On very rare occasions in Robot Wars, a competing robot would enter the arena with an armourless design. The most common reason for this was to save weight, with some teams deliberately omitting armour from some or all areas at the design, construction or testing stage.
At other times, this was an unplanned occurrence, usually as a result of the robot weighing over the given weight limit immediately prior to a particular championship or battle. Armour was usually the first component sacrificed to get the affected machine compliant with the Robot Wars regulations in time; a notable example being Diotoir in Series 4.
Armourless robots were very rare throughout the show's history, due to the inherent risk of exposing vital internal components to attacks. Competitors with this design approach usually enjoyed very limited success, with only a small number achieving combat wins.
Definition[]
Armourless robots are defined as a robot which has a significant section where the wheels and/or other internal components are exposed. If a weapon such as an axe, drill or spike can reach the components within without first damaging or removing any protective coverings, that area is considered to be armourless.
The list includes robots that were either fully armourless, or ones with large sections that were uncovered for various reasons. Robots very rarely had no armour whatsoever, so this list mentions the areas which were uncovered on the affected robots.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
Advantages
Mantis and R.O.C.S. both sacrificed armour for stronger weapons
- By removing heavy armour plating from the robot, it frees up weight which can be used to improve other aspects of the robot, such as drive or weapon power. Robots with vertical crushers frequently had to remove armour to allow for the heavy hydraulic systems, rather than have holes drilled through the weapon, armour and/or chassis to achieve the same purpose.
- Robots in lower weight classes, such as antweights, could get away without armour during the Classic Series as highly damaging weapons were not usually a factor in televised competitions. In turn, this enabled them to use their restrictive weight allowances elsewhere.
- Removing armour also enables greater ease of maintenance in The Pits, as the exposed components can be directly accessed for checks, repairs and/or replacement, without needing to remove any protective coverings in order to do so.
Disadvantages
- Armour is used to deflect opponents' weapons away from the internal workings of the robot concerned. Without this, the chassis/frame structure is usually the only part of the robot stopping others from damaging crucial components.
- An uneven robot shape allows robots with overhead or gripping weapons a chance to grab hold of and control an armourless opponent.
List of Robots with significant armour-free portions[]
Robots are listed alphabetically.
DESKTOP MODE ONLY: Robots which are not heavyweight entries are listed with a green background.
| Robot | Series Appearances without Armour | Details | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Atomic | Series 4 | Polycarbonate side panels removed. | Heat Finalist in this series. |  |
| Barry | Series 1 | Whole robot was armourless, except for the front rolled steel lifting scoop and a rear rectangular section protecting its internals. | First armourless robot to appear in the televised show. |  |
| Bucky the Robot | Series 10 | No rear armour or baseplate. | Several areas of the robot featured large gaps in between the chassis and front wedge/scoop; rear armour could not be added due to weight restrictions. |   |
| Daisy Chopper | Series 3 | No armour. | Minimalistic two-wheeled design with front castors and a large vertical flywheel; these gave the robot its only defence. |   |
| Diotoir | Series 4 | No top armour. | Top armour and fur removed prior to the main competition as the robot was found to be overweight; later reattached for side events. |   |
| Eleven | Series 5 | Raised body. | Steel legs were the only protection. |   |
| Hyperactive | US Series 2 | Removed top armour. |   | |
| JAR | Series 9 | Exposed top. | Battle of the Stars only. Used a wedge borrowed from Sabretooth as durable front armour instead. |   |
| Legion | Extreme 1 | Electric tape. | Antweight clusterbot; very little extra weight for armour on either robot. |   |
| Militant | Extreme 2 | No armour. | Antweight. |   |
| M.R. Speed Squared | Series 8 | No top armour. | Only one half of the robot was fully armoured in combat due to weight restrictions. |   |
| Phantasm | Nickelodeon | No top armour. | Found to be 56kg overweight prior to battle, forcing Team S.S.S.L. to remove armour panels along with the robot's planned flipper and hammer weapons. |   |
| Project One | Dutch Series 1 | Exposed chassis, "Air Armour". |
|
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| R.O.C.S. | Series 6-7 | No armour on top of the chassis frame. | Armour sacrificed for a powerful vertical crusher with a heavy hydraulic system. |   |
| Son of Armageddon | German Series | Front and top armour removed. | Modification required to comply with the heavyweight limit. Third place in the German Series regardless. |   |
| The Hassocks Hog | Series 6 | Rear armour removed. |   | |
| Vortex Inducer | Dutch Series 2 | Two drive pods with partially-exposed top sections; located on either side of an arm with a horizontally or vertically-rotating disc. | Original tracked system replaced with conventional wheels to save weight; Pits photos indicate that the robot was at one point fitted with transparent side panels as well. |   |
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