Pretty Hate Machine was a lightweight walkerbot from the 1997 US Robot Wars championship. The robot was created by famed robot builder Christian Carlberg of Team Coolrobots (later referred to as C2 Robotics) and the robot performed well, getting to the Quarter Finals and the lightweight melee final.
Design[]
Pretty Hate Machine was an armourless robot and featured eight legs for traction, the legs all featured a suction cup design with small balls embedded at the feet to allow the robot to have better traction across the arena and to allow for better turning. The legs were also given a spring mechanism to allow it to strut effortlessly and to not strain the legs when walking and to survive when the robot is bashed or uses its own weaponry against others. On both ends, the robot featured a row of several sawblades which could be positioned facing either upward or downward depending on the opponent. The saw blades proved to be extremely effective either way, tearing robots apart or throwing them up into the air.
Robot History[]
1997 US Championship[]

Both spinners clash
In the first round, Pretty Hate Machine faced Ziggy. Smoke from Ziggy's weapon system filled the arena as both machines tentatively approached each other. Jonathan Ridder's entry then charged straight into the side of Pretty Hate Machine, attempting to damage the latter's right legs. Sparks flew as Ziggy's abrasive cutter made contact, though this early attack had no effect on Pretty Hate Machine's mobility. Ziggy tried to push Pretty Hate Machine back, but abruptly turned around on its right drive belt. Weapon-on-weapon contact allowed Pretty Hate Machine to lift Ziggy upwards using its own circular saws.[1][2]

Pretty Hate Machine throws Ziggy upwards as it makes impact
The two competitors momentarily shoved each other, before Ziggy spun and hopped on its right belt. Hesitating, Ziggy turned to face Pretty Hate Machine again. Pretty Hate Machine lifted and pushed it back towards an arena flipper in response, though not without the engine for its front saws stalling. With Ziggy already partially immobilized, the purple and green machine turned around to bring its second set of saws into action. Small pieces of debris flew up as Pretty Hate Machine grazed the front of Ziggy's right skirt, itself already badly bent. Another series of head-to-head exchanges followed, with Pretty Hate Machine tearing small chunks out of its opponent's foam and Kevlar shell. After a few attempts, these saws stalled while trying to cut deeper.[1][2]
Ziggy kept turning its larger weapon into Pretty Hate Machine, while being pushed gingerly back across the arena. Sparks and splinters flew, but these attacks were still not enough to disable Pretty Hate Machine. After quickly turning away from its opponent, Ziggy suddenly lost all mobility. Pretty Hate Machine positioned itself behind Ziggy, and slowly pushed it saw-first into the wall. This was enough to clog and disable Ziggy's weapon; the internal combustion engine for this stalled as Pretty Hate Machine began to straddle over its fallen opponent. With these movements, Pretty Hate Machine pushed Ziggy further into the corner, before backing out to an impressed crowd.[1][2]

