Orbitron seems to be a beast when things are operating. That first fight, the AI was taking all the right angles and looked impressive. Good luck in the future
It's hard not to get good angles when your opponent is barely functional. As much as I like the idea of an AI battlebot, it's not going to have the strategy nor the ability to avoid weapons like a human will. If it faces someone like Hydra, it will have near zero chance of actually getting around him. Not to mention tombstone, who as soon as Orbitron's AI decides it's a good time to rush in and attack, will simply turn around and swing that nasty weapon into Orbitron's side. He has done this to many opponents, often disabling them from such a hit.
@@mr.perfecttireengineer622 I agree that if they were just going to use AI by itself but I thought they're using AI to supplement their human controller not replace it
@@mr.perfecttireengineer622 This is just outright wrong. If you manage to get an AI with proper environmental detection, which is the hard part because you need a ton of sensors, it would fight way better than humans. Have you ever tried fighting with bots on impossible difficulty in any game? Imagine something like that.
@fannyboy8294 to be fair humans rn are much better with detecting and analysing the situation rn sure the AI can get there but it's usually kinda slow with big stuff like say detecting and avoiding enemy weapons
Literally all I need is more of those circular spinning thingies but replace them with several saw blades na north south east and west Direction. That way it's not completely overpowered because they still have the corn is which can be hit.
@@isaiah9893 Saw blades are relatively ineffective, particularly at the Heavyweight level like this. They need extended solid contact to even have a chance of damaging stuff, so you really need them on something like an arm mechanism to keep them out of the way until you can pin an opponent to then bring them in. They're also way more fragile than the spinners that are currently on it.
Based on what exactly? I found it a ridiculously disappointing video. And no, I would have loved these guys to win.. really! But come on.. all the money, all the tools and sponsors and this is the result?
Please, either keep supporting Orbitron, or keep Hacksmith Industries fighting in BB. It's amazing, and Hacksmith Ind is filled with some of the best and level headed engineers.
As someone who was on a FTC team previously destroyed repeatedly by Gluten Free, I'm glad to see they have moved on to actually obliterating other robots. Moving up in the world.
@@kxngduvie7682 no but I have a tip for your weapon. Make the body out of a stronger steel if possible. That way if it gets hit it will hopefully take minimal damage giving you a longer amount of time to try to fight back.
Yeah, I have to echo your sentiment. It's a good sentiment. It's a good video. Good editing, good light8ing, solid production, and a good message. The boys are relatable in the best sort of way. The didn't win the fight. NOT IMPORTANT. The process, the emotion, are the win. A human contest, a classic battle of human emotion versus an uncaring and rigid world. The video is almost Biblical in its universality.
If you guys get the reliability up to the level of Roundhouse, you'll be unstoppable. I'm really curious what they did differently from an electronics standpoint to make their bot so relentless.
omg, i was in FRC for 4 years and it was one of the best experiences in my life. But at the same time, it was so stressful when something works and for some reason it stops before a match
As the original captain of The JDroids FTC team 7026, gotta say we are proud of you guys! Always enjoyed seeing Gluten Free's insane Lego mechanisms and unique solutions, you guys had us scrambling hahaha!
I don't think people realize how hard it is for things to works on first try, this was the first every ai powered battle bot, we can always learn from our past experience and faliures, I have realized that from participating in hackathons myself. Good luck for your future projects for the college students and Hacksmith industries.
I’ve got to say in the first fight, the other robot was incredible. It took so many hits and still ran, making a machine that can hit hard is one thing but making one that can get hit and keep working is much more difficult
the main thing is the other robot is clearly more simplified sometimes simplicity is the key to winning the more functions, wires and cables you have, the more it needs protection while orbitron is clearly engineered to deal massive damage, it's got so many components, just one bad hit is all it needs to shut down and there's not enough armor covering the robot to make it competitive
As someone who's been watching this channel since the backflip tutorial days I can say I am immensely impressed with how far you all have come. From the exo suit to the power fist to flying like iron man to the robot arm nightmare multiple thor hammers and super hero gadgets the world's most powerful hand held leaf blower the power loader and obviously you know the list goes on and on but you get the piont you're doing battle bots now and I am truly amazed and humbled by what you have built here James and all the amazing people that have helped you along the way. Keep up the good work y'all I love the content and will always watch every new video that gets posted. ❤❤
Big respect for still making these videos despite it not working out as envisioned. Robotics isn’t a solved science and things are always bound to go wrong in one way or another. Hopes to another try and a more successful outcome next time.
