An annual BattleBots tournament pits robot against robot in one of four weight classes. Classes range from 25 to 340 pounds (11 to 154 kilograms). The ’bots square off inside the BattleBox, a 48-foot (14.6-meter) square arena enclosed by clear, shatterproof plastic. Built-in hazards lurk inside. Metal-slicing “kill saws” rise out of the floor. A 30-pound (13.6-kilogram) metal hammer crushes robots that stray too close. Spikes lining the wall impale the unwary. These and other obstacles often decide a fight’s outcome.

TV’s Comedy Central airs the best play-off matches. Audiences cheer their favorite electronic gladiators as the ’bots slam, slice, flip, and ram each other. “It’s fun to have a competition where you are supposed to break stuff,” says Neal, 16, M.O.E.’s remote-control driver. “That’s one of the true appeals of this sport.” The team controlling the robot that claws its way to the top of each class wins a trophy and U.S. $8,000. Start your basic training with these metal warriors!

Text by Sean Price
Photographs courtesy BattleBots, Inc./Daniel Longmire