Hercules

Hercules
Participation Information
US 1994-1997 Events	1997
Team Information
Team	Team Nightmare
Team Members	Jim Smentowski Erica Smentowski Ken Corvino Lydia Greenfield
From	Navato, California
Robot Statistics
Weight	169lbs
Power	4x 14V 12Ah batteries
Drive	1hp 48V DC motors
Weapons	Lifter; interchangeable 'hammer' and spinning blades
Statistics correct as of its most recent show/competition appearance, or if not applicable, qualification attempt.

"Hercules 1997 was my first attempt at a combat robot. I felt good about the design, but lacked some of the skills and materials to make things work the way I wanted, but went for it anyway."

— Jim Smentowski on the 1997 Hercules

Hercules was a heavyweight robot which competed exclusively in the 1997 US Robot Wars competition. The first robot built by Jim Smentowski, builder of future BattleBots vertical spinners Nightmare and Backlash, it suffered a devastating loss in its Heavyweight Face-Off debut against Blendo, which contributed to the latter’s forfeit on safety grounds. Hercules also lost its subsequent Loser's Bracket match by knockout against Monster, eliminating it from the Face-Off altogether.

At the same event, Hercules redeemed itself by reaching the finals of the Heavyweight Melee tournament, but was defeated by BioHazard at that stage. It also fought an informal 'Grudge Match' against Autonomous class champion Thumper, stranding Bob Gross' machine against the side wall to win.

Design

Hercules was a two-wheel drive robot with a double-wedged aluminum and steel chassis, along with supporting castor wheels at both ends. The main aluminum sheets were repurposed from old computer cases and formed two separate bulkheads, with 3-inch steel tubes helping secure the side plates together. Both of Hercules' 8-inch wheels were sourced from a motorized wheelchair, fitted with pneumatic tires and deemed to provide optimal grip across the arena floor. Drive was provided by 48V DC motors, each with an output of 1hp. By the start of its 1997 campaign, a Vantec RDFR speed controller and four 12V 12Ah batteries were also utilized.

Hercules in the arena, modified with a beacon for battles with autonomous competitors

Hercules' main weapon was an electric lifting arm, powered by a 12V DC gearmotor with a chain/sprocket reduction system. The steel arm had a quoted lifting capacity of 200lbs and self-righting capabilities, the latter made possible through the mechanism having a beyond-180 degree reach (270 degrees according to Jim Smentowski). Full self-righting would be accomplished once the arm was fully raised, and fully lowered in the opposite direction. The tip of the arm could be configured to sport various attachments to suit different opponents, including three small spikes, and a 'spatula-like' lip made specifically to breach Blendo's ground clearance.

The back of Hercules also incorporated a set of interchangeable rear spinning weapons, including 'synthetic diamond wheels', a pair of metal cutters and a set of chain flails. All rotated on a '5,300rpm dual-shaft motor', itself suspended from a swinging arm to minimize damage to the weapons themselves. In some cases, the spinning mechanism could be exchanged for a static 'hammer' attachment, again devised at the last minute to counter Blendo.

During construction, a number of changes were made to Hercules' chassis and armor. One side of the chassis was reinforced with a checkerplated steel plate, to counteract the forces of its own weapon gearmotor. Extra stainless steel plates were added, including a pair of 2lb plates on the front, as well as sharpened bolts to counter the risk of Hercules being side-stranded.

Etymology

Hercules likely took its name from the Roman hero, famed in classic mythology for his strength.

Robot History

1997 US Championship

Hercules' 1997 Robot Wars campaign began in the Heavyweight Face-Off. To the dismay of Jim Smentowski, it was drawn against Blendo in the first round.

"Well, this was the worst part of the whole event for 'ol Hercules. The day before, I must have jinxed myself, because after checking out the competitors, I told my crew that I would be OK against just about any of them, except for "Blendo"- the meanest robot there, built by Jamie Hyneman of M5 Industries. Well, guess who they picked to battle Hercules in his very first fight? That's right. The same robot that was disqualified two years prior for being too 'dangerous', the same robot that spins at 70mph with a steel flywheel and ominous blades, yes, they picked me to fight Blendo."