Big props to the team, Bogdan's energy for all things robot I'm sure was a key motivator. A shame about some of the unforeseen issues, the static generated by the new environment could be predicted, but that first match you guys practically bullied your opponent with the hits you dealt it. At $50k it's no wonder these events are so exclusive.
Yeah the top tier is that expensive on account of all the heavy duty plating, but if you are interested there is mid tier which ranges around 10k, that every state has a few of, and low tier at a range of 300 bucks where everything is molded plastic that almost every big college has a few of. It's still pretty cool what people think up in those ranges.
As a FRC alumni, I love seeing how focused everyone was when there was an issue. My team had a history of drive issues, and seeing the troubleshooting and repairs was really nostalgic
As someone who has both done competitive robotics for many years, as well as watched Battle Bots, you guys did fantastic on your first go around! Orbitron was doing something that is completely new for the competition, and frankly doing it very very well. Sure, there were issues that needed fixing but that's the nature of robotics, they are rarely truly finished when you are required to compete. I certainly saw a lot of potential in what you guys achieved and I really hope you guys can keep doing this, it was awesome seeing you guys bring something truly different to the competition.
I love seeing you guys competing at battle bots and learning so much in the process. I hope you guys can use that and continue competing. I would love to watch it!!!
Nobody likes sponsors cuts. But I like what you guys did. Especially the product placement. It doesn’t interfere with the video. It’s really refreshing.
Bummed it didnt perform as well as we all had hoped, but V2 is gonna be SO MUCH BIGGER! I just worked with a guy from BattleBots and I have nothing but respect for all of you. Not easy work, expensive and scary work. But it all shows in the ring. Y'all have a new fan for Orbitron!! Bring it back and refine refine refine! Its got its issues now, but now you got time to make another. Please keep at it and dont let the loss discourage you, if anything make sure thats the ONLY loss!! Great work yall!!
I am beyond ecstatic that you guys are entering the combat robotics sport. Such a great team to have inject some creativity and expertises into the field
Very well done! When watching the fights a week or so ago I assumed you weren't running the AI and it seems I was half right, which explains the odd driving in the second match, Main thoughts are: - Have your front/rear armour panels wrap round the corner and bolt in (Like they do inside the weapon) to make it harder for them to get peeled off and to better protect the Aluminium underneath - Reprofile your disc teeth. You can see after just two fights how little is left of the tooth. Make it run for a longer arc around the edge of the disc so you can resharpen it, and make it deeper so you can get more bite. - Might be worth wrapping components in kevlar to protect against fire spread and reduce the chance of arcing inside the robot. See Black Dragon for extreme fire redundancy! Cant wait to see you all back in the future!
@@lukasamyn8405 I am pretty sure they are broadcasted on Discovery (i dont have Discovery myself, but I have seen Battlebots announcing that in some of their videos)
Also: Drop Windows as your OS. If you are going to need something reliable and cannot have 'driver issues' be a culprit, then use something that doesn't really care. I don't doubt it was the cheap controller possibly dying (I'm aware of which one they used, it's a big knockoff), but having a wall of various systems and controllers, not one of them has died on me, so I'm blaming the OS at the worst critical time. Additionally, it sounds like ESD is your worst nightmare. Check your grounds and consider better protecting the controllers. One idea could be to make a rubber anti-shock mount so it can reduce impact damage but also prevent unwanted electrical connections. Only issue would be thermals, but pretty sure actual engineers can solve that in their sleep.
Orbit on has a lot of potential when the factors are working in it's favor. Really impressive to see the ai work. It looked really cool when it locked onto the target ready to land a hit. I wish to see this bot fighting more.
@@slappyjo1046 that was my point. That the “AI” is pretty lacking. Borderline non-existent even, they only used the controller. That’s why it’s Snake AI selling, because they tried to sell something as AI powered when it isn’t
@@slappyjo1046 snake oil is false advertising, a scam, it’s got nothing to do with “agendas”. If you create in your mind your own definition for it, it isn’t really my problem
Orbitron was ridiculously good when the AI was working. Roundhouse didn't have much of a chance during the first day, and only won because of the technical issues that Orbitron had.
