- "One of the most important achievements of our team was a successful selection for participation in the legendary show Robot Wars in England."
- — Weber Robotics website (translated from Russian)
Weber was a heavyweight robot which competed in the second episode of Robot Wars: World Series, filmed as part of Robot Wars: Series 10. The first and only robot to represent Russia on the show, it performed well throughout its appearances, but was overwhelmed by experienced British competitors Eruption and Big Nipper in its Tag Team battle, and lost its head-to-head against Concussion. The team were known as Weber Robotics, who also use the name Team Big Brother at Russian events.
Design[]
- "The Weber robot was created for battles in Russia, and under the terms of the regulations it was forbidden to use sheet steel. This condition was for entertainment. It was allowed to use only pipes of square or round cross-section. The rest of the team plated the Robots with plastic, we did not do it and came up with a design. As far as participating in different leagues, the robot began to be sheathed with armor plates."
- — Weber Robotics on the skeletal design of Weber (translated from Russian)[1]
Weber was a wedge-shaped, two-wheel drive robot powered by four batteries. These yellow wheels are exposed so that Weber can drive on its back end. The robot’s weapon is a large rear-hinged flipper, fired using a powerful piston, and retracted by bungee cords, although these cords have previously snapped in battle. The robot is comparatively lightweight at 70kg, although this offers Weber a high top speed of 15.5mph. Weber's 8mm steel armour shares similarities with Beast, in that the robot’s skeleton and flipper are made from steel frames with various gaps leaving its internal components exposed. Underneath the flipper is a threatening smile with LED eyes, visible through the robot's framework.
- "Weber is a pneumatic flipper, especially designed to work in the minus -25°C of the Moscow-- phwoar, that's cold!"
- — Jonathan Pearce
The version of Weber which competed in the World Series featured several differences compared to its live circuit setup, including additional back armour, and different wheels. The robot was also 20kg lighter, as the robot's weight is normally 90kg, according to the Weber Robotics website. Many of these changes were made due to Weber being disassembled for travel to the United Kingdom, and alterations were made to the robot during reconstruction.
- "The matter is that when we participated in RW, we have taken our robot in luggage with us on plane. ( RW were not covering shipment cost for the proper custom clearance.) That is why we brought it in sutecases [sic] disassembled and welded onsite at RW. During the assembly we decided to protect wheels with additional shielding, that is how our current look in the international series came from. Later already in Moscow we decide to change wheels and add full protection."
- — Alan Gubiev[2]
The Team[]
Weber Robotics in the pits at Robot Wars
Weber Robotics in a televised shot
The Moscow-based Weber Robotics (alternatively Team Big Brother) were the only Russian team to compete on Robot Wars, and represented their country in the process. The team was usually captained by Andrei (Andrew) Taktashov, although the lead speaker in the team's interviews and temporary captain for Robot Wars was Russian Space Agency staff member Alan Gubiev, partially because of his proficiency with the English language. Misha Gaziev was the team's welding expert, and Akim Lesovets maintained the electronic systems and radio links. Outside of the televised team, Weber Robotics also includes teammates Dima, Novel and Alexey.
Robot History[]
Series 10[]
As part of the Rest of the World team, Weber represented Russia in Robot Wars: World Series, aired as part of Series 10. Appearing in Episode 2, it first entered a Tag Team battle with Dutch teammate THE BASH; the pair fought reigning British champion Eruption and experienced UK competitor Big Nipper. The robot's flipper blade was notably covered in Team Nemesis' polka-dot fur for the fight.
- "We are the first team from Russia, for the whole history of the existence of Robot Wars which took part in this cult show. For us as a team it was how to get into a children's fairy tale. After all, we, as boys, enjoyed watching the first seasons on TV back in the late 90's, and now this childhood place is fulfilled, we fought on equal terms with the mastodons of games, the teams that have been taking part in the battles for 20 years already."
- — Weber Robotics website (translated from Russian)
Weber is thrown by Eruption
Weber started against Eruption, with both robots driving at each other early on. Eruption proved to have the lower front, with Weber sliding up the flipper, before reversing off it. Eruption caught up with Weber and dug underneath again, flipping Weber into the air. Weber darted away from Eruption before turning into the champions and flipping it over.
Weber flicks Eruption over
Eruption self-righted quickly while Weber missed another flip. It then drove over the Floor Flipper, and it was thrown through the air, landing on its wheels. Weber retreated from Eruption, but quickly turned towards it again, missing with a flip as it was pressured into the CPZ containing Big Nipper. Weber quickly escaped, being lifted slightly by Big Nipper along the way, and tagged THE BASH. However, it soon found itself back in the action after THE BASH was immediately flipped and immobilised by Eruption. Weber attempted to nudge THE BASH, but was pushed away by Dead Metal as it came in to attack the Dutch machine.
