Robot Wars Arena

The Robot Wars Arena was a large rectangular area within the Robot Wars television studio which was used to host robot battles. The arena was approximately 32 feet by 48 feet and was enclosed in a huge clear plastic box 20 feet high. There were assorted hazards in the arena that changed from one series the next.

Pit of Oblivion
The Pit of Oblivion was a four-foot square hole in the arena floor into which a robot might fall or be pushed. Originally this hole was open constantly during all battles, and was just a plain black hole in the arena filed with old tyres. In the third series, it was open during the first two rounds of a heat and then closed throughout the heat final and all subsequent rounds. In the fourth series, it was completely redesigned and was now a square panel with black and yellow diagonal stripes on it and a red line around the perimeter. The pit would now be in the closed position at the start of a battle, allowing robots to drive over it. It would open (the panel would descend) after a certain amount of time during the battle, heralded by a siren. From the first Robot Wars Extreme onwards, there was a tyre in the arena that competitors could hit to open the pit. In the sixth series, the tyre was replaced with a metal bumper but the tyre returned in the seventh series. When a robot fell into the pit, a large amount of smoke would ascend from within as the robot fell.

Floor Flipper
The Floor Flipper was a powerful pneumatic flipper that could toss a robot across the arena. It was used as a form of punishment when a robot had been immobilised. This device was introduced in the third series, where it just looked like a part of the arena floor. In the fourth series, it was redesigned and its appearance resembled the pit.

Disc of Doom
The Disc of Doom was a spinning panel set into the arena floor activated by a button similar to the pit release. It appeared in the sixth series but did not appear in the seventh series.

Drop Zone
The Drop Zone was a spot on the arena floor where heavy objects such as television sets, ocean buoys, refrigerators and washing machines fell from the top of the arena. These objects were dropped onto robots that had been immobilised. It first appeared in the sixth series; although the spot where the object would fall (a black square with a yellow 'X' shape across it) first appeared in the first Robot Wars Extreme, not serving any clear purpose at the time.

Perimeter Patrol Zone
The Perimeter Patrol Zone or PPZ was a narrow band around the perimeter of the arena where competitor robots were open to attack by two house robots. The PPZ appeared in the first and second series, and was later replaced with the Corner Patrol Zones.

Corner Patrol Zones
The Corner Patrol Zones or CPZ(s) were sections of the arena floor located in each corner where the house robots were confined. The CPZs appeared from the third series onwards, having replaced the Perimeter Patrol Zone from the first two series. The house robots appeared in a rotation system between Shunt, Matilda, Sgt. Bash and Dead Metal with Sir Killalot appearing in every round. From the first Robot Wars Extreme onwards, only two house robots were allowed in the arena at a time and this moved in a rotation system between all of the machines.

Other Hazards
The arena also contained several propane powered flame spouts, capable of roasting electronics or setting flammable robots, or the occasional unlucky house robot, on fire. There were also angle grinders, abrasive grinding wheels built into the arena railings. These were replaced with spikes in the fourth series, but returned from the first Robot Wars Extreme onwards. The arena also contained CO2 geysers, which were actually useful for putting out flames.

Early Hazards
Early hazards included spikes that came up from the ground (removed in the fourth series after many upsets were caused by these flipping and immobilising robots that were on top in their battles), arena sidebars and grilles that could immobilise robots crossing them, and hanging spike balls that were more atmospheric than damaging.