I hope to see more of Orbitron in the future of battlebots because that thing was a menace in the first fight. Get the internals working to proper specs and it could become a pretty big name
Love your vids mate, ever since your old Batman grapple hook I love to see the creations and engineering creativity you guys display in these videos! Love from Australia!
It's amazing how wholesome behind the scenes at BattleBots really is. From everything I've heard, backstage team cooperation is the norm, everybody wants to get all these machines into the ring.
As a person who work in Machine Industry, this is as real as it could be, the tension when seeing it working on the field and just hoping it don’t fail hit hard here. Fix after fix after fix, no ending loop 😂
I scratch-build 4- and 5-channel RC planes for fun, but my expertise is limited to soldering, and installing brushless motors, receivers, servos, and ESCs to get them flying after the build. What you're doing here is truly next-level engineering. Hats off to the entire team! The thought of spending $900 on an ESC is mind-blowing, and I’m sure you go through quite a few-I know I do. Keep up the fantastic work, everyone!
I love seeing Ben grow infront of the camera, he is a genius who doesn't have the best presentation skills.. But he has come so far and seeing him work naturally is awesome! Keep going Ben!
I am a huge BattleBot fan. I had NO idea it was that expensive to build one of these bots. Thank you for making this video and good luck with your next bot!
Congrats you guys! Not only is this a wonderful video but you have inhabited the spirit of the hobby. Every bot especially at the start has its gremlins, but you guys did perfect in just hunkering down and getting it fixed, especially between fights!
really impressive, i was rooting for you the whole time :) if it's at all possible to stay in the game, you would have all the support in the world for it. in the first fight the ai's reflexes were so surperior
This reminds me of the phrase "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." I'd love to see Orbitron continue. Knowing how your bot breaks down is even more important than how it attacks. This bot is going to be formidable as it gets more reliable and shockproof especially if they can simplify and protect critical electronics. This is gonna be an awesome bot.
There's been attempts with automated systems in BattleBots before, like Chomp. It initially worked, as they're the only team to defeat Bite Force. But teams figured out how to trick the LiDAR sensors that fed the auto-targeting. I'm glad other builders are trying automations and AI. Even if you don't win, if you can prove the system works, and you guys certainly did, that's a huge benefit to the sport. More tools and options will push innovation, both in ways to implement AI, and ways to figure out how to defeat it.
The intensity here was incredible! I love this so much . I’m so happy on what this channel represents and what you support. This is truly inspiring and motivating in many ways. Thank you, Hacksmith Industries.
That first fight was one of the most aggressive I've ever seen in battle bots. I can't wait to see how not only the build, but the AI in particular develops.
The static, is a result of the battlebox rubber flooring in the pits and all of your armour needs to be thicker and float and be rubber mounted. The reason why you lost to the giant spinner was because the driver hesitated and didn't drive straight into it. ; ) - Gabe - Tanshe, Sabretooth, Duck, Beta. The design is cool and i really wanted to see it self right and be less boxy.
I have only 1 piece of advice for you guys. You are an awesome crazy smart group of guys and I am continually in awe. You need 1 guy a non-engineer team member. I'd say a farmer type a guy that has been figuring out how to fix things cheap and reliably. He'd also understand how to do it strong. Thanks guys so very much! I appreciate all the hard work.
I love seeing how Bogdan has gone from a wet behind the ears intern to a super duper competent engineer. It's funny how many times you see him biting his tongue to encourage the younger generation. I feel he sees them making similar mistakes at a similar age and he knows that it takes mistakes and perseverance to make it to the top.
I’d like to offer you guys a reference for Cables,Crimps and Harnesses! I worked for a very prestigious manufacturer out here in Utah for 3 years. The owner and a lot of skilled employees are very good at what they do and they have people (continually new customers and companies) from all over, asking for their business. They have their HQ in Utah and another place in CA. It’s called: Alliance Cable and Wire Harness. They can do anything you need, especially custom work like the system your Bot is running. I only refer them on rare occasions; not trying to boast about them or advertise, I just like your videos and this one was very cool! I’m a huge fan of Battle Bots and I’ve been watch you guys for years now!