— Jim Smentowski on Hercules' draw against Blendo

To improve its chances of surviving against M5 Industries' shell spinner, a number of alterations were made to Hercules before the fight began. These included swapping the original lifter spikes for the 'spatula' lip, and removing the twin saws for the 'hammer' attachment, intended to act as a battering ram. Smentowski opted to match both weapon modifications with a control-based strategy, in an attempt to neutralize Blendo's weapon before lifting it.

Hercules and Blendo make contact

Part of Hercules is left embedded in the arena side wall

In the opening seconds, Hercules raised its lifter to get its newly-fitted attachment into use. It turned around and backed into the spinning Blendo, the hammer grazing the top of Blendo's wok-based shell. On impact, one of the stainless steel panels attached to Hercules was ripped off, hurtling towards and into one of the surrounding Plexiglass wall sections.

Both competitors drove away from each other for a few moments. Hercules spun slowly while waving its lifter in the air, and tried to drive past the approaching Blendo. However, this proved costly as Blendo hit it from the side, sending Hercules spinning into the wall next to a spike trap hazard. The impact caused major damage throughout the machine; not only did Blendo tear through the aluminum panel, but also shorted motor wires and destroyed the Vantec speed controller. Hercules, fully immobile, lost the battle by knockout, though Blendo's first attack ultimately resulted in its forfeit from the whole event.

The following morning, Jim Smentowski created a homemade speed controller to replace the Vantec, using servos, switches and relays bought from a nearby electronics store. To allow enough space to fit the new control box, one of the batteries was removed, leaving Hercules with only three-quarters of its available power output. The replacement controller was finished and installed just ten minutes before Hercules' next battle - its Loser's Bracket bout against Monster.

"This battle lasted no longer than the first. I wanted to keep Hercules' sides away from that spike on the Monster, to avoid getting rammed by that thing, but because I could barely steer, and was running at about half power, it didn't take long for the Monster to catch me off guard."

— Jim Smentowski

A tentative start saw Hercules dodging Monster's first charge, though the internal alterations meant that it could not keep up with Kevin Knoedler's machine. While both robots also narrowly avoided the spike traps, it was speared and pushed from the left-hand side by Monster, which proceeded to smash Hercules into the upper-left wall and flipper. The impact was enough to not only cut a wire powering Hercules' lifting arm, but also shake one of its battery terminals loose. As a result, Hercules became immobilized as it tried to drive away and was whacked multiple times by the flipper paddle. Jim Smentowski informed the Judges of his machine's state, after which Hercules was declared to have been eliminated by knockout.

Moments after Hercules' fate was confirmed, a miscommunication by Kevin Knoedler resulted in Monster driving up its front wedge shape. According to Smentowski, Knoedler believed that Hercules had merely become stranded, and attempted to free it so that the match could continue. While Monster's late attack was met with booing from the audience, Knoedler would apologize to Smentowski not long after.

"Well, since this event was double elimination, and Hercules had lost his two fights, there wasn't anything left to look forward to except the melee and any grudge matches.

Later that afternoon, I was asked/challenged by one of the autonomous robot creators- "Thumper" if I would like to do battle against him (he had alredy beaten the tar out of the only other autonomous robots). By then, I was feeling a little more confident with my makeshift control system (we even got the mixing feature working again on my Radio transmitter, so steering wasn't nearly so hard as before), so I said sure!"

— Jim Smentowski, on the Grudge Match between Hercules and the autonomous Thumper

Though no longer able to take part in the Heavyweight Face-Off, Jim Smentowski continued adjusting and restoring Hercules' controls ahead of later competitions. During this time, he was approached by Bob Gross, builder of Thumper, who wished to challenge Hercules in a head-to-head 'Grudge Match'. Smentowski accepted, modifying Hercules further to add an infra-red beacon - to allow Thumper to track its movements across the arena - and swap its twin saws for the flails.

Much of the 'Grudge Match' itself was primarily intended to showcase Thumper's autonomous capabilities. As such, once Thumper gently nudged and lifted its flail arm, Hercules lead it forwards while Michael Meehan initiated the official countdown, before the two robots collided with each other a few times. Hercules struggled to inflict damage with its flail, and found itself briefly pinned against the wall before leading Thumper back across the center. Both robots exchanged further attacks with their weapons, as Thumper proceeded to pin Hercules against the upper-left corner. Hercules responded by clamping its lifter on Thumper's equivalent weapon. At this point, Meehan explained the process for separating robots in battles, prompting the battle to be stopped and a Robot Wars crewmember to drag both competitors out of the corner.

