Invertible robots are a type of robot which are designed to run in both upright and inverted positions. The first competitor of its kind to appear in Robot Wars was Series 1 Grand Finalist T.R.A.C.I.E., while the most successful include Series 6 champion Tornado, Series 7 runner-up and Third World Champion Storm 2, Series 9 champion Carbide, and Dutch series champions Slicer and PulverizeR, among countless others.
Definition[]
An invertible robot is one that can run both ways up without the need for a srimech (although it is not impossible to combine both). While they are usually low in order to facilitate this ability, designs are diverse, ranging from simple box or wedge-boxed shaped robots such as King Buxton, Tornado and Storm 2, to wedges such as Wheely Big Cheese and even unique designs such as those of Pussycat and Crushtacean. Most invertible robots' controllers are equipped with a special switch that would invert their controls to match forward and reverse to the robot's orientation. However a few like Aggrobot simply added a second set of wheels on top.
Advantages and Disadvantages[]
Advantages
Tornado was able to remain mobile no matter how many times it was flipped over by flipper-wielding opponents such as Gemini
Due to its invertible design, St. Agro's flipper could operate both ways up with equal efficiency
- As their name implies, they can run upside-down without the need for a self-righting mechanism. Not only does this decrease the effectiveness of flippers, wedges and lifters against them, they can also allow weight savings which can enable more effective weapons, more powerful motors and more durable armour to be equipped.
- Some, including Series 4 runner-up Pussycat, were even able to run sideways due to their designs preventing them from getting side-stranded.
- Most weapon types are generally compatible with invertible designs, and can be optimised to operate in both upright and inverted positions. Wedges, flippers, lifters, spikes and spinning weapons - such as flywheels, cutting discs, drums and bar spinners - are particularly common.
- They are ideally suited for tracked designs. Series 3 Semi Finalist 101 and Dutch Series 1 champion Slicer were the most notable and successful examples.
- It's even possible for a robot to only have half of itself invertible. Hobgoblin for instance had four wheels, but the rear pair alone still had contact with the ground while upside-down.
Disadvantages
S.M.I.D.S.Y.'s tyres were susceptible to damage from Dominator 2's axe in Series 6
Suicidal Tendencies grips Pussycat with its crusher, used in Extreme 1/Series 5
Once inverted, Tornado's scoop struggled to work effectively against Bigger Brother
- Because of their need to run inverted, their wheels or tracks are inherently vulnerable to being damaged by overhead weapons and vertical crushing weapons, mostly because they cannot afford to be covered to function. Robots such as Tornado, S.M.I.D.S.Y. and Shockwave all lost battles to Razer, Dominator 2 and Thor respectively when their opponents used their crushers or axes to damage their tyres.
- Some weapon types are difficult or unable to be compatible with these designs. Overhead axe/hammer weapons, vertical crushers and full-body spinners are particular examples, with Suicidal Tendencies, Thunderpants and M.R. Speed Squared being among the few invertible robots to be equipped with such weapons.
- The effectiveness of an invertible robot's weapons - such as wedges, lifters or even vertical flywheels - could be reduced or nullified when the robot was inverted and the weapon was not optimised to work either way. Black Hole's discs lost their effectiveness when it was flipped by Philipper 2 and spun downwards instead of upwards, while Tornado's static scoop contributed to its defeat against Bigger Brother in the Extreme 2 All-Stars, when it was left unable to push the latter properly once inverted.
- From a roboteer's point of view, it is often disorienting to drive a robot upside-down, especially if the robot looks identical either way up. Driving directions are effectively inverted along with the robot itself, meaning that extra care needs to be taken to stop the robot from accidentally moving the wrong way (e.g. driving backwards instead of forwards and vice-versa).
- As the robots tend to be flat and low to the ground, invertible machines are relatively easy to clamp between wedges and overhead weapons. Tornado lost on several occasions to Razer, but also suffered defeats from Bigger Brother and Diotoir when its wheels were lifted off the ground, and the robot held underneath their flipping/lifting weapons (though Gabriel overcame this by having its body positioned higher than normal, which placed it out of reach from most lifters and flippers and all wedges).
List of Invertible Robots[]
Robots are listed alphabetically.