Man I've been watching hacksmith since the half life 2 crossbow, and seeing the whole team coming together in such a beautiful display of unity, trust and self control, it makes me love you guys even more. Orbitron was a BEAST!!! I'm sure that if given another chance it might win the whole thing. Keep up the good work!
Orbitron is a well-designed robot. By all means, it should've absolutely obliterated Roundhouse. If they can work the kinks out, that bot would be absurdly strong. It's a shame that it had to end this way, but it's simply a step towards the future. Good luck in the future, because you guys clearly have a vision that WILL be realized in time.
There is a very good reason why horizontal spinners are often near the top of the lists in most fighting robot competitions. They're incredibly difficult to approach and relatively easy to aim. They also tend to kick whatever they hit much farther away than vertical spinners and can fling opponents into walls and hazards, where the impact can do even more damage.
As a fan of the sport, especially the heavy weight division and BattleBots as a show, these videos have demonstrated how much time and dedication really goes into getting these robots to the fights. Orbitron looks like it could give some of the greats a run for their money. Could totally see a Giant Nut in the Hascksmith's team's future!
who says the failure is failure?, for the enginner, failure is just another step to make it more better, KUDOS FOR ALL TEAM, this is the most pinnacle of joys even you lose
I definitely want to see an Orbitron v2 and yall to come back stronger then ever. I very much enjoy this content as I was on a FRC team in high-school this is very close to me.
a good first run... Roundhouse shows truly just how valuable even a single tournament of experience can get you... Going straight into the 250lb weight class is no joke & its a hard & expensive place to learn all the hard ish every competitor has to learn, either the easier or harder way
As an electronics engineer i can say they have built a good design but i have suggestion when ever some component fails you have to look source of it and it take time, thats why i respect the good efforts they put in and keep improving this design and you will surely win
I won show favorite at a robot show after I made a lego skeeball machine. That thing took me a week of no engineering experience to make, so what y'all have made is truly commendable!
Live by the spinner, die by the spinner -- that was a great fight! The raw speed and the AI navigator were a really impressive combo in the first match! I've no doubt the technical issues can be worked out by you guys (I mean, seriously, technical issues seem to be a snack item for the Hacksmith crew haha!), so here's hoping for a full match -- and the win -- in the next run! ^_^
Probably a bit late for you to see this James/hacksmith media but I remember asking your channel about sponsoring battlebots back in 2017 while working on my first battlebot, Cerberus, in highschool. That team actually won most it’s competitions (15lbs NRL in PA) and It gave me the chance to work on a 15lbs HUGE as well. I haven’t done bots since Covid shut it down in my area for a while and then I moved and graduated college etc… I’d say one of the main reason Cerberus was so successful is that we really overbuilt and powered our drive systems so we could fly around the box and avoid ever getting hit. With most weapons in bots these days it’s really hard to build a defensive bot that can tank more than 3-4 hits reliably. If you can pair a crazy AI program and a bot with unmatched maneuverability, then the weapon doesn’t need to be a hard hitter, but a fast weapon is still super important, you want your weapon to be the one making contact first so balancing speed with bite is big especially with vertical spinners like the one I see your using. Super cool to see you and your team getting into battlebots, I miss it.
The potential for this is incredible. I hope you guys can work out the kinks and destroy next time! Great showing for a first time bot. The design is great to look at too.
Got to watch your first fight live, thank you for putting on a great show! It was a shame to see you die as soon as Roundhouse got their weapon going but it certainly wasn't a bad loss, hopefully you both get the chance to compete on the main show!
It's nice to see a battlebot that isn't just a glorified RC car, because that's so 1998, seeing AI functions added, hopefully other sensors too, with the ability to aid the human with precision control, would be great to see it learn from different opponents and develop its own strategies for the fight 😊
Wow! This is the first video that I've seen that explains all the prep that a team has to go through to get their bot into the fight. I think that your team is awesome and I hope that you guys stick with it because the beginning of the fight shows just how powerful your bot is!! Orbitron rocks!!
Sad that they were plauged by mechanical issues, I am happy tho that we got to see the glimmer of hope and potential in that first fight. I look forward to the continued progression and fabrication of a fully autonomous bot! Go team!
Remember, how many space x rockets did they break before they finally got it? More battles mean more information on better designs. Keep it up yall. This all looked like a win to me.
