Entanglement devices

Entanglement devices
Aftershock's disc snags the ropes hanging from Gabriel 2
Robots
Pioneer(s)	Andy Roid (1994-1997 US competitions) Milly-Ann Bug (televised series)
Notable Robots	Diotoir, Gabriel 2, The Swarm, Thor, Snookums

Entanglement devices are a form of defence used by competitors in Robot Wars. First originating in and later banned from the 1994-1997 US competitions, their use in televised competitions was first legalised in Series 10, to counter the dominance of spinning weapons in Series 9.

Despite also being considered illegal in the original UK show, certain devices made limited appearances in earlier series, as well as televised US versions including Robot Wars: Extreme Warriors (Season 2) and Nickelodeon Robot Wars.

Entanglement devices come in various forms, including loose ropes, wires and chains, plus prohibited types including cloths and nets. They are primarily designed to immobilise spinning weapons, protecting the wielder from those weapon types.

Definition

The steel hoops used by Thor to entangle Cathadh's bar spinner

In its modern definition, an entanglement device is a sacrificial addition to a robot which is easily absorbed by spinning weapons, and can consist of forms such as rope and cloth. If the entanglement device is successful, it should cease the function of spinning weapons such as discs, bar spinners and drums upon contact by jamming it, or absorbing blows from said weaponry. However, it cannot consist of low-tech devices such as a fishing net, cables or mesh. Legal entanglement devices cannot exceed 1m in length, nor can they attach the wielding robot to their opponents. The entanglement device must be designed specifically to combat spinning weapons.

Prior to the Revival run, the purpose of entanglement devices extended beyond simply incapacitating spinning weapons. Competitors from the 1994, 1995 and 1996 US events relied on a variety of devices to snare and completely immobilise opponents, including nets, tape and chains. The mousetrap hazards, in use for the aforementioned events, also contained nets for this purpose. The 1997 competition introduced a blanket ban on all 'fiber weaponry and construction' types, with the notable exception of fibres used in composite armour materials. Tape was also outlawed as a type of liquid-based weaponry.

While the original UK ruleset was adapted from the general rules for the 1997 US competition, a ban on entanglement devices was not explicitly mentioned in any build rules or guides issued for the Classic Series. However, woven or threaded devices such as 'webbing', nets and mesh were still considered to be outlawed in the televised show during this period, with additional factors including entanglement on arena hazards based around cutting discs or angle grinders.

Restrictions

The following restrictions on entanglement devices were outlined in the Series 10 build rules:

• Separation: "Entanglement devices must not cause two or more robots to be entangled together to the point where a battle requires intervention in order for it to continue."
• Materials & Construction Type: "Any entanglement devices constructed with rope, wire, chain and similar materials may not be interlaced or woven. Nets, cloth, chainmail and similar are prohibited."
• Maximum Length: "The maximum permitted length of rope, wire, chain and any similar materials is 1m."

Advantages and Disadvantages

Advantages

Trilobyte's cloth entangles the drum spinner of Mad Cow Bot

Snookums' fabric snags the spinner of Medusa Oblongotta

Iron-Awe 6's entanglement cannon ruptures, releasing debris which beached Tauron

• Entanglement devices, when successfully used, directly counter one of the most successful and damaging weapon types in modern Robot Wars - spinners. They can result in the spinner jamming if they are snagged, rendering the weapon ineffective, such as when the steel hoops of Thor disabled the bar spinner of Cathadh.
• The absorption of entanglement devices can cause other kinds of damage beyond spinner failure. For example, Gabriel 2's ropes succeeded in seizing Aftershock's weapon motor and ripping out some of its internal wiring once the latter's disc snagged them.
• Devices such as rope and chains can be applied to a robot externally, making them easily to affix and replace.
• Being an inactive addition to a robot, potentially made from soft material, entanglement devices do not contribute heavily to a robot's weight.
• Most entanglement devices are inexpensive, and require little-to-no engineering to apply.
• There are occasions where entanglement devices can be used offensively; the bolts applied to Gabriel 2's entanglement device immobilised Big Nipper in battle.
• Entanglement devices were a new addition to robotic combat, and are generally not applied to robots in battles that do not involve spinners, adding a surprise factor to each device.
• The debris created by entanglement devices can halt the movement of the opponent's wheels on the arena floor, as seen when Iron-Awe 6's entanglement cannons left enough debris on the floor to immobilise Tauron.

Disadvantages

The cloth of 4x4, designed to snag Hypno-Disc's horizontal flywheel, failed to snag the vertical drum of Barber-Ous 2

Bulldog Breed's mesh, used to protect its inner workings, caused controversy after it fell out mid-battle

Aftershock removes one of Crackers' entanglement devices

• Entanglement devices designed to combat one form of spinner, such as a horizontal flywheel, may not work for different spinners such as a vertical disc.
• The rules on entanglement devices are stringent, leading to the potential rejection of devices, or penalties for unapproved usage. Bulldog Breed was penalised in Series 7 for placing mesh underneath its flipper to protect its valves, which fell out during battle.
• An entanglement device used by a robot with a spinner of its own risks jamming their own weapon. As a preventative measure, Team Ballistix removed the straw hair from Donald Thump before battles due to concerns that it would get caught by the robot's bar spinner.
• Robots and weapons designed purely to entangle spinners, such as Skye, have little in the way of offensive output.
• Certain entanglement devices, such as the hair of Milly-Ann Bug, are flammable.
• The effectiveness of entanglement devices can be compromised by the durability of the mechanisms holding them. For example, the devices attached to Crackers could not entangle any spinners, as the metal its chains were attached to could be easily ripped away by vertical spinners, such as the discs of Aftershock and Big Nipper.
• Although the debris created by entanglement devices can hinder the movement of opponents, a similar threat is posed to the initial user of the device.