DESKTOP MODE ONLY: Robots which are not heavyweight entries are listed with a green background. Robots from the original 1994-1997 US competitions are listed with a purple background.
| Robot | Appearances as an Invertible Robot | Notes | Image |
|---|---|---|---|
| √3² | Dutch Series 2 | Three-part clusterbot with two invertible segments. | |
| 101 | Series 3-5, Extreme 1 | Series 3 Semi-Finalist and Series 4 Tag Team Terror co-champion, paired with King B3. | |
| 3 Stegs 2 Heaven | Series 5, Extreme 1 | Series 5 Heat Finalist. | |
| Abaddon | Series 3 | ||
| Aggrobot | Series 4, 6-7, Extreme 1 | Box-shaped in Series 4 (Aggrobot 2), wedge-shaped in Series 6-7 and Extreme 1. Not invertible in Series 3. | |
| A-Kill (Middleweight) | Series 3 | Joint winner of Series 3 Middleweight Melee, along with Tentoumushi. | |
| Alien Destructor | Extreme 1, Dutch Series 1-2 | Competed in Dutch Series 2 as Alien Destructor 2. | |
| All Torque | Series 3 | Interchangeable scoop/plough. | |
| Alpha | Series 7 | Featherweight. | |
| Angel of Death | Series 2 | ||
| Anty Geddon | Extreme 2 | Antweight. | |
| Anvil | Extreme 1 | Winner of the Forces Special. | |
| Araknia | Series 7 | ||
| Arena Cleaner | Series 9 | Battle of the Stars co-champion. Later repurposed to compete in Robot Wars: World Series as Cathadh. | |
| Armour-Geddon | Series 3 | ||
| Attila the Drum | Series 4 | Equipped with an interchangeable mace and pickaxe. Third place in the Southern Annihilator. | |
| Barber-ous | Series 5-7, Extreme 2 | Full-body drum. Series 6 Heat Finalist. | |
| Basenji | US Season 2, Nickelodeon | ||
| Bernard | Series 7, Extreme 2 | Two-time Featherweight finalist. | |
| Big Nipper | Series 5, 7-8, 10 | Eight-wheel drive system in Series 7-8 and 10; with four wheels on the top and four on the bottom. Original Series 5 incarnation had a four-wheel drive system. | |
| Black and Blue | Series 7 | Clusterbot. | |
| Blackdevil Warzone | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| Black Hole | German Series, Extreme 2 | German Series Champion. | |
| Black Widow | US Season 2 | US Season 2 Tag Team Terror co-champion, paired with Rocky-Bot-Boa. | |
| Blue | Dutch Series 1 | ||
| Bot-Ugly | US Season 1 | ||
| Botwork | Dutch Series 1 | Dutch Series 1 Grand Finalist, finishing joint-third. | |
| Brawler | US Season 2 | US Season 2 Heat Finalist. | |
| Broadsword | Extreme 2 | Middleweight. | |
| Broot | Series 2 | ||
| Brutus Maximus | Series 6-7 | ||
| Buzzant | Extreme 2 | Antweight. | |
| Carbide | Series 8-10 | Series 9 champion; runner-up in Series 8 and 10. | |
| Cathadh | Series 10 | Represented the USA in Robot Wars: World Series under the captaincy of Team Toad. Previously competed as Arena Cleaner in Battle of the Stars. | |
| Chimera | Series 8-9 | Competed in Series 9 as Chimera2. | |
| Chip | Series 7, Extreme 2 |   | |
| Chroma | Extreme 2 | Antweight. | |
| Close Enough | US Season 1 | ||
| Cobra (UK) | Series 7 | ||
| Cobra (Belgian) | Series 9-10 | Could not use its weapons while inverted. Represented Belgium in the first World Series special. | |
| Coffin-Bot | US Season 1 | Loanerbot; competed in the US Championship as a reserve. | |
| Combatant | Extreme 1-2 | Extreme 1 Antweight Champion. | |
| Concussion | Series 9-10 | Series 9 Grand Finalist. | |
| Constrictor | Series 7 | Featured a self-righting lifter as well. | |
| Corkscrew Two | Series 7 | ||
| Coyote | Series 9-10 | Could run inverted once both of its weapons were lowered. | |