Hercules carries Thumper around with its arm

Hercules turned and drove towards the center; meanwhile, Thumper twitched around in place, having seemingly lost the capability to move translationally across the arena. Approaching Thumper with its lifter, Hercules nudged, then started tipping Bob Gross' machine onto its side. During this exchange, it hooked and lifted Thumper off the floor, its arm having become entangled in a rubber strap attached to Thumper's front. Carrying a smoking Thumper back, Hercules tried to shake its opponent free, but could not do so, resorting to pushing Thumper towards the upper-right corner. The battle was stopped a second time to allow both robots to be separated.

Hercules tips Thumper over

Once the fight restarted, Hercules drove Thumper against the wall and tipped it onto its right-hand side. It lifted Thumper again as soon as it levered itself back onto its wheels, this time toppling and propping it against the side wall. Having nullified Thumper's self-righting capability, Hercules returned to the arena center to spin in celebration, as it was declared the winner of this 'Grudge Match'.

Lastly, Hercules fought in the Heavyweight Melee tournament. In the first round, it was drawn to fight against Kill-O-Amp, Prometheus II and The Landshark for a chance to qualify for the overall finals.

A tentative start saw Hercules take critical damage to its lifter from Kill-O-Amp, once Curt Meyers' machine launched over its wedge shape. The lifter, bent upwards into 'a "J-shape"' on impact, was rendered 'useless' as it found itself sandwiched between The Landshark and Prometheus II. All four robots gathered near the center; Hercules responded to Kill-O-Amp's ram by attacking its left wheel with its own twin saws. It continued to attack Kill-O-Amp until the latter ejected its drive chains, rendering Kill-O-Amp completely immobilized. Attempting to lift Kill-O-Amp, Hercules succeeded in hooking and dragging it back across the arena while bumping into its remaining opponents.

Hercules began a second lift on Kill-O-Amp, then proceeded to team up with Prometheus II to attack The Landshark. By this time, one of its sawblades had shattered, though this did not deter Hercules from pressuring The Landshark into the lower perimeter. Hercules subsequently dodged a charge from Willis Wong's machine, ramming and chasing it a few more times in response. The Landshark whacked Hercules with its tail, but without Hercules taking any significant damage. Dodging the spike, Hercules began chasing The Landshark once more, only for both robots to get caught by the lower-left flipper. A head-to-head collision left both robots in a temporary embrace as the Melee entered its final minute.

Following another tentative series of events, Hercules, The Landshark and Prometheus II all met again in the inner-right perimeter. All three were deemed to be still mobile, though the immobile Kill-O-Amp would ultimately be chosen to qualify as well.

"The Final Heavyweight Melee drew 8 Heavyweights into the arena, and Hercules looked very outmatched in there, let me tell ya!"

— Jim Smentowski

Originally, it was planned for the Heavyweight Melee to culminate in an eight-way Final, with Hercules among the surviving competitors. However, as two other robots (Vlad the Impaler and DooAll) were found to share the same radio frequency, it was decided at the last moment to split the competitors into two four-way battles. Hercules would thus be drawn against DooAll, alongside 1996 heavyweight champions BioHazard and La Machine.

From the outset, Hercules was plowed and pushed into the lower-right flipper. Lingering in the corner for several seconds, it began driving towards BioHazard, only to be pushed aside by La Machine and rammed from the side by the former. Hercules was again pushed into an arena flipper, this time by BioHazard, moments before Carlo Bertocchini's entry was shoved into the wall by La Machine. Recovering, it nudged a seemingly immobile DooAll, only to get rammed by La Machine once again as it backed across the arena center. Hercules exchanged more rams with both of its surviving opponents, only for BioHazard to lift and carry it into the upper wall.

BioHazard lifts Hercules onto the arena side

Once BioHazard flipped and eliminated La Machine, Hercules was lifted, pushed into the corners, and ultimately turned over onto the lower-left 'curb'. Hercules self-righted with its arm, and would do so again once BioHazard pushed and turned it over a second time against the upper wall. A third lift by BioHazard left Hercules stuck against the lower wall and its own saws. Without enough leverage in the arm to push itself back onto the arena floor, Hercules lost the battle by knockout, with BioHazard going on to emerge as the 1997 Heavyweight Melee co-champion.

