Heavyweight

The Heavyweight class is the one most people know from TV. In the US a heavyweight weighs up to 250 lb (113.4 kg), the BattleBots limit. In the UK and under FRA rules the limit is 110 kg (242.5 lb), the class fought on Robot Wars. Heavyweights are built by teams rather than individuals. They need industrial parts, a workshop, a truck or trailer, and an arena that costs six figures, and as of 2026 only a few events in the world can run them. NHRL's starter guide calls these 250 lb robots "extremely heavy and expensive" and suggests starting in its 3, 12 or 30 lb classes.[1]

Rules

SPARC lists two heavyweight classes in the SPARC Tournament Procedures: UK Heavyweight at 242.5 lb (110 kg) and US Heavyweight at 250 lb (113.4 kg).[2] Its locomotion bonuses for 250 lb are 312.5 lb for shufflers, 375 lb for non-traditional drives and 500 lb for walkers. For 242.5 lb they are 303.13 lb, 363.75 lb and 485 lb (see SPARC Robot Construction Specifications).[3]
UK (FRA): 110 kg. Event organisers may grant extra weight, for example to walkers.[4] The original Robot Wars series used a 100 kg limit for contestant robots.[5]
RoboGames lists a 250 lb / 113 kg combat class.[6] Some US events and arena guides use 220 lb instead, including SPARC's arena guide and the heavyweight category on RobotCombatEvents.com, so check your event.[7]

BattleBots

The current BattleBots rules (the 2027 Design Rules, Rev. 2027.0, still marked "draft" as of October 2026) set these limits:[8]

Weight: 250.0 lb ready to fight, with no minimum. Flying robots are limited to 10 lb each.
Weight that doesn't count: safety covers and restraints; one or two small cameras; a BattleBots telemetry package; and, new for 2027, a flame-effect module of up to 4 lb. Decoration of up to 10 lb is allowed on top of the 250 lb, but it can't protect the robot or act as a weapon, and an opponent can ask for it to be removed before a match.
Walkers and other non-wheeled robots: robots that don't use wheels "may" get extra weight. To count as a walker, a robot must move on two or more articulated legs, with no wheels or skids touching the floor. Robots with other unusual (non-wheeled) mobility may be allowed, case by case, up to a maximum of 500.0 lb. Any non-wheeled design must be pre-approved before you start building. The Design Rules don't give a fixed walker allowance, so ask BattleBots.
Multibots: the robots together can't weigh more than 250 lb, and from 2027 the lightest segment must weigh at least half as much as the heaviest. BattleBots' 2027 summary says minibots are no longer permitted.[9]
Size: the robot must start inside an 8 × 8 ft square and fit through the arena's 8 ft doors.
Weapons: every robot needs an independently powered weapon. Spinning bars, drums and discs are limited to 80 lb, and shells or cages to 120 lb. No part may move faster than 370 ft/s, and spinner energy is capped at 150 kJ. Lifters must show they can raise 250 lb by 12 inches.

Typical builds

Frame and armor: welded steel tube or machined aluminum and steel plate, with AR-type hardened steel, titanium or UHMW armor that's often bolted on so it can be swapped. Thick plate usually comes from a waterjet, plasma or laser shop (see Fabrication Services and Armor and Materials).
Weapons: large vertical and horizontal spinners, drums, flippers, lifters, hammers and saws (see Weapons, Vertical Spinners, Flippers and Lifters and Hammers and Axes).
Drive: large brushed DC motors or big brushless outrunners through chain, belt or gearbox reduction, often four- or six-wheel drive (see Drive Systems).
ESCs: VESC-based controllers such as the 84 V Flipsky 75200 are common in brushless builds, alongside industrial and large brushed controllers.[10]
Batteries and voltage: BattleBots allows any commercially available battery type. The weapon and drive systems may run at no more than 84 V fresh off the charger (74 V nominal, i.e. 20S lithium). Above 48 V nominal you must show BattleBots that your electrical system is well built. Batteries must come out of the robot after every match.[11] FRA rules cap DC voltage at 75 V without the organiser's approval.[12] See Batteries.
Arena: SPARC's arena guide gives typical costs of $100,000 or more for a 220 lb arena. It recommends walls of 1.5" polycarbonate equivalent and a floor of at least 40 × 40 ft, with a welded steel frame.[13]

What it costs

As of October 2026, BattleKits lists its assembled Heavy Weight Kit drive platform at $1,690 without motors, and its motor options alone run up to $2,276 for four A28-400s. The kit weighs 83 lb with two motors, batteries and a controller.[14][15] A complete heavyweight also needs a weapon system, a lot of steel, multiple battery packs and chargers, spares for a full tournament, and travel for a crew. BattleBots itself warns that building a robot is "time consuming and expensive", and recommends not starting construction until your application has been accepted.[16]

Safety requirements

Overview only. Read the full rules for your event, and see Safety, Failsafes and LiPo Battery Safety.

