WRECKS!"

Trivia

• Wrecks became the first vertical spinner and the first non-wheeled robot in the modern era of BattleBots to throw an opponent out of the arena, doing so to Witch Doctor in a rumble also involving Bite Force.
  • Wrecks was also the first robot to defeat Witch Doctor by way of an out-of-the-arena flip.
• Dan Chatterton revealed Wrecks was originally going to be called Blade-O-Saurus Rex, but this was shortened to Wrecks after BattleBots said the original name was too long for the show.
• Wrecks was also the first robot in the modern era of BattleBots with unique locomotion, as it did not rely on wheels or tracks to move around the BattleBox.
• Although Wrecks was not deemed eligible for the 500lb walker bonus, this rule did not come into effect during Wrecks' stint in BattleBots.
• The 2015 season build now resides with Bunny Liaw of Malice, whereas its 2016 season build is owned by Team Skorpios.
• Wrecks' World Championship I qualifier against Plan X was the first judges' decision to take place in the modern era of BattleBots.