"I lost the melee, but man, it looked great. This last event made the whole thing worthwhile, seeing my first time entry go head to head with the big boys made me realize that I COULD do this!"

— Jim Smentowski, on the end of Hercules' Robot Wars 1997 run

Results

Wins/Losses

• Wins: 2
• Losses: 3

Series Record

Events	Hercules Event Record
1994	Did not enter
1995	Did not enter
1996	Did not enter
1997	Heavyweight Face-Off, Round 1 Heavyweight Melee, Final

Outside Robot Wars

Hercules

Immediately following the 1997 event, Jim Smentowski began work on a second build of Hercules, featuring an entirely new design and components. The 1998 build incorporated an invertible two-wheel drive design with a lifting spike, a titanium and welded steel construction and a 4hp drive system, providing a top speed of 25mph. At some point, the 1998 Hercules was intended to compete at Robotica, but never fought under Smentowski's captaincy following the event's cancelation. This version was acquired by an unknown team on February 25 2001, with the intention of competing in an unspecified BattleBots season.

Many of the 1997 build's components would later be reused for Junior, a middleweight robot also armed with an electric lifting arm and a variety of interchangeable secondary weapons on a rear 'shelf' attachment. The latter weapons included a 'double-bladed circular saw' repurposed from Hercules, and a second lifting spike with a 'somersaulting ability'. Junior's only competitive run was at the inaugural BattleBots Long Beach event on August 14-15 1999. Here, it won two battles in the double-elimination Megabot Duel championship before being eliminated by Deadblow.

Nightmare

Nightmare (BattleBots Season 3.0)

BattleBots Long Beach also marked the debut of Jim Smentowski's best-known machine - Nightmare, a heavyweight recognized for its large and powerful vertical disc. Competing solely in the main Gigabot championship, it claimed a 2-2 match record in its debut event, but was eliminated following losses against Killerhurtz and Punjar respectively. Safety concerns following Nightmare's first-round victory - against frenZy - also forced Smentowski to operate the disc in reverse for the remainder of its Long Beach matches, as the BattleBox enclosure did not include a roof at the time. Nevertheless, Nightmare's performances and damage potential were formally recognized, through it collecting the inaugural 'Most Aggressive Robot' award.

From that point on, Nightmare maintained a strong presence throughout earlier BattleBots events, becoming one of the most destructive and recognizable heavyweights from the Comedy Central era. The basic design was substantially upgraded in between events, with the introduction of a new flywheel and drive 'arms' for Season 2.0; along with a new chassis and Magmotor weapon motor for Season 3.0. With these refinements, it would reach the quarter-finals at Las Vegas 1999, Season 2.0 and Season 4.0 - its best finishes in BattleBots competition. Other memorable moments for Nightmare included a spectacular double-KO over SlamJob in Season 3.0; the first match to be televised that season. Nightmare's power, popularity and influence on arena safety improvements at BattleBots lead to it becoming an inaugural member of The Combat Robot Hall of Fame in 2003.

Nightmare (BattleBots World Championship II, 2016)

Ahead of BattleBots' return to television with ABC in 2015, Nightmare was 'completely rebuilt' for the first reboot season. The most significant changes included a brand-new 'twisted bowtie' disc - originally designed for a prospective sixth Comedy Central season - and front wheelguards, both made from the same Grade 38 titanium material. Nightmare was initially selected for and competed in the 2015 season as an alternate. Despite a spectacular first-round battle against Warrior Clan - where it destroyed one of the latter's flame-throwing minibots - it would be eliminated at that stage after getting flipped over and stranded on the screws. This elimination proved permanent when Nightmare was not chosen to receive one of the four 'wildcards', denying it a place in the Round of 16, though Nightmare later redeemed itself by winning an exhibition Rumble against Witch Doctor and Overhaul.

Further updates for the 2016 ABC season included 'hubcap'-style wheelguards and an 'Inversion Conversion' system for the drive arms, making Nightmare fully invertible for the first time. However, the system failed to work in its first competition fight against Stinger: The Killer Bee, preventing Nightmare from recovering after getting flipped. Nightmare, however, would receive one of the season's eight 'wildcards', reaching the Round of 16 following a brutal knockout victory over Icewave. There, it inflicted serious damage to Beta, but was eliminated by a last-second knockout, after getting flipped over and suffering more functionality issues with its 'Inversion Conversion' system.