Weber is thrown by the Floor Flipper
Big Nipper lifted up THE BASH, and Weber inadvertently pushed THE BASH over, knocking off its turret in the process. Weber flicked the back of Big Nipper as it pushed THE BASH into Dead Metal. As Big Nipper turned to focus on Weber, the Russian robot missed a flip, allowing Big Nipper to dig its claws between the flipper and body of Weber and pushing it into an arena wall. Weber was briefly lifted off the ground by Big Nipper, before escaping the claws after rearing up. It was pushed some more by Big Nipper, and failed to flip Big Nipper again.
- "Big expansive waste of energy there by Weber, trying to get the flipper into use."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Weber is held up by Big Nipper
It flipped THE BASH's broken turret as Big Nipper tagged Eruption. Weber activated Rogue House Robot before being flipped from behind by Eruption. Weber drove into Dead Metal after mistiming a charge at Eruption, and was pushed into an arena wall by the House Robot. Eruption attempted to free Weber from the clutches of Dead Metal by lifting the House Robot, but was unable to do so. Weber took damage from Dead Metal's circular saw, sparks flying as the armour was damaged. Eventually, it flipped its way out of Dead Metal's grip, but was put under pressure by Eruption once more, and it tumbled through the air after being flipped by the champions. Big Nipper came out to attack Weber too, but Weber flipped Big Nipper up slightly in reply, before retreating from both of its opponents. Eruption flipped Weber from behind, almost throwing it out of the arena, but Weber bounced back off the wall. Unfortunately, it was left stranded on its back, and failed to self-right. It was quickly counted out while Big Nipper and Eruption attacked Dead Metal, and 'cease' was called.
Weber is almost flipped out of the arena by Eruption
- "Bit of inexperience showing there. Onto the Floor Flipper, and each time they come down they can sustain damage, rocking and rolling a little bit there... Very nearly in Siberia, bounced back down, but back into the fire of the arena."
- — Jonathan Pearce assesses Weber after cease
In its Head-to-Head battle, Weber faced Concussion, and needed to beat the UK robot in order for Team Rest of the World to have any hopes of still winning the tournament.
- "Team captain Alan from the Weber team works for the Russian space agency! His job is to organise rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, so if you want something shot into space - like your boss - Alan is the man to talk to!"
- — Jonathan Pearce introduces Weber Robotics before their second fight
Weber overturns itself early on
Weber started slowly, edging backwards while Concussion darted off its starting position in an arc. Weber moved towards Concussion and took a small hit from the drum, and it flipped itself over after missing an attack. Weber took a few seconds to self-right, but eventually did so. Concussion quickly slammed into Weber and started spinning on the spot, and Weber held off before being hit by the drum again. Weber was briefly pushed over the pit, but turned away and drove underneath Concussion from the side, its wedge flipping Concussion over.
- "They need to win this, and within time as well. Can't allow it even to go to the judges if the Rest of the World is to stand a chance of winning."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Weber turns Concussion over
After Concussion self-righted via its drum, Weber pushed under it again, trapping Concussion in the grip of Dead Metal, whose saw connected with the drum. With both robots released from the House Robot, Weber pressed the Dial of Doom, which activated Rogue House Robot. This allowed Dead Metal to come in and attack Weber, pushing it back against the Dial. Weber was pressured into Sir Killalot's CPZ by Dead Metal, but dodged Sir Killalot, instead driving back into Dead Metal, sending sparks flying as it attempted to lift up the House Robot, to no avail.
- "The Russians in a sandwich there of House Robots. You really don't wanna be there... And the House Robots taking it out on Weber, over the Flame Pit, and in some distress - they've lost a wheel."
- — Jonathan Pearce
Weber's tyre is removed by Sir Killalot
At this point, Weber backed into Sir Killalot's claw, allowing the House Robot to dislodge one of the tyres on Weber's wheel. This severely hindered Weber's mobility, and it was only able to spin on the spot before Concussion bashed into it from behind, knocking it towards an arena wall. Weber missed a flip on Concussion, who proved too fast for the Russian robot's attack. After absorbing another hit from Concussion, Weber reared up and spun on the spot, but this didn't save it from being counted out and being dumped in the pit by Sir Killalot, quickly followed by Concussion.
Weber feels the force of Concussion's drum
- "Weber spins, but I don't think they spin to win. Lovely pirouette to finish - Concussion were on top though. And Weber, from the Russian Space Agency, hardly in orbit. Arena, we have a problem. Splashdown."