"If someone uses entanglement against us and it doesn't work, then they'll be punished accordingly."

— Dave Moulds in the Series 10 Grand Final

List of robots with entanglement devices

Robots are listed alphabetically.

DESKTOP MODE ONLY: Robots from the 1994-1996 US competitions are highlighted in purple.

Robot	Series Appearances with Entanglement devices	Entanglement device	Image
4x4	Series 6	Cloth was applied to the robot to snag the flywheel of Hypno-Disc, but could not entangle Barber-Ous 2. Was not disciplined for usage despite entangling devices being illegal at the time.	4x4 with its cloth
Andy Roid	1994-1995 US Championships	Rear-facing devices used to snare opponents. In 1994, this consisted of a small device which unravelled pieces of string. The 1995 incarnation exchanged this for a net launcher, fired from three yellow 'guns' at the back. 1994 Lightweight Face-Off runner-up.	Andy Roid uses string to entangle Spiny Norman during the 1994 Lightweight Face-Off
Cobra	Series 10	Thin wire hooks were hung from Cobra's rear-mounted HARDOX wedge ahead of its World Series battle with the drum spinner of Sabretooth.	Cobra with lengths of wire
Crackers 'n' Smash	Series 10	Four chains were hung from Crackers, to be absorbed by vertical spinners.	Crackers with its loose chains
Diotoir	Series 5	Although Diotoir's fur coat was largely decorative and was in most series not an entanglement device, slits were intentionally cut into its fur ahead of Diotoir's battle with Tornado, successfully snagging its opponent's drum. Diotoir had also previously entangled the blade of Pussycat in the Series 4 Celebrity Special.	Diotoir with slits cut into its fur to battle Tornado
Donald Thump	Series 10	Straw hair placed atop Donald Thump's top armour, to reference the blonde hair of Donald Trump. Unused on television out of the team's fear of jamming their own weapon.	Donald Thump, with straw 'hair'
Eruption	Series 10	In the World Series only, Eruption applied a metal hoop to its flipper in order to combat the bar spinner of Cathadh.	Eruption feeds its metal hoop to Cathadh
Evil Weevil	Series 3	Had strips of velcro on the armour, to snag chainsaws. Not used again in Series 4.	Evil Weevil in Series 3
Fuzzy Yum Yum	1995 US Championship	Tape-snagging device placed at the back of the robot. 1995 Super Lightweight Melee Finalist. Later became part of Triple Redundancy.	Fuzzy Yum Yum in 1996
Gabriel 2	Series 10	Could use an interchangeable mace polearm with hanging ropes attached, to dangle the ropes in the direction of spinners.	Gabriel 2 with its ropes and polearm
Gemini	Series 4	For the Celebrity Special only, both halves sported decorative Kevlar hair under the captaincy of Anthea and Wendy Turner. Though not explicitly intended to function as an entanglement device, Jonathan Pearce commented on the hair's potential to 'mesh up' internals and rotating weapons during its Semi-Final against Diotoir.	Gemini sporting Kevlar hair under the wing of the Turner sisters
Iron-Awe 6	Series 10	Had removable sets of 'entanglement cannons' mounted on either side of the robot's chassis, containing compressed air and debris, which is released upon contact with spinners. Interchangeable with a line of maces to use when the cannons could not be used.	Iron-Awe 6, with 'entanglement cannons' fitted
Kitty Puff Puff	1995 US Championship	Rear tape dispenser. 1995 Lightweight Melee Champion.	Kitty Puff Puff, armed with tape devices
Lightning Tracks	US Season 2	Equipped loose chains and ropes at the rear of the robot in an effort to entangle the spinning disc of Destructive Criticism.	Lightning Tracks guides its loose chains towards Destructive Criticism
Marvin	1996 US Championship	Could be used as a flail; chains were added to entangle any spinner it would come across.	Marvin with the chain
Milly-Ann Bug	Series 2, 4	Had Kevlar hair which was intended to snag chainsaws and other spinning weapons. The hair was not present in Series 3. First robot, in the TV show, to use an entanglement device.	Milly-Ann Bug, the first UK Series robot to use an entanglement device
My Little Pony	1996 US Championship	Featherweight armed with tape reels. Each reel had a 'rare earth magnet' attached to one end to stick onto and snare opponents with metal components. Thick foam used as armour to prevent it from getting entangled itself.	My Little Pony used tape (front) to snare its featherweight opponents
Push to Exit	Series 10	Loose flails at the back of the robot, and fixed wires on the sides were both applied.	Push to Exit with its side ropes
Rapid	Series 10	For its Grand Final Redemption battle against Carbide, Team RPD added a chain to Rapid's right-hand side, with the sole purpose of snagging the defending champion's bar spinner.	Rapid's entanglement chain
Roach	1996 US Championship	Featherweight walker; blue plastic tarpaulin sheets attached to the top, front and side frames. The latter were bottom-hinged and could swing down to snare opponents via a winch mechanism. A large net also featured at one end.	Roach with its entanglement armour
S.P.S. #2	1995 US Championship	Super Lightweight entry (featherweight). First and only flying robot; a large net would be suspended beneath the machine and dropped to entangle opponents below. Recipient of the 1995 'Strangest' award.	S.P.S. #2, aiming to drop its net onto Ziggy
Satoru Special 3	1996 US Championship	Middleweight; used twin 'spring-loaded launchers' within a wooden turret to fire out an approximately 10ft-long net. Cited for entanglement "fibre" weapon bans in American Robot Wars 1996.	Satoru Special 3 with its net
Scrappy	1996 US Championship	Middleweight; sides of the robot featured nets mounted on poles as part of the 'junk' attached to its bodyshell. Used to snag Agamemnon's twin sawblades, in a Face-Off match not highlighted in American Robot Wars 1996.	Scrappy, minus entanglement nets
Snookums	US Season 2	The sacrificial rear tail was used to entangle Medusa Oblongotta and Ninjitsu.	Snookums with its rear tail
SPS3	1996 US Championship	Used a series of nets and sponge balls as a way to entangle opponents and their weapons. Cited for entanglement "fibre" weapon bans in American Robot Wars 1996.	SPS3 with two nets, sponge balls and a dangling 'carrot'
Terrorhurtz	Series 10	Two small chains were attached to the front wedge of Terrorhurtz during the 10 Robot Rumble to snag the drum spinners of Concussion and Sabretooth.	Terrorhurtz bears side-mounted entanglement devices
The Revolutionist	Nickelodeon	Ropes were added to the top of The Revolutionist to entangle the blade of Propeller-Head.	The Revolutionist with ropes attached
The Swarm	Series 10	One part of the clusterbot, Skye, was designed purely to combat spinners, featuring an 'overhead windmill structure' with six pieces of tyre surrounding the robot.	Skye, one part of The Swarm
Thor	Series 10	For its Heat Final against Magnetar, several steel ropes were added to Thor's front end in an attempt to snag Magnetar's drum and damage its weapon belt. For the World Series, a pair of hoop-like attachments were added to the front, each featuring steel cables which succeeded in snagging Cathadh's bar spinner.	Thor with its steel ropes
Trilobyte	US Season 2	Cloth and ropes were applied to Trilobyte, successfully jamming the drum of Mad Cow Bot.	Trilobyte entangles Mad Cow Bot's drum
Triple Redundancy	1996 US Championship	Featherweight clusterbot, incorporating 1995 entrant Fuzzy Yum Yum. Used reels of tape which were attached to all three clusterbot segments; the tape strands would unravel, snare and wrap up around opponents. Cited for entanglement weapon bans in American Robot Wars 1996.	Triple Redundancy deploys its tape in combat

