BattleBots Need to Meet Specific Weight Requirements Before They Compete

If you're into BattleBots then you know how much work and detail can go into making one just right. There's a whole community dedicated to this craft, and the competition show BattleBots is now on Discovery Plus for fans to fall back in love with all over again. 

If you've watched BattleBots over the years, it's clear that no two bots look the same. Creativity is key, but there are some restrictions. 

To compete on the show BattleBots, some standards, like weight, controllability, weapons, and more need to be met before any bots can compete. Weight is a big deal all on its own, but how much are bot makers willing to pay to make their bots both functional and destructive? There are a bunch of regulations involved that can have a big impact on the price.  

According to BattleBots' website, there are certain weight requirements that need to be met for bots to compete. In fact, the BattleBots 2020 design rules have a whole section about weight limits. There's no weight minimum, but there's a weight max of 250 lbs. for bots ready to fight. To ensure the bots meet this standard, the rules say they will be weighed before they compete.

Keep in mind that bots can be comprised of two or more "multi-bots." Those will all count toward the overall weight of your battle bot. Bots with decorations are allowed to weigh more than the 250 lb. limit but they have their own restrictions and can only weigh an additional 10 pounds. 

But not everything on a bot counts toward its weight. Things like safety items, "one or two small cameras," and telemetry packages that BattleBots installs on bots don't count toward the weight. 

There's nothing in the BattleBots rules about how much a bot can cost, but that means bots can cost hundreds if not thousands of dollars. There is a BattleBots subreddit where plenty of people have asked about the cost and lots of people agree that there's a wide margin. They can be made of all kinds of materials so that really means the overall price of construction can widely vary. 

On one thread, it's said that bots can cost $10,000 or more. But the cost of the battle bots themselves isn't the only cost to consider. There's also the cost of the tools and workspace it takes to make these bots. Some makers have their own setups that allow them to make whatever they want. Others rent spaces as needed. 

But BattleBots also features big fiery explosions where some bots are destroyed. Making the bots is one side of the cost, but it's also important to consider how much you're willing to spend on repairs. And if you don't want your own bot destroyed, there's also the investment of battle armor and other kinds of defenses.