- — Jonathan Pearce
As a result of Weber's loss, Team Rest of the World could no longer catch up to Team UK's points tally of 11 compared to their own 3, giving Team UK the victory overall - eventually by a 16-3 margin.
Results[]
| WEBER - RESULTS | ||
| Series 10 | ||
| World Series, representing Russia Partnered with THE BASH in Tag Team battle | ||
| Episode 2, Tag Team | vs. Eruption & Big Nipper | Lost (0 points) |
| Episode 2, Head-to-Head | vs. Concussion | Lost (0 points) |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
Weber in the arena during Series 10
| Series | Weber Series Record |
|---|---|
| Series 1-7 | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | World Series |
Outside Robot Wars[]
Weber (left) in battle at Perm 2016
In November 2016, Weber debuted at the Perm 2016 Championship in Russia, and won its first group battle by knockout, flipping one robot out of the arena. In its second fight, Weber snapped its bungee cords and could not retract its flipper, but utilised the arena hazards to win. In its third round battle, Weber fought Nan and Pve, and stranded one on the wall, but Weber and the invertible spikebot became locked together, and had to rematch later into the event, where Weber threw it out of the arena. In the final, Weber fought Energy and Solarbot, where the bungee controlling its flipper once again snapped. Regardless, Weber threw Energy of the arena after the opponent flipped Weber’s weapon back into place. The snapped bungee cord proved costly when Solarbot stranded Weber on its side, pushed it over, and eventually threw it out of the arena, resulting in a second-place finish for Weber Robotics.
Weber with wheelguards ahead of its fight with Saint
At Bronebots in 2017, Weber fought Ripper, Solarbot and Thor, surviving the latter's attacks well, but lost when its flipper jammed open, and Weber could not self-right without assistance, and it was eventually pitted. Weber also fought The Saint after creating defensive wheelguards for the battle.
Stingray with Weber Robotics
Stingray
Robot Wars: Series 10 was the first televised show that the team attempted to enter, but Weber Robotics later entered the first season of the Chinese TV show King of Bots. For this, they built Stingray (known as Stingrey on the team's website), an invertible yellow robot armed with a drum spinner. In the first round, it fought a full-body spinner representing the United States of America, Megabyte. However, Stingray was outmatched by the American spinner, as within two hits, Stingray's drum was ripped away. Further attacks from Megabyte immobilised Stingray on one side, and it was counted out less than a minute into the match. Thus, Stingray fell in the first round.
The new Weber at This is Fighting Robots
For the 2018 Chinese series This is Fighting Robots - a spin-off of King of Bots made by the same production company - Weber Robotics built a brand-new version of their titular machine, alternatively referred to under the Chinese name 空间站 (Space Station). This incarnation used a much larger design, with consistent armour plating around the robot, a grey and yellow paint scheme, and a more powerful flipper, but retains the top grates and scowling LED eyes. With this, the previous version of Weber was retired from combat.
Weber was not initially selected by any celebrity managers at the start of This is Fighting Robots, but was able to immobilise Bonesaw in its preliminary group battle by ramming and flipping it over. Its self-righting capability impressed Zhang Yishan enough for him to add it to his Blue team line-up, securing Weber's place in the main competition alongside fellow opponents Green Agate and Mr Hippo. Fighting 008, Cat King and Red River Hong in the Freestyle Combat stage, Weber's form continued to improve, flipping Cat King over to the point that the American machine could no longer use its weaponry and wheels. With 008 also losing full functionality, it became the last robot mobile upon stranding the invertible Red River Hong, taking the subsequent Judges decision despite encountering its own mobility issues. Under the controls of Zhang Yishan, Weber fought Cat King, and its inexperienced new driver initially missed with its flips, overturning the robot, but a late flip on Cat King allowed Weber to again win the Judges' decision. In a head-to-head battle against Tánshè, Weber was one second away from a win by knockout, but Tánshè staged a late comeback and won the Judges' decision over Weber. As a result, Weber was eliminated from the competition.
Weber in October 2018
The version of Weber seen during This is Fighting Robots attended the WorldSkills Hi-Tech 2018 championship, held in Russia in October 2018. For this event, Weber now used a new blue colour to go with its signature grey paintwork.
Weber Robotics have also created four other robots. Dolf I was a top-mounted bar spinner, weighing 75kg, and won the Championship of Armored Light 2015. Piramida weighed 110kg, and used a unique shock pneumatic weapon system. Dolf II was the team’s first flipper, also weighing 90kg, and finished in third place at the Battle of Armorbot 2016. At the same event, the team entered the champion Rake, which weighed 110kg and was armed with a 360 degree lifting bar.