Trivia

• The Fur of Nemesis, Diotoir, Killerkat and Bee-Capitator had the ability to entangle spinners, but did not officially qualify as entanglement devices, as they were purely decorative by intention.
  • In Series 6, Thor had pieces of fur lining its sides and pieces of cloth around its hammer head. Although neither were intended to be used as entanglement devices, the fur succeeded in seizing Tornado's drum during their second-round battle.
• The coil found in the centre of MouseTrap was also added only for aesthetic purposes, but briefly disabled the vertical spinner of S3 after its absorption.
• In Series 2 - as further explained in Robot Wars Revealed - GroundHog was equipped with an optional net attached beneath its main body by yellow straps within its legs. This was intended purely to allow the robot to handle the ball in the Football Trial, thus it would not have been used as an entanglement device in combat.
• Although a purely functional addition to the robot, essential to the use of its weaponry, the hydraulic cables of Eleven nevertheless entangled the spinner of 3 Stegs 2 Heaven and caused both robots to become locked together.
• The Robot Wars website claims that the hand-shaped lifter of HIGH-5 could entangle spinners, but this was not proven when given the opportunity.
• Destruct-A-Bubble intended to use a "hairnet" as an entanglement device, but this was illegal at the time, and could not use the hairnet.
• The Series 7 incarnation of Bulldog Breed initially had a mesh bundle placed inside as protection for its pneumatic cylinders. During its Round 1 melee - also involving drum spinner Infernal Contraption - the untethered mesh fell out, prompting controversy amidst concerns that it was potentially an 'illegal' entanglement weapon. The Judges, while taking the mesh into account, ultimately deemed that it had no impact on Bulldog Breed's progression into the second round. Following an explanation by the Bulldog Breed team, the mesh was removed and the team given an 'official warning' from Derek Foxwell not to use it again.