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Overview[]

"One of the most important achievements of our team was a successful selection for participation in the legendary show Robot Wars in England."
— Weber Robotics website (translated from Russian)

Weber was a heavyweight robot which competed in Robot Wars: World Series, part of the tenth series of Robot Wars, where it was the first and only robot to represent Russia on the show. Although it fought well, Weber was ultimately overwhelmed by the experienced British competitors Eruption and Big Nipper in its Tag Team battle, and lost its head-to-head against Concussion. The team were known as Weber Robotics, who also use the name Team Big Brother at Russian events.

Weber then competed in Season 1.5, the debut of This is Fighting Robots. It was the successor to Stingray, which the team entered into Season 1 of King of Bots. Its impressive self-righting ability made Weber the first robot to be selected for a celebrity team during the combat rounds, having fought in the opening battle of the series. As part of Zhang Yishan's Blue team, Weber won a four-way rumble against Red River Hong, 008 and Cat King, as well as a head-to-head battle against the latter while being driven by Yishan. Weber was finally eliminated after losing a close Judges' decision to Tánshè.

Design[]

Robot Wars[]

"The Weber robot was created for battles in Russia, and under the terms of the regulations it was forbidden to use sheet steel. This condition was for entertainment. It was allowed to use only pipes of square or round cross-section. The rest of the team plated the Robots with plastic, we did not do it and came up with a design. As far as participating in different leagues, the robot began to be sheathed with armor plates."
— Weber Robotics on the skeletal design of Weber (translated from Russian)

Weber was a wedge-shaped robot powered by four batteries, and a two-wheel drive. These yellow wheels are exposed so that Weber can drive on its back end. The robot’s weapon is a large rear-hinged flipper, fired using a powerful piston, and retracted by bungee cords, although these cords have previously snapped in battle. The robot is comparatively lightweight at 70kg, although this offers Weber a high top speed of 15.5mph. Weber's 8mm steel armour shares similarities with Beast, in that the robot’s skeleton and flipper are made from steel frames with various gaps leaving its internal components exposed. Underneath the flipper is a threatening smile with LED eyes, visible through the robot's framework.

"Weber is a pneumatic flipper, especially designed to work in the minus -25°C of the Moscow-- phwoar, that's cold!"
— Jonathan Pearce

The version of Weber which competed in the show featured several differences compared to its live circuit setup, including additional back armour, and different wheels. The robot was also 20kg lighter, as the robot's weight is normally 90kg, according to the Weber Robotics website. Many of these changes were made due to Weber being disassembled for travel to the United Kingdom, and alterations were made to the robot during reconstruction.

"The matter is that when we participated in RW, we have taken our robot in luggage with us on plane. ( RW were not covering shipment cost for the proper custom clearance.) That is why we brought it in sutecases [sic] disassembled and welded onsite at RW. During the assembly we decided to protect wheels with additional shielding, that is how our current look in the international series came from. Later already in Moscow we decide to change wheels and add full protection."
— Alan Gubiev

King of Bots[]

Weber uses a steep wedge design constructed from thick steel. It was armed with a full-pressure flipper for weaponry, and the top of the flipper was grated, in reference to the skeletal design Weber previously used on the live circuit. Weber's flipper is hinged at the rear, and is powered by CO2, allowing the robot to self-right by throwing it into the air. Blades were also placed on the side of the robot's armor, which is shaped in a way that Weber can roll over when flipped sideways. Weber was resistant to spinners, but struggled to self-right when it had run low on gas.

The Team[]

The Moscow-based Weber Robotics (alternatively Team Big Brother) were the only Russian team to compete on Robot Wars, and represented their country in the process. The team was usually captained by Andrei (Andrew) Taktashov, although the lead speaker in the team's interviews and temporary captain for Robot Wars was Russian Space Agency staff Alan Gubiev, partially because of his proficiency with the English language. Misha Gaziev was the team's welding expert, and Akim Lesovets maintained the electronic systems and radio links. Outside of the televised team, Weber Robotics also includes teammates Dima, Novel and Alexey.

