Mortis

"The most feared and technically advanced robot of the first three wars."

- Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide.

Mortis was a tank-like robot running on tracks that competed in the first four wars. Its weapons were an axe that could hit three times in one second and later a lifting arm that could lift 100 kilos. Mortis is known for being one of the most expensive robots in the wars, costing around £50,000 to build. Despite this, Mortis never really performed as well as it should have done, only reaching the series semi-finals once in Series 2. This is partially due to being notoriously unreliable. However, the robot did end its Robot Wars career on a high by winning the War of Independence in Series 4. Mortis retired after this victory, but would later be revised with wheels and a more reliable srimech, however the revisions were too late and it failed to enter Series 7.

Mortis was known for being technologically advanced due to the huge amount of money spent on it (over the four series it competed in, Mortis cost around £100,000 to build and upgrade). It was originally armoured in Kevlar through Series 1-3, but for Series 4 its armour was coated with Silicon Carbide which effectivly made it diamond coated. Like Firestorm in later wars, Mortis remained the same shape and design throughout the wars, gradually being improved such as more powerful motors, the lifting arm and so the team said "better reliability".

Mortis was a highly renowned competitor, and many less sucessful 'clones' were spawned from it. These included: Vercingetorix, Hydra, Comengetorix and Ripper.

In September of 2009, Mortis, stripped of its motors and electronics, was given away to Team Bud. Team Bud is working on restoring Mortis to working condition, and plans to bring it to events for exhibition and demos.

Mortis, like many other UK robots, went to Battlebots 99 in Las Vegas and came back with the Most Agressive Robot award. It returned for Season 2.0 and reached the last 16, losing out to Nightmare.

The team built another Mortis named Maelstrom with a stronger axe and a 4-bar lifter to enter Battlebots, but Battlebots was cancelled. This robot also went to Team Bud and was renamed Rigamortis.

The team also built Minotaur for Robot Wars' super heavyweight competition only to be beaten by Kick Robut. The fight was briefly shown during the grudge match special where Kick Robut turned Minotaur over. This robot also went to Team Bud.

Hands-Free Operating System
"Is that over the top enough for you?"

- Arthur Chillcot as the team unveil the Hands-Free device

For Series 3, the Mortis team developed a Hands-Free Operating System, so named because it freed the operator from having to hold the controller in his hands. The device itself is relatively simple. It is designed like a parachute, with two paralell rods in place of a chute. A pullcord that deploys the rods, which point forwards relative to the wearer when fully opened. The controller is fitted to a tray like structure, which can be slid onto the rods, providing a flat and stable surface that it can be rested upon. Since the operator no longer has to hold the controller in his hands, his forefingers and thumbs can be used to grasp and move the analog sticks, as opposed to just pushing them around with his thumbs. One possible benefit of this setup is relief from "Roboteer's Thumb," a painful sensation in the thumb's distal phalanx, caused by pushing the sticks with one's thumbs. In theory, the hands-free device also allows the operator greater control over the robot and increased precision of movements, however it is unknown if the device had any effect on Mortis's performance. Nevertheless, it demonstrated the ingenuity of the Mortis team and how Robot Wars helps develop new technology.

Series 1
Mortis managed to complete the Gauntlet and the Trial without much trouble. Up against Leighbot it punched several holes in the robot and damaged Leighbot's weapon, before managing to flip it over. After this fight the axe had broken so it was modified to act as a battering ram instead. Up against Recyclopse it was very aggressive but caused very little damage, both robots pushed each other around the arena a lot with Recyclopse coming close to being flipped over, but the match ended and the judges controversially awarded the win to Recyclopse.

Series 2
This was Mortis's best series, seeded number 2, higher than all other grand finalists, even Cassius, who actually defeated it in the previous wars, because Mortis was expected to do so well. It got in a scrap with Shunt and Matilda in the Gauntlet, breaking Matilda's camera. It crossed the line then went back for more, only to be pushed down the pit. It got through the Joust quite well by using its axe to grab onto Matilda and use its tracks to maintain good grip on the platform. It then met Rameses The Second in the arena semi-final. Mortis was the favourite, but Rameses The Second surprisingly managed to push it into the PPZ. Mortis escaped, but Sir Killalot got hold of Rameses The Second, and burnt it over the flame pit. Mortis went through to face Oblivion in the heat final. It was by far on top here, whacking Oblivion repeatedly with its axe, causing massive damage. It tried to push it down the pit, but Oblivion held on to a judges decision, which put Mortis into the semi-finals. In the semi-finals, Mortis completed the Gauntlet despite getting ambushed by Shunt and landing on its back at one point. Now came the controversy: in the pinball, Mortis started, but the spikes came up from the floor and took one of its tracks off. This meant it went out with 0 points. However Rob Knight was cross, as he'd been told the spikes weren't used in the pinball. So, the production team let Mortis have another go, but Rob, still cross, refused to control Mortis. With Ben Impey driving, Mortis managed to only score 35 points, meaning it would go out anyway. But, when the scoreboard came up, Mortis had been put down as having 100 points, thus Napalm went out instead. So Mortis faced newcomers Panic Attack in the next round, but Rob, still cross, refused to drive, so Ben Impey drove again. This, along with the lack of the will to win, was one factor in its downfall, as Panic Attack pitted it without much trouble for a surprise win, thus ending Mortis' most successful run.