I look forward to Hacksmith coming back to Battlebots bigger and badder! This was my favorite Hacksmith video thus far. I really wanna see the team from UoW return too!
I don't think enough credit was given to the genius of putting that big hunk of sacrificial plastic on each side to absorb a good hit. In that first fight, the first big hit Orbitron took on the flank was definitely blunted by that hunk of plastic absorbing the blow and giving the bot the chance to get kicked out of harms way before the armor had to do its job.
The AI in the first fight really showed the amazing potential. I think there should be a engineers price at the competition if there isn't one allready.
I feel in my bones that this is going to be a underdog story, keep up the hard work team and thanks for bringing us along for the journey! I can’t wait to see the comeback 🖤
I relate to the solution, take it apart and put it back together to fix it and not knoing the exact issue. The answer is intentionally inspect as you take apart. Usually means it wasnt put together right the last time.
For me the main thing why the lost hurt so much is because you technically didnt lose because your bot wasn't good enough. You lost because it didn't work properly. The "what if it work as expected?" Starts to swirl and the hurt comes from knowing that it didnt get a proper time to shine. If it worked and still lost then that just means the bot wasn't good enough but atleast it tried its best. Here there are just many what ifs. "What if it didnt suddenly stop at the first round?" "What if it didnt fry its own circuits?" "What if the AI worked properly at the second round?" "What if we hit it first in the second round?"
I really hope you guys continue to develop Orbitron. I feel like with more time you’ll be able to work out the reliability issues (which is kinda crazy to say since you already spent so much time building it)
Uh, yeah, you Orbitron guys better do that. You owe us now. We're emotionally invested in your success. Deliver and we all win. Become complacent, or lazy, or selfish, and the universe is nasty & harsh place. I don't believe in karma, or whatever. The universe has a playbook that religions try and explain. The universe isn't easy, but it is simple.
Own a piece of BattleBots history ► hacksmith.store/products/orbitron-battlebot-wreckage or check out our other great products at Hacksmith.store!
Hello, I would like to make a suggestion for a video. What if you made a real life transformer that you can drive and it transforms.
@@candibuttke7601I just came to ask them if they could do something Transformers related too
Would a big ass gyro on the back of an Aliens loader keep it stable on two feet?
Would love to see this series on Nebula!
You should colab with styropyro
Orbitron seems to be a beast when things are operating. That first fight, the AI was taking all the right angles and looked impressive. Good luck in the future
If they can get the bugs worked out this thing could be amazing
It's hard not to get good angles when your opponent is barely functional. As much as I like the idea of an AI battlebot, it's not going to have the strategy nor the ability to avoid weapons like a human will. If it faces someone like Hydra, it will have near zero chance of actually getting around him. Not to mention tombstone, who as soon as Orbitron's AI decides it's a good time to rush in and attack, will simply turn around and swing that nasty weapon into Orbitron's side. He has done this to many opponents, often disabling them from such a hit.
@@mr.perfecttireengineer622 I agree that if they were just going to use AI by itself but I thought they're using AI to supplement their human controller not replace it
@@mr.perfecttireengineer622 This is just outright wrong. If you manage to get an AI with proper environmental detection, which is the hard part because you need a ton of sensors, it would fight way better than humans. Have you ever tried fighting with bots on impossible difficulty in any game? Imagine something like that.
@fannyboy8294 to be fair humans rn are much better with detecting and analysing the situation rn sure the AI can get there but it's usually kinda slow with big stuff like say detecting and avoiding enemy weapons
Orbitron has an insane amount of potential, and we saw it today. It needs tuning in some areas, but it was a very impressive display overall!
Literally all I need is more of those circular spinning thingies but replace them with several saw blades na north south east and west Direction. That way it's not completely overpowered because they still have the corn is which can be hit.
@@isaiah9893 Saw blades are relatively ineffective, particularly at the Heavyweight level like this. They need extended solid contact to even have a chance of damaging stuff, so you really need them on something like an arm mechanism to keep them out of the way until you can pin an opponent to then bring them in. They're also way more fragile than the spinners that are currently on it.
@@isaiah9893 Saws are useless, blunt is much better than friction because blades break too easily
Based on what exactly? I found it a ridiculously disappointing video. And no, I would have loved these guys to win.. really! But come on.. all the money, all the tools and sponsors and this is the result?