Pretty Hate Machine tears apart the back of Webster
In the Winner's Bracket, second round, Pretty Hate Machine faced Webster. Initially, Webster rammed the lower-left wall, before scooping up and pushing Pretty Hate Machine into the moving wall section on the right. Zipping away from its eight-legged opponent, the UCSB-sponsored entry repeated this tactic seconds later. Pretty Hate Machine was steered around in circles and into the upper-right flipper, before being carried past the lower spike trap near the center. Webster kept pushing and spinning Pretty Hate Machine around, easily exploiting the ground clearance and slow speed of Christian Calberg's walkerbot.[3][4]
One set of Pretty Hate Machine's sawblades grazed the top of Webster, though initially without any major effect before Webster broke free. Webster briefly drove under a spike trap, then alongside a watching Cambot, while darting around Pretty Hate Machine in an attempt to line up its next attack. It proceeded to drive its own rear saw twice into Pretty Hate Machine; the resulting rocking motion caused Pretty Hate Machine's weaponry to dig into the concrete arena floor. Following another tentative phase, Webster resumed its initial strategy, driving under and holding Pretty Hate Machine in place.[3][4]
During this exchange, the saws of Pretty Hate Machine continued to damage Webster's aluminum bodyshell while the latter turned around. Webster's spinning allowed it to break free, though Pretty Hate Machine was still in range and kept attacking its sides and front wedge shape. Following another swipe, Webster suddenly stopped moving; Pretty Hate Machine started pushing Webster forwards, while tearing its top-rear panels open and removing a small internal component. Instinctively, Webster spun and darted into the 'curb' near the upper spike trap, where it exhibited more control issues as it tried to drive under and ram Pretty Hate Machine twice more.[3][4]
Having traversed across the arena to line up the second ram attempt, Webster drove wedge-first into the wall opposite the upper-right flipper. Immobilized, it took glancing swipes from the flipper paddle as Pretty Hate Machine crawled towards it. Pretty Hate Machine proceeded to land further attacks to Webster's rear armor and weaponry, while also gouging through the plywood 'curb', moments before it was officially announced to have won by knockout.[3][4]
In the Quarter Finals, Pretty Hate Machine faced Defiant. During the opening moments, Defiant circled around, hooked and lifted Pretty Hate Machine from the right-hand side. Both competitors were locked together as a result, prompting James Underwood's machine to keep lifting and dragging its opponent until it broke loose. Defiant rammed and flicked Pretty Hate Machine upwards again shortly after, though not without being clipped by the latter's sawblades. A head-to-head exchange allowed Pretty Hate Machine to inflict further damage, as Defiant was again unable to flip it.[5][6]
Defiant circled across the arena and into the side of Pretty Hate Machine once more, missing with its next lifting attempts. Its sustained rams, however, lead to it driving underneath and prising one side of Christian Carlberg's walkerbot off the floor. Pretty Hate Machine was carried around on top of Defiant for a few seconds. By this point, one row of its saws had become disabled after losing their belt, due to the chassis flexing inflicted by Defiant's earlier onslaught. The other row remained active, briefly churning into the top of Defiant as the latter freed itself and shot forwards towards the center.[5][6]
Another tentative period ended with Defiant twice ramming Pretty Hate Machine head-on. In a small cloud of dust, Pretty Hate Machine's remaining saws grazed the front of Defiant both times, but without any significant effect. Eventually, Defiant repeated its initial tactic, lifting Pretty Hate Machine upwards and tipping itself forwards in the process. One of the racquet balls acting as Pretty Hate Machine's feet was left dangling in mid-air as it struggled to crawl away, during which time the remaining set of saws stopped turning.[5][6]
With just under a minute remaining, Defiant repeatedly shoved and lifted Pretty Hate Machine against the moving wall section, causing the racquet ball foot to detach fully. Defiant proceeded to carry the purple and green walker towards a spike trap, but in doing so jammed its front end under the surrounding wall. Pretty Hate Machine crept to and fro from the center of the arena as its opponent lay motionless. As it did so, the match was paused to allow Defiant to be freed from the wall, with just seventeen seconds left on the clock.[5][6]
Upon being pulled out and turned around, Defiant sped back into Pretty Hate Machine, lifting and steering it under the spike trap. The trap impaled and jabbed at Pretty Hate Machine multiple times, damaging a 'plastic shroud' protecting one of its engines. Defiant kept pushing and trying to lift Pretty Hate Machine from the side until the bell rang, at which point the battle went to a Judges' decision. James Underwood's entry was awarded the win on points.[5][6]
After the main competition, Pretty Hate Machine went on to fight in the lightweight melee, in its qualifier it faced Defiant and Webster again as well as Black Widow, Penelope and X7. Both halves of X7 swarmed around and rammed Pretty Hate Machine, though X3's arm lacked the size and power to lift Christian Carlberg's walkerbot. Defiant threw Black Widow completely over, before proceeding to catch, lift and push the spinning Webster towards the other squabbling trio. James Underwood's entry next lifted Pretty Hate Machine up from one end, and pressured X3 while X4 kept ramming the former.[7][8]
X3 backed into Pretty Hate Machine again, only to encounter and be pushed by Defiant as it tried to drive away. Defiant chased and caused X3 to drive over the inverted Webster, which it then threw on top of Pretty Hate Machine's saws. Both parts of X7 rammed Pretty Hate Machine once more, while Defiant pushed and flicked Webster into the latter's saws again.[7][8]
A few tentative moments passed, until Defiant threw X3 onto its side against Pretty Hate Machine. X3 was turned back over and re-righted, before X4 dodged Defiant and rammed Pretty Hate Machine. Defiant persisted, flicking X3, X4 and the barely mobile Black Widow in each of its successive attacks. A further attack on X4 saw the latter being thrown onto the top of the 'curb' next to the lower spike trap. X4 was beached as a result, and an attempt by X3 to free it was disrupted by a push from Defiant. Defiant threw X3 into a sideways roll, though Mike Winter's half of the Robot Action League clusterbot landed on its wheels once again.[7][8]
Having incapacitated half of X7, Defiant pushed and turned Black Widow over into Pretty Hate Machine, whose saws began cutting into the immobile Australian entry. It then turned X3 over against the nearby wall, with X3 unable to self-right immediately, and lifted Pretty Hate Machine multiple times to the crowd's delight. Pretty Hate Machine dealt minor damage to Defiant in response, as the two competitors fought on into the final minute. The tip of Defiant briefly caught one of Pretty Hate Machine's legs, as X3 was finally able to right itself.[7][8]
X3 approached and tried to free X4 from the wall. As it did so, Defiant rushed in to throw and lift the former twice, disrupting both of X3's unstick attempts. X3 was unable to prise X4 off the wall with its rams or lifting arm; Defiant rammed and took damage from Pretty Hate Machine's saws until the end bell rang. With X7 as a whole having been eliminated, Defiant and Pretty Hate Machine were both declared the joint winners of this Melee.[7][8]

