BiteForce

It is a problem for avoiding all innuendos, I am definitely a big fan of "that's what she said" and they are common on our team. Now I have a pair of giant nuts and many people ask to touch my nuts!

I'm sure we gave it back to you. Also, thank you!

Yes, they are horribly expensive. The 250 lb robots cost anywhere from $5k - $50k depending on the team and the type of robot. Glad the fights are awesome!

Disclaimer: We are not the judges, nor speak for them.

I (Paul) have judged combat robot and other events before, it is not fun or easy. I assume they decided mostly on the length of time of "controlling the match" and "aggression" as a slight edge for us. The essence is, about 2 minutes in our favor, a minute in their favor.

After the clock stopped, we remotely self righted and drove to our starting square, demonstrating there was zero damage. The judges I assume went in to verify that. (or to admire the robot's beauty!)

Paul- Battlebots for sure! Destroying robots is awesome. Also, in FRC, I am a mentor, not a student, so the robot isn't really "mine" as much as an entire team's.

Cory- I've done FRC for 15 years and this is my first time doing Battlebots, so it's a little tough to compare. Battlebots is very different than FRC in that everything is "just get it done". It doesn't have to be pretty, it just has to work. That's a big departure from how we work on 254, so it took some getting used to. I think it's definitely more exciting seeing something get destroyed (come on...Icewave/Tombstone ripping people in half...or forklifts stacking boxes?) and it's a lot of fun modding the robot on the fly to better match up with future opponents (shoutout to the Lincoln Electric welding guys that sponsored the event and spent countless hours helping us improve the bot). FRC has the advantage of working to help inspire high school students, which is also a lot of fun.

Travis-Both have their pluses and minuses. FRC is really about the team experience and inspiring students. Battlebots can do the same, but also has the ability to allow individuals to do everything themselves. I grew up and was inspired by BattleBots as a kid. Robots are robots, as far as I am concerned, but FRC was the easier and more approachable means to getting involved as a high school student. The barrier to entry was a little less. As an adult, Battlebots has fewer restrictions. It isn't just about inspiration. Adults can drive the robots and have fun in different ways. Helping Paul as much as I could and doing both FRC and Battlebots this last season has been extremely rewarding. I wouldn't rank one higher than the other.