PacifieR was a heavyweight robot which qualified for Series 9 of Robot Wars, but ultimately withdrew due to a minor short circuit problem. The team were best known for building the second Dutch champion, PulverizeR, and the design of PacifieR was later brought to life as the BattleBots competitor Petunia.
Design[]
PacifieR, with its claw fully open
PacifieR was a red, blue and black, two-wheel drive robot with a design bearing a close resemblance to that of PulverizeR. Instead of PulverizeR's flywheel, however, it was equipped with a large and powerful vertical hydraulic crusher as its main weapon, which also acted as a self-righting mechanism[1]. PacifieR was partially invertible, capable of driving on its back end, although its claw could be rendered ineffective when the robot was inverted, and it had to use its weapon to self-right when it was completely upside-down. The crusher itself boasted 10 tonnes of force at the tip (30 tonnes within the ram), and crushed into its own wedge for maximum damage output, at the expense of range. Its broad range was also highly resistant to horizontal spinners, due to its broad nature and HARDOX material.
Etymology[]
The name PacifieR is a reference to a baby's dummy, with the capital 'R' at the end of the name being a deliberate reference to the team's previous entry, PulverizeR.
Robot History[]
Series 9[]
PacifieR (centre, behind Gabriel Stroud) makes a cameo in Series 9, Heat A
In Series 9, PacifieR was drawn into Heat D, where it was intended to face Pulsar, Ironside3 and Crushtacean in its opening Group Battle. However, it suffered from a minor circuitry issue, making the robot unable to participate in the battle. PacifieR withdrew and was directly replaced by Apex. Although PacifieR joined the reserve list and its circuit was fixed only minutes after the issue occurred, the Dutch machine never made it to the arena.
In spite of its withdrawal, PacifieR makes a televised cameo appearance in Heat A of the same series. It is visible on a carrying cradle near the test arena, during a sequence where Sabretooth tests its drum spinner.
Series Record[]
UK Series[]
PacifieR (above) alongside successor Petunia (below)
| Main Series | PacifieR Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Did not enter |
| The Third Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fourth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | The Third World Championship with PulverizeR Failed to qualify for main competition with PulverizeR |
| Series 8 | Not selected with PulverizeR |
| Series 9 | Withdrew |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
| Robot Wars Extreme | Appearances |
| Series 1 | Did not enter |
| Series 2 | European Championship with PulverizeR |
Dutch Series[]
| Dutch Series | PacifieR Series Record |
|---|---|
| Series 1 | Entered with PulverizeR |
| Series 2 | Entered with PulverizeR |
Outside Robot Wars[]
The team's photo of Petunia in 2019
PacifieR never made a combat appearance outside of Robot Wars. However, for the 2018 season of BattleBots, aired on Discovery Channel and Science Channel, Team P.C.P. created a new robot using the PacifieR design, Petunia, a complete rebuild borrowing only the crushing arm from PacifieR. In its first battle, Petunia fought the two horizontal spinners of ROTATOR, and initially took damage, until ROTATOR lost the use of its weapons. After this, Petunia controlled ROTATOR around the arena, used its crusher, and held ROTATOR over the arena saws to earn a win via judges' decision. Petunia's next battle was a destructive loss to Monsoon, after the British bar spinner struck the back end of Petunia and caused the robot to catch fire. Petunia inflicted the same fate upon its next opponent, Captain Shrederator, piercing a vital component to set the robot ablaze. Petunia's fourth match was a critical battle in order to qualify for the Top 16, but after being immobilised by Yeti, its season campaign finished with a 2-2 record, and after choosing not to enter the Last Chance Rumble, Petunia did not qualify for the Top 16. Petunia also made an appearance in an untelevised Tag Team battle as part of the US vs The World special of the same season. It represented 'The World' alongside team member Predator, fighting against Bale Spear and Double Dutch, who both represented the United States. Petunia and Predator won the Judges' decision after Bale Spear became immobile, and Petunia controlled Double Dutch around the arena.
Petunia returned for the 2019 season of BattleBots, featuring a new shallower wedge and serrated crusher, with Jeroen van Lieverloo also joining the team. In its first battle of the Fight Night format, Petunia faced the vertical spinner of WAR Hawk, and after being backed into a corner by the minibot WAR Stop, Petunia was immobilised by WAR Hawk, opening its season with a loss. Regardless, Petunia dominated Marvin to earn a win by Judges' decision, equalising its combat record. However, Petunia was then soundly defeated by the flipper of Hydra in its third fight. Although Petunia's competition campaign was now over, it still won an untelevised battle against SubZero.
Petunia was due to return for the 2020 season, but the team withdrew because of travel restrictions brought in place as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic.[2] Regardless of this unforeseen setback, Team P.C.P. were not selected to compete in the 2021 season, and their subsequent application for World Championship VII was turned down ahead of the season's scheduled filming in October 2022.[3][4] Thus, Petunia would not return for those seasons. Shortly after its rejection from World Championship VII, the latest incarnation appeared at the 2022 FACTS convention in Ghent, Belgium, forming part of Dutch Robot Games' exhibition stand. This marked the robot's first public appearance with a new interchangeable lifter/crusher configuration, dubbed 'K.E.I.T.H.' by the team.[5]
Trivia[]
- If PacifieR had entered the arena, Team P.C.P. would have fought Crushtacean in two consecutive battles, after PulverizeR lost to it in the Third World Championship.
- Team P.C.P. did not apply for Series 10 with PacifieR due to Mischa de Graaf being on vacation during the filming of Series 10.
References[]
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/groups/UnofficialRobotWars/permalink/577463345866768/
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=618834555461004&id=150728625604935
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/m9sy9n/comment/h5gzhui/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.reddit.com/r/battlebots/comments/u793wp/comment/iq18iej/?utm_source=reddit&utm_medium=web2x&context=3
- ↑ https://www.facebook.com/photo/?fbid=594367279025074&set=a.207908321004307
External Links[]
- Team PCP - Petunia - Battlebots Facebook page
- Petunia (2018) on the BattleBots website
- Petunia (2019) on the BattleBots website
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