@@Basjuh1984 They took an experimental technology and they held their own for a while. You have to see the potential in that at the very least.
Please, either keep supporting Orbitron, or keep Hacksmith Industries fighting in BB. It's amazing, and Hacksmith Ind is filled with some of the best and level headed engineers.
Yeah I want to see what they could come up with on their own, would be fun
Anyone else get chills watching how quickly and efficiently the AI attacked in the 1st fight...
Yeah, that was some scary efficiency
As someone who was on a FTC team previously destroyed repeatedly by Gluten Free, I'm glad to see they have moved on to actually obliterating other robots. Moving up in the world.
lol i love first, im on an frc team and it is so good
I'll be be competing in Worldskills Mobile Robotics next year, do you have any tips when it comes to the programming and design?
GF got their game on
@@kxngduvie7682 no but I have a tip for your weapon. Make the body out of a stronger steel if possible. That way if it gets hit it will hopefully take minimal damage giving you a longer amount of time to try to fight back.
To be honest FRC is the new type of battle bots
Shoutout to the editor of this video. You can almost physically feel the pain the guys went through before and after the fight
@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist5 damn fanatics..
@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist5jesus didn't help the bot in battle bots he seems to not care and make planets in his spare time
@RepentandbelieveinJesusChrist5there is no way you chose this comment of thousands to paste this
Massive respect for the Orbitron vision and bravery to put so much resources into it, I really hope to see more of this!
Yeah, I have to echo your sentiment. It's a good sentiment. It's a good video. Good editing, good light8ing, solid production, and a good message. The boys are relatable in the best sort of way. The didn't win the fight. NOT IMPORTANT. The process, the emotion, are the win. A human contest, a classic battle of human emotion versus an uncaring and rigid world. The video is almost Biblical in its universality.
If you guys get the reliability up to the level of Roundhouse, you'll be unstoppable. I'm really curious what they did differently from an electronics standpoint to make their bot so relentless.
As someone who did robotics for 8 years this is the realist video ive ever seen showing all the struggle
What degree did you get?
As someone who did some programming way back when, the realest part was "So do we know what's wrong" and getting that shoulder shrug in return.
@@lyravain6304 WHY DID THIS WORK?! WHY DID THIS STOP WORKING?! WHAT IS GOING ON WHO THE WHY
yep loved those days xD
omg, i was in FRC for 4 years and it was one of the best experiences in my life. But at the same time, it was so stressful when something works and for some reason it stops before a match
@@lyravain6304 accurate
As the original captain of The JDroids FTC team 7026, gotta say we are proud of you guys! Always enjoyed seeing Gluten Free's insane Lego mechanisms and unique solutions, you guys had us scrambling hahaha!
I don't think people realize how hard it is for things to works on first try, this was the first every ai powered battle bot, we can always learn from our past experience and faliures, I have realized that from participating in hackathons myself. Good luck for your future projects for the college students and Hacksmith industries.
This was a ton of fun. HUGE potential in this bot, great show, great behind the scenes action.
I’ve got to say in the first fight, the other robot was incredible. It took so many hits and still ran, making a machine that can hit hard is one thing but making one that can get hit and keep working is much more difficult
the main thing is the other robot is clearly more simplified
sometimes simplicity is the key to winning
the more functions, wires and cables you have, the more it needs protection
while orbitron is clearly engineered to deal massive damage, it's got so many components, just one bad hit is all it needs to shut down and there's not enough armor covering the robot to make it competitive
The more simple a system is, the easier it is to maintain. A golden rule in engineering@@madhatten00
Wait lol that's the plot of every Rocky movie
@@madhatten00 i totally agree with you... They have to be Mechanically smart too ... Not just AI smart..
An absolute blast effort by the team. They lost the competition but won our hearts. A huge round of applause for the Hacksmith team
A real steel situation ngl
As someone who's been watching this channel since the backflip tutorial days I can say I am immensely impressed with how far you all have come. From the exo suit to the power fist to flying like iron man to the robot arm nightmare multiple thor hammers and super hero gadgets the world's most powerful hand held leaf blower the power loader and obviously you know the list goes on and on but you get the piont you're doing battle bots now and I am truly amazed and humbled by what you have built here James and all the amazing people that have helped you along the way. Keep up the good work y'all I love the content and will always watch every new video that gets posted. ❤❤
Big respect for still making these videos despite it not working out as envisioned. Robotics isn’t a solved science and things are always bound to go wrong in one way or another. Hopes to another try and a more successful outcome next time.