| Crackers 'n' Smash | Series 9-10 | The wedge shapes and weaponry of Crackers 'n' Smash are left redundant when inverted. With weapons installed, Crackers' ability to run inverted is nullified. | |
| Crazy Coupe 88 | Series 8 | ||
| Crank-E | Series 9 | ||
| Crushtacean | Series 5-7, 9, Extreme 2, Dutch Series 2 | Dutch Series 2 Grand Finalist as Krab-Bot. | |
| Cyclone | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| Daisy Chopper | Series 3 | ||
| Darkness | US Season 2 | US Heat Finalist. | |
| Das Gepäck | Series 2, Dutch Series 2 | Joint winner of the UK vs Germany Special, along with Fluffy. | |
| Death Trak | Series 2 | ||
| Dee | Series 9 | Stock Robot. The need to reverse the robot's controls when inverted provided a challenge for rapper Jordan Stephens. | |
| Delldog | German Series, Series 6 | ||
| Destructive Criticism | US Season 2 | US Season 2 Grand Finalist. | |
| Devastator | Series 7 | ||
| Diabolus | Series 7 | ||
| Diotoir | Series 10 | Applies only to the incarnation competing in Robot Wars: World Series, a loanerbot which previously competed as Kadeena Machina and was loaned to Team Nemesis. | |
| Direct Action | Extreme 2 | ||
| Disc-O-Inferno | Series 4, 6-7, Extreme 1 | Extreme 1 Annihilator Champion. | |
| DisConstructor | Series 7-8 | ||
| Diskotek | Extreme Warriors 2, Nickelodeon | ||
| Doctor Fist | Series 6, Extreme 2 | ||
| Double Trouble | Series 6 | ||
| Eddy Evolution | Extreme 2 | Featherweight. | |
| Enderbot | Dutch Series 1 | Dutch Heat Finalist. Could not use weapon when inverted. | |
| Expulsion | Series 9-10 | Not invertible on all sides in Series 10, running only on its bottom and back faces. | |
| Eye of Newt | Series 3 | Competed exclusively in the Pinball side competition. | |
| Flip Flop Fly | Series 3 | ||
| Fluffy | Series 5-7, Extreme 1-2 | Joint winner of the UK vs Germany special, along with Das Gepäck. | |
| Foxic | Series 8 | In Series 8, could be equipped with a self-righting lifter (seen in its group battle), or a front-joined lifting scoop which allowed Foxic to be invertible (seen in the Head-to-Heads). Redesigned in Series 9 to only use self-righting weapons instead of invertibility. | |
| Frostbite | Series 9 | ||
| Gabriel | Series 8, 10 | Largest competitor robot in Robot Wars. Competed in Series 10 as Gabriel 2. | |
| General Chompsalot | US Season 1-2 | War of Independence and Tag Team Terror runner-up in Season 1; International Championship runner-up in Season 2 as General Chompsalot 2. | |
| Golem | Extreme 1, German Series | ||
| Gyrobot | Series 7 | ||
| Hades | Extreme 2 | Antweight. | |
| Hammerhead 2 | Dutch Series 2, Series 7 | ||
| Hannibal | Nickelodeon | Nickelodeon Annihilator champion; undefeated. | |
| Hard | Series 7 | Top-mounted wheels, also able to self-right. | |
| Heavy Metal | Series 9 | Also able to self-right. | |
| Hell's Teeth | Extreme 2 | ||
| HIGH-5 | Series 9 | ||
| Hobgoblin | Series 10 | Was not invertible in Series 9, so castors were added to the top of the robot for Series 10 to enable it to run upside-down, albeit unsuccessfully. | |
| Humphrey | Series 4 | ||
| I Bot One Beta | Series 7 | ||
| IDO | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| Impact | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| Infernal Contraption | Series 6-8, Extreme 2 | ||
| Infinity (UK) | Series 6, Extreme 2 | Extreme 2 University Challenge runner-up. | |
| Inshredable | Series 6 | ||
| Inverterbrat | Series 3-4 | Incorporated an invertibility pun into its name. | |
| Jabber | Series 7 | ||
| Jellyfish | Series 9 | ||
| Junkyard Queen | German Series | Finished sixth in German Robot Wars. | |