Robot History[]

Bitva Robotov 2016[]

Weber

UK Robot Wars Series 10[]

Weber

Weber as seen at Robot Wars Series 10

As part of the Rest of the World team, Weber represented Russia in Robot Wars: World Series, aired as part of Series 10. In its episode, Weber first entered a Tag Team battle, alongside its Dutch teammate THE BASH, to battle the reigning British champion Eruption, alongside fellow British entry Big Nipper. Its flipper blade was notably covered in Diotoir fur for the fight.

"We are the first team from Russia, for the whole history of the existence of Robot Wars which took part in this cult show. For us as a team it was how to get into a children's fairy tale. After all, we, as boys, enjoyed watching the first seasons on TV back in the late 90's, and now this childhood place is fulfilled, we fought on equal terms with the mastodons of games, the teams that have been taking part in the battles for 20 years already."
— Weber Robotics website (translated from Russian)

Weber started against Eruption, with both robots driving at each other early on. Eruption proved to have the lower front, with Weber sliding up the flipper, before reversing off it. Eruption caught up with Weber and dug underneath again, flipping Weber into the air. Weber darted away from Eruption before turning into the champions and flipping it over. Eruption self-righted quickly while Weber missed another flip. It then drove over the Floor Flipper, and it was thrown through the air, landing on its wheels. Weber retreated from Eruption, but quickly turned towards it again, missing with a flip as it was pressured into the CPZ containing Big Nipper. Weber quickly escaped, being lifted slightly by Big Nipper along the way, and tagged THE BASH. However, it soon found itself back in the action after THE BASH was immediately flipped and immobilised by Eruption. Weber attempted to nudge THE BASH, but was pushed away by Dead Metal as it came in to attack the Dutch machine. Big Nipper lifted up THE BASH, and Weber inadvertently pushed THE BASH over, knocking off its turret in the process. Weber flicked the back of Big Nipper as it pushed THE BASH into Dead Metal. As Big Nipper turned to focus on Weber, the Russian robot missed a flip, allowing Big Nipper to dig its claws between the flipper and body of Weber and pushing it into an arena wall. Weber was briefly lifted off the ground by Big Nipper, before escaping the claws after rearing up. It was pushed some more by Big Nipper, and failed to flip Big Nipper again.

"Big expansive waste of energy there by Weber, trying to get the flipper into use."
— Jonathan Pearce

It flipped THE BASH's broken turret as Big Nipper tagged Eruption. Weber activated Rogue House Robot before being flipped from behind by Eruption. Weber drove into Dead Metal after mistiming a charge at Eruption, and was pushed into an arena wall by the House Robot. Eruption attempted to free Weber from the clutches of Dead Metal by lifting the House Robot, but was unable to do so. Weber took damage from Dead Metal's circular saw, sparks flying as the armour was damaged. Eventually, it flipped its way out of Dead Metal's grip, but was put under pressure by Eruption once more, and it tumbled through the air after being flipped by the champions. Big Nipper came out to attack Weber too, but Weber flipped Big Nipper up slightly in reply, before retreating from both of its opponents. Eruption flipped Weber from behind, almost throwing it out of the arena, but Weber bounced back off the wall. Unfortunately, it was left stranded on its back, and failed to self-right. It was quickly counted out while Big Nipper and Eruption attacked Dead Metal, and 'cease' was called.

"Bit of inexperience showing there. Onto the Floor Flipper, and each time they come down they can sustain damage, rocking and rolling a little bit there... Very nearly in Siberia, bounced back down, but back into the fire of the arena."
— Jonathan Pearce assesses Weber after cease

In its Head-to-Head battle, Weber faced Concussion, and needed to beat the UK robot in order for Team Rest of the World to have any hopes of still winning the tournament.