Defiant lifts Pretty Hate Machine
In the lightweight final, Pretty Hate Machine and its fellow qualifies faced Ziggy again as well as Finagler, Scrappy, Cooks and The Ominous Brick of Havoc. Pretty Hate Machine slowly approached Ziggy, which drove into the side of Christian Carlberg's walker as Finagler closed in. Finagler controlled Pretty Hate Machine into the upper-left flipper, while Cooks teamed up with Defiant to nearly turn Ziggy completely over.[9][10]
Cooks wedged itself underneath Pretty Hate Machine, which ripped part of the former's lifting 'spatula' off with its saws. [9][10]
Cooks rammed Pretty Hate Machine again, while Defiant lifted Finagler and The Ominous Brick of Havoc simultaneously against the upper-left flipper. Cooks and Finagler each rammed Pretty Hate Machine again, as Defiant lifted and helped the Team Delta machine break free. [9][10] Finagler, meanwhile, bumped into the lower wall and got itself caught by the spike trap, as The Ominous Brick of Havoc rammed an increasingly sluggish Pretty Hate Machine.[9][10]
In the center of the arena, Pretty Hate Machine appeared to be completely immobile alongside the upturned Ziggy, where Finagler also remained stationary for some time as the Melee entered its final minute.[9][10]
In the subsequent audience vote, Pretty Hate Machine demonstrated that it could still turn slowly on its legs, seconds before Defiant received the loudest cheer. Defiant was thus declared the 1997 Lightweight Melee champion, adding to its earlier championship win in the Lightweight Face-Off.[9][10]
Results[]
PRETTY HATE MACHINE - RESULTS | ||
Robot Wars: 1997 Championship | ||
Lightweight Face-Off Quarter Finalists | ||
First Round | vs. Ziggy | Won |
Winner's Bracket Second Round | vs. Webster | Won |
Quarter Finals | vs. Defiant | Lost |
Lightweight Melee Finalist | ||
Lightweight Melee Qualifier | vs. Black Widow, Defiant, Penelope, Webster, X7 | Qualified |
Lightweight Melee Final | vs. Cooks, Defiant, Ziggy, Finagler, Scrappy, The Ominous Brick of Havoc | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 3
- Losses: 2
Series Record[]
Events | Pretty Hate Machine Event Record |
---|---|
1994 | Did Not Enter |
1995 | Did Not Enter |
1996 | Did not Enter |
1997 | Lightweight Quarter Finals Entered with Buzzcut (Featherweight Face-Off) |
Outside Robot Wars[]

Pretty Hate Machine as Little Slice in 1999
Two versions of Pretty Hate Machine was combined to create Little Slice of Hell and was originally scheduled to compete in a TV show in 1998, however this was cancelled alongside its scheduled appearance in the cancelled Robotica in 1998 also. After being shelved and dismantled, Little Slice of Hell was turned into Little Slice for 1999, it being a smaller version of Little Slice of Hell with unpowered saws and two less legs and two lights as "eyes for the robot. Little Slice competed in the very first ever BattleBots event in the 1999 Long Beach event where it lost both its battles against Junior and Stuffie. Little Slice was scheduled to appear in Season 1.0 of BattleBots under the name Blinky, however, it withdrew.
Christian Carlberg also attempted to compete in the 1999 Long Beach Event with superheavyweight Nasty which despite its massive size used electronics from Little Slice of Hell. However, as there was no superheavyweight competition at the time of this event, despite attempts to reduce weight, Nasty never appeared.

