- "Team Frostbite - we cut through to the bone!"
- — Derek Farr
Frostbite was a heavyweight robot which competed in Series 9 of Robot Wars. It was entered by a team of thirteen-year old students and their technology teacher, having built the robot in an after-school club. In its appearance, Frostbite reached the second round of its heat before receiving substantial damage from Supernova in its first Head-to-Head battle, which forced it to withdraw as a result.
Design[]
- "Frostbite is a fully invertible robot made of tubular steel and 6mm polycarbonate with a frosted design. It has a 600mm spinning bar which runs at 2,000rpm, but is very light compared to other spinners."
- — Robot Wars: Build Your Own Robot
Front view of Frostbite
Frostbite was one of the largest robots in the series, having taken six months to build, on a small budget of £500. An invertible, two-wheel drive machine weighing only 85kg, it wielded a horizontal chain-driven bar spinner at the front, which the Robot Wars website refers to as a 'very light weapon compared to other spinners'.[1] Nevertheless, a rotational speed of 2,000rpm allowed the 600mm diameter bar to maintain some form of potential damage capability.
Frostbite's armour consisted only of tubular steel and 6mm polycarbonate, the latter contributing to a 'frosted' appearance in keeping with its name. The team described their machine's armour as sacrificial, knowing that it was not durable - however, large spaces were present between the exterior armour and internals, similarly to Series 7 competitor Ripper. This design element contributed to Frosbite's large size, but did not prevent it from taking severe damage as demonstrated throughout its Series 9 campaign.
The Team[]
- "The team created Frostbite in their weekly after school Technology Club, and it cost them under £500. Though it is untested within the arena, the team insist it has actually been tested around school, which can be noted by the damaged school furniture."
- — The Robot Wars website on Team Frostbite
Frostbite with its team
Team Frostbite consisted of a school team from Kingston Grammar School, captained by 54-year old design and technology teacher Derek Farr, who conducted the team's interviews and operated the weaponry in battle. The rest of the team was comprised of 13-year old students, with Harry Fletcher driving the robot in battle, Thomas Skeates assisting with maintenance, and Chris Wilding managing the marketing of the robot, according to the Robot Wars website.
- "The boys have been very involved in the weekly club, and are consistently working on new projects and challenges, such as Vex Robotics and Greenpower Electric Car Racing. Recently they held driving practice to see who was the most skilled in preparation for the competition."
- — The Robot Wars website on Team Frostbite
Robot History[]
Series 9[]
Frostbite competed in Heat D of Series 9, where they faced long-time veteran and Third World Championship runner up Supernova, as well as fellow newcomer HIGH-5, and Team Memento Mori's new robot Wyrm. The team entered the arena with a custom blanket covering up their robot, removing it in their 'hero shot'.
- "We'll definitely be remembered, whether it be for winning, or losing fantastically!"
- — Chris of Team Frostbite
Frostbite's armour is shattered by Supernova, but the robot survives
The battle started, and Frostbite evaded the action in order for its bar to reach full spinning speed. However, it was too cumbersome, and Supernova broadsided it, throwing shards of polycarbonate across the arena, and slicing Frostbite's tyre. This significantly hindered Frostbite's mobility, but it was still capable of moving away from Supernova, while HIGH-5 broke down, and Wyrm immobilised itself. Although its bar spinner had stopped, and Frostbite's wheel was falling apart, it was left victorious, as Supernova left it alone until cease was called.
- Angela Scanlon: "Lads, not the longest fight in the world!"
- Harry Fletcher: "No, but we're still moving, the weapon still worked, wheels still worked, the lights are still on, so we'll live to fight another day!"
- — Team Frostbite's driver on the condition of their robot
Team Frostbite returned to the pits to investigate the damage their robot had sustained. Although the armour was shredded, Frostbite was mostly intact due to the amount of space between its armour and internals. This allowed it to re-enter the arena for another encounter with Supernova. The team applied an extra 12mm polycarbonate panel to the back of the robot, to protect its wiring from the powerful flywheel.
- "They need to stay out of trouble, they picked up damage in that first group battle."
- — Jonathan Pearce on Frostbite
Frostbite is lifted by the floor flipper
Frostbite challenges Supernova head-on
Once again, Frostbite avoided Supernova at the start of the battle in an effort to reach maximum spinning speeds, although it drove over the floor flipper in the process, throwing it up before Frostbite challenged Supernova, and in a clash between the two weapons, Frostbite came off worse, but survived the attack. Frostbite was less fortunate in Supernova's next attack, and Frostbite's side panel was blown apart, also disabling one of Frostbite's wheels.
- "Oh no, not again!"
- — Harry Fletcher on Frostbite's hampered wheel
Frostbite is split apart by Supernova
Frostbite sustains even more damage from Shunt
Frostbite turned away, but Supernova's follow-up attack obliterated the armour of Frostbite, and even tore away its spinning bar. Frostbite was immobilised, but Supernova continued to attack, ripping away its back panel, and even after 'cease' was called, Shunt punched through the top armour of Frostbite, and pulled the lift off. Off-screen, Sir Killalot also picked up Frostbite and dropped it in the pit[2], leaving the robot from Kingston Grammar School in a dismal position to remain in the competition.
- "I'm afraid tonight, the lights are going out, for Frostbite!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
The ruined Frostbite
Frostbite returned to The Pits, and the team discovered that even beyond the copious external damage, Frostbite's internal drive motors had also been destroyed, and the team did not own any spares to replace it. Although Frostbite was intended to face fellow bar spinner Ironside3 in its next battle, the team had already conceded moments after leaving the arena. The broken Frostbite withdrew from the competition, and it was replaced by Wyrm.
- Derek Farr: "We could've had an easier route to the final, which would have been nice, we didn't, we faced some really tough opponents, but this is Robot Wars. We came, we saw, we exploded!"
- Chris Wilding: "Yeah, into millions of icicles!"
- — Team Frostbite on their withdrawal
Results[]
| FROSTBITE - RESULTS | ||
| Series 9 | ||
| Series 9 - UK Championship Round 2, Withdrew | ||
| Heat D, Group Battle | vs. HIGH-5, Supernova, Wyrm | Qualified |
| Heat D, Head-to-Heads | vs. Supernova | Lost (0 points) |
| NOTE: After the first Head-to-Head, Frostbite was forced to retire so Wyrm was reinstated in its place. | ||
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 1
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
| Series | Frostbite Series Record |
|---|---|
| Series 1-7 | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Heat Round 2, Withdrew |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Gallery[]
Trivia[]
- Frostbite was the lightest robot in Series 9 at 85kg, discounting the variable weight of Jellyfish.
- This also means that out of all the robots to be the lightest within their respective UK series, Frostbite was the heaviest.
References[]
External Links[]
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