"Team captain Alan from the Weber team works for the Russian space agency! His job is to organise rocket launches from the Baikonur Cosmodrome in Kazakhstan, so if you want something shot into space - like your boss - Alan is the man to talk to!"
— Jonathan Pearce introduces Weber Robotics before their second fight

Weber started slowly, edging backwards while Concussion darted off its starting position in an arc. Weber moved towards Concussion and took a small hit from the drum, and it flipped itself over after missing an attack. Weber took a few seconds to self-right, but eventually did so. Concussion quickly slammed into Weber and started spinning on the spot, and Weber held off before being hit by the drum again. Weber was briefly pushed over the pit, but turned away and drove underneath Concussion from the side, its wedge flipping Concussion over.

"They need to win this, and within time as well. Can't allow it even to go to the judges if the Rest of the World is to stand a chance of winning."
— Jonathan Pearce

After Concussion self-righted via its drum, Weber pushed under it again, trapping Concussion in the grip of Dead Metal, whose saw connected with the drum. With both robots released from the House Robot, Weber pressed the Dial of Doom, which activated Rogue House Robot. This allowed Dead Metal to come in and attack Weber, pushing it back against the Dial. Weber was pressured into Sir Killalot's CPZ by Dead Metal, but dodged Sir Killalot, instead driving back into Dead Metal, sending sparks flying as it attempted to lift up the House Robot, to no avail.

"The Russians in a sandwich there of House Robots. You really don't wanna be there... And the House Robots taking it out on Weber, over the Flame Pit, and in some distress - they've lost a wheel."
— Jonathan Pearce

At this point, Weber backed into Sir Killalot's claw, allowing the House Robot to dislodge one of the tyres on Weber's wheel. This severely hindered Weber's mobility, and it was only able to spin on the spot before Concussion bashed into it from behind, knocking it towards an arena wall. Weber missed a flip on Concussion, who proved too fast for the Russian robot's attack. After absorbing another hit from Concussion, Weber reared up and spun on the spot, but this didn't save it from being counted out and being dumped in the pit by Sir Killalot, quickly followed by Concussion.

"Weber spins, but I don't think they spin to win. Lovely pirouette to finish - Concussion were on top though. And Weber, from the Russian Space Agency, hardly in orbit. Arena, we have a problem. Splashdown."
— Jonathan Pearce

As a result of Weber's loss, Team Rest of the World could no longer catch up to Team UK's points tally of 11 compared to their own 3, giving Team UK the victory overall - eventually by a 16-3 margin.

Bronebots 2017[]

At Bronebots in 2017, Weber fought Ripper, Solarbot and Thor, surviving the latter's attacks well, but lost when its flipper jammed open, and Weber could not self-right without assistance, and it was eventually pitted. Weber also fought The Saint after creating defensive wheelguards for the battle. This was Weber's last competition before its redesign in This is Fighting Robots.

This is Fighting Robots[]

Weber (1)

Weber as seen at This is Fighting Robots

Weber was not chosen by any celebrities in the initial selection process, so Weber Robotics were required to compete in a four-way rumble against Bonesaw, Agate and Mr Hippo. Immediately, the American spinner of Bonesaw suffered from stability issues, so Weber made face-to-face contact, and both robots were thrown over. Bonesaw was unable to self-right, meaning that Weber had immobilized it. Weber itself was able to self-right comfortably, throwing itself into the air. This action impressed Zhang Yishan immensely, and Weber became the first robot in the battle to be selected for a celebrity team. Weber was slammed by Mr Hippo, which was not currently using its drum spinner, and in panic, Weber Robotics threw their own robot over, forcing Weber to self-right. After getting its drum up to speed, Mr Hippo charged into the back of Weber, throwing it into the air powerfully, but Weber self-righted again. Finally, Agate made another glancing impact with Weber, having failed to do anything of note in the whole battle. Time expired on the match, and Weber fired its weapon while spinning on its hind wheels, celebrating its selection which allowed it to advance to the main bracket, alongside Mr Hippo and Agate.