| Kadeena Machina | Series 9 | Undefeated Battle of the Stars Champion. Later repurposed to become the World Series incarnation of Diotoir. | |
| Kan-Opener | Series 5-8, Extreme 2 | Extreme 2 and Series 7 Annihilator Champion. | |
| Katnip | Extreme 2 | Featherweight built by the Cold Fusion Team. | |
| Kill-E-Crank-E | Series 8 | Intentionally inverts itself to cause more damage with its disc. | |
| Killerkat | Series 7 | ||
| King Buxton | Series 2-8, Extreme 1 | Series 2 Semi-Finalist and Series 4 Tag Team Terror champion, paired with 101. | |
| King of Diamonds | US Season 2 | ||
| Kitty | Series 7, Extreme 2 | Essentially a scaled-down Pussycat. First featherweight based on a heavyweight design. | |
| Knightmare | Series 4, Extreme 1 | Appeared in Extreme 1 as Spirit of Knightmare. | |
| Lambsy | Series 5, Extreme 2 | ||
| Legion | Extreme 1 | Antweight clusterbot comprised of two invertible halves. | |
| Lightning Tracks | US Season 2 | ||
| Limpet | Series 2 | ||
| Little Nipper | Extreme 1 | Antweight. | |
| Lizzard | Dutch Series 2 | Dutch Series 2 Grand Finalist. | |
| Mad Cow Bot | US Season 2 | ||
| Magnetar | Series 10 | Also features a rear-mounted srimech. | |
| Major Tom 3 | Series 7 | ||
| Malc 1.5 | Extreme 2 | Middleweight | |
| Mayhem | Series 7 | ||
| Mazakari | Series 4 | ||
| Mechadroid | US Season 2 | Could only run inverted if its axe was lowered. | |
| Medusa 2000 | Series 4 | First invertible robot to fight Chaos 2. | |
| Mega-Hurts | Extreme 1 | ||
| Merlin | Series 8 (Pilot only) | Could also self-right using its rear-hinged flipper. Also withdrew from Series 7 qualifiers. | |
| Meshuggah | Dutch Series 1-2 | Series 2 Grand Finalist via wildcard. | |
| Mesmer 2 | Extreme 2 | Antweight. | |
| Micro Mute | Series 7, Extreme 2 | Featherweight. | |
| Militant | Extreme 2 | Antweight. | |
| Ming 2 | Series 4 | Confirmed to run 'both ways up' by Team Ming.[1] | |
| Mini-Maul | Series 7 | Suffered the quickest featherweight immobilisation on the show. | |
| Mobot | Series 7 | ||
| MONTE | Series 8 (Pilot only) | Axlebot; uses invertibility to flip itself over and cause extra damage. | |
| Mr Nasty | Series 6, Extreme 2 | ||
| M.R. Speed Squared | Series 8-9 | ||
| Ninjitsu | US Season 2, Nickelodeon | ||
| Niterider | Extreme 2 | ||
| Not Perfect | German Series | Finished fifth in German Robot Wars. | |
| Nuts | Series 8-10 | Both the main robot and its accompanying minibots are invertible. Competed in Series 9-10 as Nuts 2; finished joint-third in Series 10 under the latter guise. | |
| Oblivion | Series 2-4 | Pinball-only competitor in Series 3. | |
| ODT-Zero | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| ORAC | Series 2 | ||
| Panzer | Series 3, Extreme 1 | Competed in Extreme as Panzer Wraith. | |
| Phoenix (Middleweight) | Series 7 | Middleweight; built using parts from Malc 1.5. | |
| Pika 3 | Dutch Series 2 | Had previously competed with Pika 2, a non-invertible design. | |
| PP3D | Series 8-9 | ||
| Pulsar | Series 8 | Series 8 Grand Finalist. Added a srimech in Series 9. | |
| PulverizeR | Dutch Series 1-2, Series 7, Extreme 2 | Dutch Series 2 Champion. | |
| Pussycat | Series 3-5, 7, Extreme 1-2, US Season 1 | Able to operate on its sides, designed to always land on its wheels, hence its name. Series 4 Grand Finalist, winner of five side competitions across UK and US versions. | |
| Rabid M8 | Series 10 | A loanerbot which previously competed as Dee. | |
| Raging Knightmare | Series 7 | Still used the flipper to self-right. Series 7 Semi-Finalist. | |
