Joe with
Ramming Speed at BattleBots in Nov '01

Mike and Joe with Ramming Speed at BattleBots in May '01

Robotic Combat is a relatively new phenomenon. It can best be described as a form of entertainment that focuses on tournaments involving remote controlled robots that 'fight' each other.

History

In 1994 a competition called Robot Wars was held in San Francisco, the first noteworthy appearance of robotic combat. This competition continued annually for four years, expanding to England, where it is aired as a television series. In 1999, BattleBots is formed by two robot combat competitors. Their first competition is held in August of 1999 in California, and draws great interest. BattleBots second event was held in Las Vegas, and is offered as a pay-per-view offering on cable television. After extensive excitement over this new 'sport', Comedy Central licenses BattleBots to air as a television series. The next event is held in June of 2000, and is filmed, and later aired, on Comedy Central. After this, events are held twice a year, and aired on Comedy Central as 10-12 episode series. The competitions become a tournament, with prize money being awarded, and royalties paid for appearances on the television show.

The success of BattleBots helped to encourage other competitions, such as BotBash, television shows such as Robotica, organizations, such as SORC, video games, and numerous toys. Robotic Combat has grown into an industry with many facets.

The Market