Mortis returned at the end of the Series in the two Judgement Days. First it went up against Cassius, as Mortis was beaten by Rex Garrod's Recyclopse in Series 1. Mortis tried to hit Cassius with its axe but missed, it then did hit Cassius causing some damage. However, Mortis then lost mobility in one of its tracks and was stranded near the pit. Cassius took a run up to push Mortis in the pit, but missed and drove down itself. Mortis was then pushed down as well. Then Cassius using its flipping arm tried to push Mortis out of the pit, but it didn't have enough power.

Mortis' next Grudge Match was against Napalm, as the Napalm team wanted revenge, because Mortis knocked them out of the Series 2 Semi-Finals. Mortis started strongly hacking away at Napalm's flimsy looking armour. It did minor damage to Napalm's wedged front, before Napalm drove near the pit and the weight of its own weapon made Napalm over balance and fall into the pit, leaving Mortis with a second Judgement Day win.

Series 3
Mortis' return prompted good-natured booing from the audience and the crowd. It overturned, using its brand new lifting arm, the very sluggish Ming in the first round, causing its spinning blade to detach and fly across the arena. It also attacked Matilda, before being ganged up on by all the House Robots and eventually pitted by Shunt. With one victory under its belt, Mortis faced Gravedigger, doing some aggressive work and starting a pushing match, but lost when its right track stopped working. Soon after, Gravedigger flipped it into the pit. Mortis came 9th in the Pinball with a score of 60.

Mortis then entered the First World Championship and represented England. In the first round it came up against Terror Australis from Australia. Terror Australis didn't move and Mortis axed it a few times before cease was called. In the next round it came up against fellow English team Behemoth. Mortis was continually flipped over by its opponent and was defeated.

Mortis also faced Terror Australis again a special event called the Ashes, which like its cricketing counterpart placed an English robot against an Australian robot. The Terror Australis team using their borrowed Nemesis robot tried to attack Mortis, but Mortis landed some axe blows and then lifted Terror Australis and pushed it over, immobilising it.

Series 4
Mortis returned to the wars as the 23rd seed, and its first battle was against Iron Awe and Mazakari. Mortis started by trying to hit Iron Awe with its axe which didn't do much damage. Mortis then turned Mazakari over, which did nothing to the invertible machine, so Mortis managed to get underneath Mazakari and its arm got wedged in the framework. Mortis tried to get Iron Awe to hit Mazakari's exposed belly. Eventually the House Robots twinned up on Iron Awe and Mazakari with Sgt. Bash and Shunt causing damage to Mazakari. The match went to a judges decision which eliminated Mazakari, taking Mortis through to fight Crusader 2. Mortis landed a huge number of blows on Crusader 2, and the brave newcomer was axed and cut into by the House Robots. Finally, Mortis faced Steg 2, and was careful to avoid the flipper. However, the lifing arm of Mortis became stuck open, which meant that it could not self-right, and Steg 2 flipped it over. Finally, Steg 2 pushed Mortis into the descending pit, ending yet another hopeful run for Mortis.

Mortis did end its Robot Wars career on a high, winning the War of Independence special. It literally butchered Ghetto-Bot from the USA with its axe in the first round, leaving the lighter machine immobile. It then moved into a grudge match against Panic Attack in the second round. Despite heavy aggression from Panic Attack and a air lift from Sir Killalot, Mortis won a judges decision by one point after it hacked the light off Panic Attack and otherwise landed numerous blows from its axe. Finally, it defeated the US robot Frenzy to win the title, bowling it over from the start and foiling each attempt to self-right. Finally, Frenzy's arm stopped working and it broke down, leaving it immobile.

Results

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Wins/Losses

 * Wins: 13
 * Losses: 5

Series Record

 * Series 1: Heat Final
 * Series 2: Semi-Finals, Arena
 * Series 3: Heat, Round 2
 * Series 4: Heat Final
 * Series 5-6: Did not enter
 * Series 7: Failed to qualify