| Raging Reality | Series 6, Extreme 2 | Disassembled to make Raging Knightmare. | |
| Rambot | Series 4 | ||
| Rammstein | Series 4 | Established BattleBots superheavyweight competitor; weight reduced to meet the 95kg limit for its planned appearance in the American Robot Wars 2000 pilot.[2] | |
| Rawbot | Series 7, Extreme 2, German Series | ||
| Reaper NP2 | Series 7 | Two sets of narrow rear tyres; one on each side. | |
| Revenge | US Season 2 | ||
| Revolution | Series 6-7, Extreme 2 | Two very different versions across Series 6 and 7. | |
| Rick | Series 5, 7, Extreme 2, Nickelodeon | Nickelodeon International Tag Team co-champion, paired with Ming 3. | |
| Robo Doc | Series 2 | ||
| Rocky-Bot-Boa | US Season 2 | US Season 2 Grand Finalist and Tag Team Terror co-champion, paired with Black Widow. | |
| Ron | Series 2 | Fitted with two castors on the top-rear, enabling the robot to drive upside-down using only its front wheels. | |
| Rosebud | Series 2 | Lightweight Championship only. | |
| Rosie the Riveter | US Season 1-2, Nickelodeon | Entered alongside Tricerabot. US Season 2 Grand Finalist. Competed in later series as Rosie the Riveter 2 | |
| S3 | Series 5-6, Extreme 2 | Series 5-6 Semi-Finalist. | |
| Sabretooth | Series 9-10 | Became invertible to amend a previous issue with self-righting in Series 8. | |
| Saw Point | Series 4 | Used saw blades for wheels. | |
| Sawpoint 2 | Series 7 | ||
| Scar | Series 4 | ||
| Scarab | Series 3 | ||
| Scorpion | Series 6-7 | Competed as Spirit of Scorpion in Series 6. | |
| Shapeshifter | Dutch Series 1 | Competed in Dutch Series 2 with a new, non-invertible design. | |
| Shockwave | Series 8 | Lifting weapon can rotate 360 degrees, allowing it to be used while inverted and as a srimech. Series 8 Grand Finalist. | |
| Short Circuit | Series 6 | ||
| Shredder | Series 5-7 | Competed in Series 7 as Shredder Evolution. | |
| Shuriken | US Season 1 | ||
| Silver Box | US Season 1 | ||
| Siren | Series 2 | Super heavyweight. | |
| Sir Force A Lot | US Season 2 | Season 2 Tag Team Terror runner-up, paired with G-Force. | |
| Skullmania | US Season 1 | ||
| Slamtilt | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| Slicer | Dutch Series 1 | Dutch Series 1 Champion. | |
| Small Torque | Series 4 | Disc acted as a third wheel when inverted. | |
| S.M.I.D.S.Y. | Series 3-7, Extreme 1-2 | Three-time Heat Finalist. | |
| Snake Bite | US Season 2 | ||
| Sobek | US Season 1 | ||
| Spawn of Scutter | Series 4 | Series 4 Semi-Finalist. | |
| Spartacus (Lightweight) | Series 2 | Lightweight Championship only. | |
| Spin Doctor | US Season 2, Nickelodeon | ||
| St. Agro | Series 6-7 | Series 7 Semi-Finalist, equipped with a 'double-sided double flipper'. | |
| Steel Sandwich | Series 7, Extreme 2 | Middleweight; height of only 12 centimetres. | |
| Stinger | Series 3-6, Extreme 1-2, US Season 1 | Finished third in Series 4. | |
| Storm 2 | Series 7-8, Extreme 2 | Extreme 2 New Blood Champion, Third World Champion and Series 7 runner-up. | |
| Suicidal Tendencies | Series 3-4 | Featured an axe and lifting forks in Series 4 and a crusher in Series 5. | |
| Supernova | Series 5-9 | Third World Championship runner-up. | |
| Sweeney Todd | Series 8 | Featured Mecnanum wheels which allowed the robot to move in any direction. | |
| Tanto | Series 8 (Pilot only) | Unused reserve in Series 7. | |
| Tantrum | Series 2 | Not invertible in Series 3. | |
| T-Bone | Series 5 | ||
| Tauron | Series 9-10 | Weapon system was mounted on a pivot to allow invertibility. | |