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After a hiatus of several years, the team would return to robot combat in Russia in the 2023 Bitva Robotov event, now backed by the Russian Ministry of Digital Development. Weber Robotics would split into two teams for this, with the majority of the previous team being unable to attend filming due to outside commitments.[3], with both teams producing separate robots. One half of the team, titled Team Big Brother, would compete using Weber 3.0., whilst the other, paradoxically named WeberRobotics, would compete with Voulge. Both competed in Group A[4], which occurred on September 16th, 2023.[5] Weber itself qualified for the Semi-Finals in this event, first being drawn up against NeutRhino, a vertical spinner that it defeated in dominant fashion. Its second battle, however, was against Master of the Fields, a drum spinner designed by the Russian State Agricultural University[6], which was a lengthier affair ultimately decided by a Judges' Decision[7]. However, Voulge was eliminated in the first round against War Machine after overturning itself as a consequence of a failed attack.
Later, in Group B, Weber entered a third robot, Kolobakha, a vertical spinner. It won against Red Millers, a horizontal spinner, after its opponent's wheels were severely damaged before being grouped into a three-way melee alongside Godspeed and Red Triangle. Despite spending much of the match beached on top of the former, it ultimately advanced through to the Semi-Finals alongside Weber. Both Weber and Kolobakha competed in the upcoming Semi-Finals on December 13th. There was a community vote organised to decide the final entrant, being one robot that had been eliminated from the qualifiers, including Voulge. However, the vote was eventually won by Hypericum[8] instead, thus confirming Vougle's elimination from Bitva Robotov 2023.
In the Semi-Finals, Weber was drawn against Wayside-23, a vertical spinner from a team with some success on the Russian Beetleweight scene.[9] Although initially competitive, Weber eventually knocked itself out after it mistimed a flip and was unable to self-right. Meanwhile, Kolobakha was drawn against eventual winner of the Best Fight Award, Atom, a two-wheel drum spinner with significant experience, which managed to last to a Judges' Decision before losing, thus eliminating both remaining robots in the team from the competition. Kolobakha, however, later competed in a demonstration alongside Daddy, piloted by a member of the audience, where it was first used to attack a printer and television before it engaged with Daddy, where the match was stopped without a declared winner.
Later, Team Big Brother was selected as one of six Russian representatives for the SuperFinals from February 24th-26th 2024 alongside Atom, [[1]], a flipper that had previously fought in Clash Bots and from the team behind former Battlebots competitor [[2]], later renamed to Iron Wind for Bitva Robotov '23, Daddy, Master of the Fields and Wayside-23[10], the latter of which automatically qualified as a podium finisher. Alongside them, several international robots are scheduled to compete, including Godspeed, a drum spinner hailing from India, and [Scrap], a drum spinner from China that had previously competed in King of Bots, both qualifying due to placing 2nd and 1st respectively.
Trivia[]
Weber's cameo in Heat E
- Before appearing in the World Series, Weber made a cameo appearance in Heat E of Series 10, behind Jason Marston. It made a further appearance during the Grand Final, appearing on a pit bench immediately behind Ellis Ware and Magnetar during a post-Redemption interview.
- Weber's original Russian name, Big Brother, is shared by a successful UK competitor.
- Weber was the only robot to represent Russia in Robot Wars.
- In a VT for Weber, Alan Gubiev was filmed standing with JAR for unclear reasons.
- As the team entered This is Fighting Robots with a new version of Weber, this makes Weber the only robot to compete in the rebooted series of Robot Wars and another televised competition.
See Also[]
References[]
- ↑ Private correspondence between User:VulcansHowl and Weber Robotics on Facebook, 9th January 2018
- ↑ Private correspondence between User:VulcansHowl and Weber Robotics, 11th January 2018
- ↑ https://vk.com/@champbitvarobotov-intervu-kapitana-komandy-weber-robotics
- ↑ https://vk.com/video/@champbitvarobotov?z=video-219465931_456239306%2Fclub219465931%2Fpl_-219465931_-2
- ↑ https://www.gosuslugi.ru/bitvarobotov
- ↑ https://vk.com/video-219465931_456239306
- ↑ https://vk.com/video/@champbitvarobotov?z=video-219465931_456239373%2Fclub219465931%2Fpl_-219465931_-2
- ↑ https://vk.com/champbitvarobotov?w=wall-219465931_5307
- ↑ https://vk.com/@robotfightclub-uchastniki-sorevnovanii-rfc-turbomehatroniki
- ↑ https://t.me/champbattleofrobots/268
External Links[]
- Weber Robotics website
- Weber Robotics Official Instagram
- Weber Robotics Facebook page
- Weber Robotics Community YouTube channel
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