Run Amok Combat Robotics What Weapons Win -- Active Weapons versus Passive weaponsPrivacy Policy
There is a perception in the robot combat community that robots with spinning weapons ('spinners') and other types of active weaponry (lifers, flippers, etc.) win more matches than do wedges, rammers, and other non-active types of 'bots. To inject a little substance into the discussion, I ran a statistical analysis of tournament outcomes for 2005.
Note: an update of this analysis based on 2015/2016 data is available: What Weapons Win 2016
Method
I selected the 12-pound 'hobbyweight' and 3-pound 'beetleweight' class robots for this analysis because they are popular and are commonly represented at events.
I examined the lists of entered 'bots from the 'completed events' listed on the 'events' page of buildersdb.com on December 12th, 2005 and recorded the weapon type for each hobbyweight and beetleweight robot that competed in any of the twenty events listed. Those events were:
DaVinci Days
Summer W.H.R.E
Robot Rebellion 5.3
SNF Qualifier 1.0
POP9 Worst Ever
WBX-II
Last Chance
RoboPraxis
TCO III
Underground Rampage
Robonexus
BBS3 - Alien Invasion
Robothon
House of NERC 2005
Detroit Bug Battle 3
Fall W.H.R.E. '05
Robot Rebellion 5.4
2005 RFL Nationals
Combots Cup
Bay Area Robot Fights
I then went to Botrank.com and recorded the win/loss record and ranking for each of the beetleweight and hobbyweight 'bots from the above events:
Beetleweights
Name
Wins
Losses
Rank
Spinner
Active
3A
2
5
137
1
1
3pd
17
4
2
1
1
Aim N Maim
3
2
42
0
0
Altitude
2
1
45
1
1
Anthrax
4
2
27
1
1
Beetle from Hell
13
12
38
0
0
Box of Death
4
4
48
1
1
Buster Blade
14
3
3
1
1
Buzz
0
2
128
1
1
Cannon Fodder
4
0
13
1
1
Creepy Crawler
2
2
48
0
0
Dark Slayer
2
2
51
1
1
Enemy
1
2
103
1
1
Fear Factor Sr.
1
2
79
1
1
Fear Factor Sr. 2
7
6
33
1
1
Fir Darrig
15
11
16
0
0
Fire Fly
4
2
28
0
0
John Henry
4
2
22
0
0
Mars Attacks 2
0
2
120
1
1
Mini Spar-Kee
13
4
4
1
1
Nemo
6
6
36
1
1
Nuclear Kitten
9
1
6
1
1
OFUC
15
2
1
1
1
Pop Goes the Monkey
2
0
29
0
1
Pyramid of Death
13
10
24
0
0
Ripblade
1
4
136
1
1
Ron
8
1
8
1
1
Sandman
5
6
86
0
0
Sawtooth
8
0
5
1
1
SLS
4
5
107
1
1
Spinny Thing of Doom
3
4
70
1
1
Ultrabot
1
2
105
0
0
Unknown Avenger
2
6
139
0
1
Unlettered Understrapper
2.0
0
2
125
1
1
VDB
5
2
15
1
1
Vengence is Mine
0
2
109
1
1
Wheelie
4
6
114
0
1
Woodchuck
3
4
85
1
1
Wrath of Abomination
0
2
126
1
1
Zap
9
8
34
0
0
Hobbyweights
Name
Wins
Losses
Rank
Spinner
Active
All Hail Kitty
4
6
82
0
0
Bullet
7
4
8
0
1
Cantankerous Cowpoke 3.1
0
4
117
0
0
CheepShot 3.0
12
5
9
0
0
Chigger
26
11
2
0
0
Dexahedron
3
1
19
1
1
Gamma Knife
2
4
90
1
1
High Gravity
0
2
111
1
1
Lil Shocker
20
7
4
0
0
LittleBytes
1
2
58
0
0
Mad Mennonite
0
2
87
1
1
Mad Puppy
1
6
123
1
1
Rants Pants
5
4
33
0
0
Rellik
1
8
124
1
1
Ricochet
11
6
10
0
0
Scoopula
5
6
53
0
0
Sir Nuts 'n' Bolts
1
2
66
0
0
Skittlebrau
1
4
113
1
1
Spatula
15
10
11
0
0
Target Practice
17
6
5
0
1
The Prussian Pitchfork of Pain
2
2
52
0
0
Toxic
5
6
54
1
1
Trivial
1
2
79
0
0
Wedgio
14
4
6
0
1
Results
Compiling the combat records of the robots into with/without spinner weaponry, and with/without the broader 'Active' weapon category (includes lifters, clampbots...) yields the following results by weight class:
Beetleweights
Robots
Median winning percentage
Percent with winning record
Mean ranking
With spinning weapon
27
50.0%
44.4%
60th
Without spinning weapon
13
52.9%
61.5%
56th
With active weapon
30
50.0%
43.3%
63rd
Without active weapon
10
54.7%
70.0%
44th
Hobbyweights
Robots
Median winning percentage
Percent with winning record
Mean ranking
With spinning weapon
12
33.3%
22.2%
80th
Without spinning weapon
12
55.6%
53.3%
40th
With active weapon
15
39.4%
41.7%
62nd
Without active weapon
9
47.5%
41.7%
48th
The median hobbyweight and beetleweight combat robots without spinning weapons have a higher percentage of wins than do the median hobbyweight and beetleweight robots with spinning weapons. They also have a higher percentage of winning records and a higher mean botrank.com ranking than their spinning-weaponed conterparts.
The median hobbyweight and beetleweight combat robots without active weapons have a higher percentage of wins than do the median hobbyweight and beetleweight robots with active weapons. Thay also have an equal or higher percentage of winning records and a higher mean botrank.com ranking than their active-weaponed conterparts.
Discussion
On average, active weaponry appears to have no advantage in the success of the combat robot classes examined. However, although the average hobbyweight or beetleweight combat robot with an active weapon performs less well than the median robot without an active weapon, there is an elite group of spinners and lifters that dominate the upper rankings of both weight classes. These elite robots are built and operated by experienced teams with no shortage of resources.
If you have the experience and skill to properly construct and operate a 'bot with an active weapon, the effort may be worthwhile. If you are new to robot combat or have limited resources, stick to simpler robots.