| T-Wrecks | Series 7 | Sit-and-spin design considered eligible despite the active weapon rule enforced in Series 7. | |
| Techno Trousers | US Season 2, Nickelodeon | ||
| Terror Australis | Series 3 | Applies only to the original version of the machine, and not its Nemesis version. | |
| Terror Turtle | Series 7-8, 10, Extreme 2 | Minibot 'The Hatchling' is also invertible. Robot was not invertible in Extreme 2. | |
| Tetanus Booster | Series 7 | ||
| Texas Tornado | US Season 2 | ||
| The Brute | US Season 1-2 | Season 1 Semi-Finalist. | |
| The Cat | Series 9 | Suzi Perry still worried about The Cat's traction when inverted. Competed exclusively in Robot Wars: Battle of the Stars, finishing runner-up in its episode. | |
| The Executioner | Series 5, 7, Extreme 1 | ||
| The General | Series 3, 8 | Series 3 Robotic Soccer finalist. | |
| The Kegs | Series 10 | Clusterbot, with different wheels on each half. | |
| The Mangulator | Series 4, MTV Pilot | War of Independence. Also appeared in the untelevised American Robot Wars 2000 pilot. | |
| The Master | 1995 UK Open, 1996 Championship | Pioneer of the axlebot; 1995 US Robot Wars co-champion and UK Open heavyweight finalist. | |
| The Piecemaker | Nickelodeon | ||
| The Scrapper | Series 7 | ||
| The Stag | Series 6-7 | ||
| The Spider | Extreme 1 | ||
| The Swarm | Series 10 | Only two segments - Blenda and one version of Skye - are designed to run inverted. | |
| The Termite | US Season 2 | ||
| Thermidor 2 | Series 3-8, Extreme 1-2 | Competed in Series 3 as Thermador. Used a flipper as Thermidor 2, enabling the robot to self-right, in Series 4-8. Series 4 and 7 Semi-Finalist; Extreme 2 Annihilator runner-up. | |
| Thunderpants | Series 7 | ||
| Tip-Top | Series 5 | Used disc for locomotion. | |
| Topbot | Series 7 | ||
| Tornado | Series 4-7, Extreme 1-2, US Season 1-2 | Interchangeable weaponry. Series 6 champion, Series 7 Grand Finalist, Series 4 Semi-Finalist, winner of three side competitions. | |
| Tough as Nails | Dutch Series 2, UK Series 7-8, 10 | Employed a "grab and pit" technique. Series 7 Semi-Finalist. | |
| T.R.A.C.I.E. | Series 1 | First invertible robot to appear in Robot Wars. Series 1 Grand Finalist. | |
| Track-tion | Series 10 | Could not use its crusher weapon while inverted. | |
| Trazmaniac | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| Tricerabot | US Season 1-2 | US Season 2 runner-up as Tricerabot 3.0. | |
| Twisted Metal | Dutch Series 1-2 | Grand Finalist in Dutch Series 1; known as Twisted Metal EVO in Dutch Series 2. | |
| Twister (Dutch) | Series 7 | Series 7 incarnation only; armed with a triangular spinner. | |
| Twister (UK) | Series 5 | Two pairs of wheels on the top and bottom. | |
| Tyke | German Series | Fourth place in the German Series. | |
| U.R.O. | Series 7 | Name stood for "Unidentified Rotating Object". | |
| UFO | Series 6 | Abandoned its invertible design for Series 7. | |
| Unibite | US Season 1-2 | Competed in US Season 2 as Unibite 2.0. | |
| VIPER 01 | Series 5 | ||
| Vortex Inducer | Dutch Series 2 | ||
| W.A.S.P. | Series 6 | ||
| Weeliwako | Series 3 | ||
| Wheelosaurus | Series 2, 4 | Used Victorian pram wheels as locomotion. First axlebot in the UK Series. | |
| Wheely Big Cheese | Series 4-5, Extreme 1 | Record-holder for the biggest flip in Robot Wars. Series 4-5 Semi-Finalist. | |
| Wild Thing | Series 6 | Also known as Wild Thing 2. Series 6 Semi-Finalist. | |
| Wyrm | Series 9 | ||
| Xenomorph | Series 7 | ||
| Xylon | US Season 2 |
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