Master switches: BattleBots requires at least two: one that cuts power to the drive and one that cuts power to the weapon (and any flame system). Removable jumper plugs are the preferred alternative. Lights must show when any system is powered, and one person must be able to activate or deactivate the robot in 30 seconds without getting into a weapon's path.[17] SPARC requires a mechanical disconnect that can be operated within 15 seconds and full deactivation in under 60 seconds.[18] FRA heavyweights that can drive upside down need a second removable link on the opposite face.[19] See Switches.
Spinners: BattleBots requires a failsafe that cuts power to the spinner on signal loss, and the spinner must stop from full speed within 60 seconds. Any spinning part bolted together from smaller parts, including removable teeth, needs pre-approval.[20] See Spinner Design.
Pneumatics and hydraulics (overview only): BattleBots allows nitrogen or air, not CO₂, at up to 3000 psi stored and 400 psi regulated, and hydraulics at up to 3000 psi, with a way to purge or depressurize as part of deactivation.[21] FRA rules allow air or CO₂ at up to 1000 psi and hydraulics at up to 10,000 psi with a mandatory test point.[22] BattleBots' own advice is that if you aren't familiar with pneumatics, you should use another power source. This wiki doesn't give build instructions for these systems.
Batteries: at BattleBots, lithium batteries are never allowed in the pit area. They live in a supervised charging and storage area and are inspected before charging.[23]
Handling: sharp edges need covers that are mechanically fastened, not held on by friction. Teams must bring their own dolly or hand-truck and may not hand-carry the robot except to load and unload it.[24]
Insurance and liability: events at this scale need liability insurance that covers robot combat, and competitors sign waivers. BattleBots states that builders assume the risk of designing, building and testing.[25] See Running an Event.

Getting started

Learn on smaller robots. Nearly every heavyweight team has experience in smaller classes. NHRL recommends starting at 3, 12 or 30 lb.[26]
Build a team. BattleBots' application guide stresses having a strong team and a top driver.[27] Typical roles are driver, weapon operator (sometimes the same person), mechanical lead, electrical and battery lead, and pit crew for repairs between fights (see Repairs Between Matches and Strategy and Tactics).
Shop space: you'll need a garage or industrial unit with welding and metal-cutting tools, a lift or engine hoist, and a safe test area. Live heavyweight weapons should only ever be run inside a proper enclosure or arena.
Transport: plan for a trailer or van, a heavy-duty cart, straps, and approved battery storage for travel.
Apply before building (BattleBots). Applications go through book.battlebots.com. BattleBots asks for renderings of the planned robot and a team video. Applicants may get the chance to fight at its "Proving Ground" in Las Vegas in front of the selection committee.[28] BattleBots' build page also recommends the RioBotz Combat Robot Tutorial.

Where they fight

As of October 2026:

BattleBots (Las Vegas): the 2026 season is BattleBots: Pro League, with 24 robots in a group-stage format, streaming as a 20-part season on the BattleBots YouTube channel from July 2, 2026.[29] BattleBots also runs a live show, Destruct-A-Thon, in Las Vegas.[30]
RoboGames (San Francisco Bay Area) lists a 250 lb class. Its most recent world championship was its 20th, held April 18–21 in San Jose, and the next event is listed as "to be announced".[31][32]
UK: Extreme Robots builds and fights 110 kg heavyweights, runs what it describes as the UK's only permanent heavyweight arena in Nottinghamshire, and lists live-show tour dates through 2026 and 2027.[33][34] The FRA site also lists Robots Live!, RoboChallenge and Techno Events as UK event organisers.[35]
RobotCombatEvents.com lists a few heavyweight events in recent years, including RoboGames 2023–2024, Robo Riots Dublin 2022 (Ireland), Robotica at Comicpalooza 2022 (Houston) and BotBrawl at Anime North 2024 (Toronto).
NHRL doesn't run heavyweights; its largest class is 30 lb.[36]

See Events and Major Competitions.

Notable robots

BattleBots champions (2015 onward)

From Wikipedia's results table; the robot names link to their official BattleBots profiles where one exists for World Championship VII.[37]

Season	Year	Champion	Runner-up
6 (ABC season 1)	2015	Bite Force	Tombstone
7 (ABC season 2)	2016	Tombstone	Bombshell
8 (Discovery season 3)	2018	Bite Force	Minotaur
9	2019	Bite Force	Witch Doctor
10	2020–2021	End Game	Whiplash
11	2022	Tantrum	Witch Doctor
12 (World Championship VII)	2023	SawBlaze	HUGE

Other well-documented heavyweights

From their official BattleBots profiles:

Minotaur – drum spinner from RioBotz, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.
Witch Doctor – vertical disc spinner from Miami, Florida.
End Game – vertical bar spinner from Auckland, New Zealand.
Tantrum – "puncher" from Seems Reasonable Robotics, Mountain View, California.
SawBlaze – hammer saw from Cambridge, Massachusetts.
HYDRA – launcher from Team Whyachi, Dorchester, Wisconsin.
Bloodsport – horizontal bar spinner from Bots 'n' Stuff Robotics.
Mammoth – rotary flipper from Baltimore, Maryland.

Earlier eras

In Comedy Central-era BattleBots (220 lb by 2002), Biohazard won the heavyweight title three times and Son of Whyachi won in season 3.0.[38] BattleKits' drive platforms are modelled on Biohazard.[39]
UK Robot Wars (1998–2004 and 2016–2018) series champions include Chaos 2, Razer, Tornado, Typhoon 2, Apollo, Carbide and Eruption.[40]

See Robot Combat History and TV for more history.