Weapons

Lifting weapons

These weapons lift the opponent and cause them to lose control of motion.
Some lifters are used to gain control over their opponent so they can be thrown in a pit or tipped upside down while other lifting designs are simply used to give the robot more control over their opponent.

Wedges

A wedge is a sloped front that might lift an opponent off the ground, even slightly. Many bots have wedges in their design, even if it appears to be only incidental to the bot's operation.

Uses

• Breaking contact between the opponent's wheels and the ground
• Lifting an opponent until their weapon is unable to reach, or no longer effective
• Armored defense or deflection against attacking weapons
• Crushing opponents against walls
• Pushing opponents into hazards
• Lifting opponents out of bounds or into a pit

Generally the bot with the lower wedge is at an advantage, but imperfections in arena floors and walls can make it very difficult to drive with a ground-scraping wedge.

Types

• Fixed
• Hinged type/ground-scraping

Wedgelets

Small wedges that are used to get under opponents are often called wedgelets. These small wedges can often save weight but can be difficult to make strong enough to survive an opponents weapon. The 'Wolverine Claws' by BotKits.com are a very effective example of a wedgelet.

• Passive
• Possible steering toward a damaging main weapon

Lifters

• Possible lift and carry
• Single vs. forks
• Lift with spinner

Flippers

• Launchers

Spinning weapons

Spinning weapons can inflict damage on opponents with a hard, fast impact from a rotating element.

Beater bar

• Drum

Horizontal spinner

• Blades
• Discs
• Bars
• High vs. low
• Gyroscopic effects

Vertical spinner

• Saw arms
• Gyro effects

Full body weapons

Large portions of your bot, or even the entire bot, can be put into motion as a spinning weapon.

Hammer weapons

Hammers inflict destructive shock waves, dents, and puncture damage on opponents.

Horizontal

• Rare

Control weapons

Seize control of opponents and puncture or throw them for damage.

Clamp

• Dustpan

Crushers

• Mandibles
• Spike/scorpion

Ramming weapons

Plows

• Steering opponents
• Articulation

Other

Flamethrowers

• Where permitted

Projectiles

• Cannon