OverKill by Season 5.0

OverKill as a "Showbot" in 2023
Christian Carlberg would become a regular on BattleBots with TeamCoolRobots several machines from varying weight divisions, perhaps the most famous of which and most successful being OverKill. OverKill was a axlebot armed with a oversized "knife" blade for a weapon, debuting in Season 1.0 and appearing in every season of the original run, gaining notoriety and success. OverKill had a successful first year where it beat frenZy before facing and ultimately losing to Vlad the Impaler in the Quarter Finals. In Season 2.0, OverKill beat Japanese competitor Iron Eagle before losing to Frostbite in the Round of 16. Season 3.0 saw OverKill reaching the top four position in the series, beating M.O.E., RoboSapien, frenZy and Voltronic before losing to eventual runners up BioHazard. In Season 4.0, OverKill reached the final beating Greenspan, Mechavore, M.O.E. and Surgeon General before once again losing to BioHazard. In its final Season appearance, OverKill reached the Semi Finals, beating Wrath, BattleRat and Warhead before losing a grudge match against Voltronic. An antweight version of OverKIll called Little Killer competed in Season 5.0's antweight championship, though little information exists on how well it performed. In 2021 it was revealed that the original OverKill is still kept by Christian Carlberg and is on display in his office.
OverKil would make a return in 2023 as a "showbot" for the Destruct-A-Thon BattleBots events, participating in various battles, though having minimal success at these shows.
A smaller middleweight version of OverKill was created for the RoboGames called Rampage, which was driven by Christan's daughter, Carissa Carlberg it was almost one for one the same machine in terms of build save for a pink paintjob. It only competed in the 2017 RoboGames where it beat NIGHTHAWK and Deathrow before losing its next two matches against The Blender and Stewart, with its large knife blade being bent out of shape by the end of the competition.
C2 Robot competed in BattleBots with various other machines in other categories. A lightweight version of the heavyweight OverKill called Toe-Crusher debuted in the 1999 Long Beach Event, coming fourth in the competition, before appearing in the show from Season 2.0 onward with various success. Superheavyweight Minion which was champion in the 1999 Las Vegas World Championship and Superheavyweight champion in Season 1.0, success that was never replicated in the following season of the Comedy Central era of BattleBots. Another superheavyweight was Dreadnought which was a invertible wedge robot with twin flywheels, debuting and performing poorly in Season 3.0, Dreadnought performed much better in Season 4.0 and 5.0 getting to the Round of 16 in both. Middleweight TriDent a lifting robot which performed well in its two seasons. Knee-Breaker, another middleweight, which initially was a thwackbot in its debut in the 1999 Long Beach event, coming runners up in the competition before it was converted into a horizontal spinner where it lost its only battle each Season. The final robot created for the original run of BattleBots was UpperCut which was an invertible heavyweight that won its first fight against Toy Car before it lost its second battle against El Diablo.
After the original run of BattleBots ended, Christian Carlberg continued to fight in various competitions such as the middleweight Chunk which utilised Knee-Breaker's spinning bar as a vertical spinner. Chunk competed in the 2009 BattleBots Collegiate Championship where it won its first battle against Bear Punch before losing the following matches against Triton and Pharaoh respectfully.
The reboot of BattleBots saw the return of Christian Carlberg and Team Coolrobots which various machines that appeared over the years. In the first two seasons, Christian Carlberg and his daughter competed with OverDrive. In the first of the rebooted seasons, OverDrive beat Chomp but lost its following fight against Witch Doctor. In its second appearance, OverDrive was considerably redesigned being much smaller with two wheels and armed with a spinning bar. Here it performed poorly losing to Escape Velocity in the first round.
Succeeding OverDrive was the invertible spinner Mecha-Rampage where it fought and lost against DUCK! and Free Shipping in a rumble as well as picking up a loss against Whiplash before winning two fights against Double Jeopardy and Tantrum. Christian Carlberg would return by joining the Yeti team for the 2021 season of BattleBots which reached the Round of 32 after initially losing to MadCatter before beating Pain Train and Skorpios, in the Round of 32 itself, Yeti lost to Colbalt.
References[]
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight match: Ziggy versus Pretty Hate Machine', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 16 2021
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 2.2 'MATCH: PRETTY HATE MACHINE VS ZIGGY', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 3.2 3.3 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight match: Pretty Hate Machine versus Webster', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded April 20 2021
- ↑ 4.0 4.1 4.2 4.3 'MATCH: PRETTY HATE MACHINE VS WEBSTER', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 5.0 5.1 5.2 5.3 5.4 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight match: The Defiant versus Pretty Hate Machine', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 7 2021
- ↑ 6.0 6.1 6.2 6.3 6.4 'MATCH: THE DEFIANT VS PRETTY HATE MACHINE', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 7.0 7.1 7.2 7.3 7.4 'Robot Wars 1997 Lightweight Melee 1', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 10 2021
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 'LIGHTWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 1', Team Spike website (archived)
- ↑ 9.0 9.1 9.2 9.3 9.4 9.5 'Robot Wars 1997 Final Lightweight Melee', Andrew Lindsey (YouTube), uploaded May 11 2021
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 10.3 10.4 10.5 'LIGHTWEIGHT MELEE ROUND 3', Team Spike website (archived)
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