"He picked us, yeah, it was a good choice!"
— Alan Gubiev before his second rumble

After Zheng Shuang chose Cat King to be the first robot in a rumble, Zhang Yishan responded by selecting Weber, which took part in a four-way rumble that would also feature 008 and Red River Hong. Weber was the most aggressive in the opening stages, driving straight under Cat King to throw it over, as the American machine rebounded into a Grinder. Weber then chased Red River Hong, but could not catch it, and drove over the floor flipper which overturned Weber, forcing it to self-right. When pressured by 008, Weber threw itself over, despite not making contact with the spinner. It self-righted straight into the spikes on the arena wall, but freed itself. Weber was also rammed a weaponless Cat King, which tipped Weber over. Over the course of the battle, Weber lost the use of a wheel, limiting its movement. This allowed Red River Hong to drift across the arena and slam into Weber. The Russian machine was also briefly stranded over the flame jets. In spite of its limited movement, Weber sensed an opportunity when Red River Hong drove up its wedge, and Weber threw the robot directly onto its side, where it became balanced, immobilized. None of the three remaining robots retained full movement, but Weber edged towards 008 and flipped it, before time expired on the match. The battle was sent to a Judges' decision, who declared Weber the winner.

"Zhang Yishan selecting us was very wise, and we're really happy."
— Alan Gubiev

Following its initial victory, Weber would eventually be selected again for a head-to-head battle against Cat King of the Green team – the second time in which both robots fought each other. For this fight, Zhang Yishan was given full control of the robot; while practicing in the arena before the battle, Yishan initially encountered difficulties with getting Weber to flip a tire over. Eventually, he successfully allowed Weber to get underneath, push and throw the tire several feet into the air towards the bulletproof screen. Another flip from Weber resulted in the tire being catapulted towards the arena ceiling. In the battle that ensued, Weber initially dodged an approaching Cat King, and attempted to drive into the side of the American machine in response. However, it slammed into the wall spikes instead, and threw itself onto its back while driving behind and attempting to flip Cat King over. Weber tried to self-right, only to land on Cat King and be tipped upside-down. Immediately, the Russian machine self-righted successfully, and tried to drive behind Cat King again. After dodging one of the grinders, Weber darted across the arena and into the front of Cat King, only to be lifted by the latter. The two competitors drove far from each other and maneuvered across the arena again, with Weber once again being lifted from the rear by Cat King. Weber attempted to ram Cat King from the side, but again slammed into the spikes. Dodging the grinder once again, it bumped into the front of Cat King and circled around its opponent. As it did so, Weber inadvertently drove into the spikes once more, this time resulting in it getting stuck for several seconds. Zhang Yishan fired Weber’s flipper, freeing it from the spikes and throwing it forwards onto its back. The Russian robot self-righted quickly, only to be quickly rammed and clamped against the same set of spikes by Cat King. Weber threw itself forwards to escape; after self-righting, it charged towards and tried to flip Cat King over, but missed, causing it to throw itself over. However, the momentum in Weber’s charge allowed it to slide and roll back onto its wheels without needing to fire the flipper again. The two robots circled round each other for some time after. Eventually, Weber managed to corner Cat King against the wall spikes and flip it over, just before time ran out – in the process, it also flipped itself over again. Both robots survived to a Judges’ decision, which went in favor of Weber and Zhang Yishan.

In the head-to-head rounds, Weber was the first robot to be selected, and both Great White and Tánshè were chosen as potential opponents for Weber. Zhang Yishan chose for Weber to fight Tánshè. Both robots met face-to-face, and Weber was able to breach the wedge of Tánshè and flip it over. Tánshè landed on its wheels, but Weber followed this up with another thrust, which blasted Tánshè backwards, although the British machine still landed on its wheels again. Zhang Yishan also activated the smokescreen in front of Team Legion, restricting their vision. Tánshè was able to drive under Weber, but as the team could not see clearly, Tánshè missed with its flip, with Weber also flipping at thin air. Tánshè also drove over the floor flipper, which toppled the robot. Tánshè fired its flipper to self-right, but Weber flipped the somersaulting machine, and ensured that it landed inverted once again. Tánshè's flipper had locked, and it lacked the power to self-right, so the referee started to count Tánshè out of the battle, while Tánshè laid, seemingly motionless. However, when the referee reached the number nine, Tánshè fired its flipper, and self-righted powerfully, putting it back in the battle at the last second. Tánshè then drove Weber in circles, missing with its flip, but still tricked Weber into firing its own weapon. Tánshè then flicked Weber over, against the arena wall, and pinned it in place to prevent Weber from self-righting properly. Weber was eventually able to self-right, but the quicker Tánshè machine caught up to the fleeing Weber, and threw it into a different arena wall, almost out of the arena entirely.