Though Nightmare would not compete in any main BattleBots tournaments after the 2016 season, it would fight Mammoth in a one-off exhibition match during the 2019 Discovery season, retroactively titled World Championship IV.

Nightmare at BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon (Showbot variant)

In 2023, Jim Smentowski and Raymond Nason built Five Nightmare ShowBots based on its reboot design for the BattleBots: Destruct-A-Thon live shows (2023-present).

Other Team Nightmare Robots

The Nightmare design would also be adapted into various lighter weight class robots built by Team Nightmare themselves. The first of these first fought in all seasons of Comedy Central BattleBots in the form of the lightweight Backlash, which won its main division in its Season 1.0 debut. This was followed by the Season 5.0 build of Locust - part of the three-way multibot The Swarm (not to be confused with the UK Series 10 entry) - and the 1lb MicroNightmare, antweight champion of the 2004 NPC Charity Open. In January 2005, a 150g 'fleaweight' variant - Nano Nightmare - debuted at Marin Ant Wars, finishing the main competition third overall.

For the June 2006 BattleBots Cisco Event, Jim Smentowski built Breaker Box, a middleweight based on his 1lb lifter ShazBot. An invertible, four-wheel drive robot with a large titanium lifting scoop, it reached the semi-finals of the competition before being eliminated by the 120lb incarnation of SubZero. Breaker Box's design would evolve into a heavyweight under the same name, debuting at the 2009 BattleBots Pro Championship. This incarnation featured a scoop capable of rotating a full 360 degrees, along with six motors and an aluminum and titanium construction.

Breaker Box at BattleBots World Championship IV

Following a spell at live events - including a semi-final finish at RoboGames 2011 - Breaker Box fought with Team Nightmare during their main competition appearances in the 2019 BattleBots season. Featuring interchangeable angled scoop and hammer weapons, it enjoyed very limited success, attaining a 1-3 Fight Night match record and not being selected for the Top 16 bracket. A variation of the pre-2019 Breaker Box, Wrecker, also competed in the 2018 series This is Fighting Robots, but lost both of its battles after initially joining the series as a ‘Challenger’ entry.

Other robots built by Team Nightmare include:

• Golem: A non-combat 128lb machine for the 1999 FIRST Robot Competition.
• Whirligig: Originally a 30lb machine for BotBash events, later upgraded into a thwackbot for lightweight and middleweight BattleBots competitions under the captaincy of Jeremy Franklin.
• Pipedream: A 30lb BotBash entry built around a tubular-shaped chassis, similarly to later incarnations of Whirligig.
• Grasshopper: A weaponless 108lb machine emphasizing durability over active weaponry. Originally the first incarnation of Locust, forming part of The Swarm's Season 4.0 entry.
• ShazBot: A 1lb electric lifter forming the inspiration for Breaker Box. Antweight runner-up at the 2004 NPC Charity Open, guest-driven by Donald Hutson.
• Wallop: A 3lb, four-wheel drive machine with a titanium lifting scoop and optional neodynium magnets. Overall champion of the 2004 SacBots-Gilroy event and 2004 RFL National Championship beetleweight class.
• Helichopper: A 30lb overhead bar spinner, completed in 2010.

Turtle (Turtle Road Kill), following its 2002 rebuild by Jim Smentowski

In 2001, Jim Smentowski purchased Turtle Road Kill from original owners Team Seyer, having originally agreed to drive it partway through its BattleBots Season 4.0 campaign. Turtle Road Kill itself was extensively rebuilt and repainted under Smentowski's ownership, competing in and reaching the semi-finals of the Season 5.0 middleweight division under the name Turtle. Following the end of the Comedy Central BattleBots series, Turtle would be sold on again by May 2004, allowing Smentowski to focus on his own middleweight machines.

See Also

• Jim Smentowski (BattleBots)
• Team Nightmare (BattleBots)

External Links

• Team Nightmare Robots page (RobotCombat.com)
• Hercules I on the Team Nightmare website (RobotCombat.com)