"Come on, go, go, fire!"
— Zhang Yishan encourages Weber to self-right

Weber self-righted, but was stuck on the spikes at the side of the arena, and in the final ten seconds of the fight, Tánshè carried Weber over to the corner of the arena where robots could be flipped out for an immediate knockout, and managed to throw Weber onto the lip of this wall, but did not manage to flip it out. As a result, the battle between Weber and Tánshè was sent to a Judges' decision, and the Judges edged in favour of Tánshè, eliminating Weber from the competition.

"We were, of course we were sad. But on the other hand, we were happy, because Tanshe was really powerful enemy, and you know, it's very good to fight."
— Alan Gubiev of Weber's team

Bitva Robotov 2019[]

Weber 2

Weber's first opponent was the vertical spinner of Matanga. Weber won this fight and advanced to the semifinals.

Weber's semifinal opponent was the improved Archy. Weber lost this fight and was eliminated.

Bitva Robotov 2023[]

Weber itself qualified for the Semi-Finals in this event, first being drawn up against NeutRhino, a vertical spinner that it defeated in dominant fashion. Its second battle, however, was against Master of the Fields, a drum spinner designed by the Russian State Agricultural University[1], which was a lengthier affair ultimately decided by a Judges' Decision[2].

In the Semi-Finals, Weber was drawn against Putevoy-23, a vertical spinner from a team with some success on the Russian Beetleweight scene.[3] Although initially competitive, Weber eventually knocked itself out after it mistimed a flip and was unable to self-right.

Results[]

Series Event Round Opponent(s) Results
Bitva Robotov 2016 Russian Championship Round of 24 Humpback
Playbot
Won
Quarter Final Calm Metal
NaN
Lost
NOTE: Weber recieved a wild card to advance to the semifnial anyway.
Semifinal NaN Won
Final Barracuda
Shelby
Lost
UK Robot Wars Series 10 World Series Episode 2
(Representing Russia)
Tag Team Battle
(with THE BASH)
Eruption (UK) & Big Nipper (UK) Lost
Head-to-Head Concussion Lost
Bronebots 2017 Melee Ripper
Solarbot
Thor
Lost
Head-to-Head The Saint Unknown
This is Fighting Robots Episode 1 Preliminary Rumble Bonesaw
Agate
Mr Hippo
Selected
Episode 3 Freestyle Combat, Round 1 008
Cat King
Red River Hong
Won
Episode 6 Celebrity Head-to-Head Cat King Won
Episode 8 Head-to-Head Tánshè Lost
Bitva Robotov 2019 Round of 8 Matanga Won
Semifinal Archy Lost
Bitva Robotov 2023 Group A Round of 64 NeutRhino Won
Round of 32 Master of the Fields Won
Finals Round of 16 Putevoy-23 Lost
  • Wins: 7
  • Losses: 8
  • Unknown: 1

Trivia[]

  • Before appearing in the World Series, Weber made a cameo appearance in Heat 5 of Series 10, behind Jason Marston. It made a further appearance during the Grand Final, appearing on a pit bench immediately behind Ellis Ware and Magnetar during a post-Redemption interview.
  • Weber's original Russian name, Big Brother, is shared by a successful UK competitor.
  • Weber was the only robot to represent Russia in Robot Wars.
  • In a VT for Weber, Alan Gubiev was filmed standing with JAR for unclear reasons.
  • As the team entered This is Fighting Robots with a new version of Weber, this makes Weber the only robot to compete in the rebooted series of Robot Wars and another televised competition.
  • At various moments in the lead-up to its preliminary battle in Episode 1 of This is Fighting Robots, Weber was incorrectly shown with the UK Union Jack flag instead of its native Russian flag.

See Also[]

References[]

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