Big props to the team, Bogdan's energy for all things robot I'm sure was a key motivator. A shame about some of the unforeseen issues, the static generated by the new environment could be predicted, but that first match you guys practically bullied your opponent with the hits you dealt it. At $50k it's no wonder these events are so exclusive.
*COULDN'T be predicted! Sorry, I totally fat fingered that comment.
Yeah the top tier is that expensive on account of all the heavy duty plating, but if you are interested there is mid tier which ranges around 10k, that every state has a few of, and low tier at a range of 300 bucks where everything is molded plastic that almost every big college has a few of. It's still pretty cool what people think up in those ranges.
As a FRC alumni, I love seeing how focused everyone was when there was an issue. My team had a history of drive issues, and seeing the troubleshooting and repairs was really nostalgic
As someone who has both done competitive robotics for many years, as well as watched Battle Bots, you guys did fantastic on your first go around! Orbitron was doing something that is completely new for the competition, and frankly doing it very very well. Sure, there were issues that needed fixing but that's the nature of robotics, they are rarely truly finished when you are required to compete. I certainly saw a lot of potential in what you guys achieved and I really hope you guys can keep doing this, it was awesome seeing you guys bring something truly different to the competition.
I love seeing you guys competing at battle bots and learning so much in the process. I hope you guys can use that and continue competing. I would love to watch it!!!
Love how the hacksmith labs gave the full access to all this and give them this opportunity i really hope they get another shot at battlebots
Good old Murphy striking at every turn "Anything that can go wrong will go wrong".
Bro they gotta kick Milo off the team 😂
"If it can happen, it will happen"
Nobody likes sponsors cuts. But I like what you guys did. Especially the product placement. It doesn’t interfere with the video. It’s really refreshing.
sponsorblock goes crazy
Bummed it didnt perform as well as we all had hoped, but V2 is gonna be SO MUCH BIGGER! I just worked with a guy from BattleBots and I have nothing but respect for all of you. Not easy work, expensive and scary work. But it all shows in the ring. Y'all have a new fan for Orbitron!! Bring it back and refine refine refine! Its got its issues now, but now you got time to make another. Please keep at it and dont let the loss discourage you, if anything make sure thats the ONLY loss!! Great work yall!!
I am beyond ecstatic that you guys are entering the combat robotics sport. Such a great team to have inject some creativity and expertises into the field
Very well done! When watching the fights a week or so ago I assumed you weren't running the AI and it seems I was half right, which explains the odd driving in the second match,
Main thoughts are:
- Have your front/rear armour panels wrap round the corner and bolt in (Like they do inside the weapon) to make it harder for them to get peeled off and to better protect the Aluminium underneath
- Reprofile your disc teeth. You can see after just two fights how little is left of the tooth. Make it run for a longer arc around the edge of the disc so you can resharpen it, and make it deeper so you can get more bite.
- Might be worth wrapping components in kevlar to protect against fire spread and reduce the chance of arcing inside the robot. See Black Dragon for extreme fire redundancy!
Cant wait to see you all back in the future!
where can you watch these fights btw? I follow the 'main' battlebots show but haven't seen this tbh
@@lukasamyn8405 I am pretty sure they are broadcasted on Discovery (i dont have Discovery myself, but I have seen Battlebots announcing that in some of their videos)
Also: Drop Windows as your OS. If you are going to need something reliable and cannot have 'driver issues' be a culprit, then use something that doesn't really care. I don't doubt it was the cheap controller possibly dying (I'm aware of which one they used, it's a big knockoff), but having a wall of various systems and controllers, not one of them has died on me, so I'm blaming the OS at the worst critical time.
Additionally, it sounds like ESD is your worst nightmare. Check your grounds and consider better protecting the controllers. One idea could be to make a rubber anti-shock mount so it can reduce impact damage but also prevent unwanted electrical connections. Only issue would be thermals, but pretty sure actual engineers can solve that in their sleep.
@@lukasamyn8405 These are unofficial "proving ground" fights for bots that want to participate to show what they have in hopes of joining the show
It’s insane how much work they put into it and there were still so many issues. This is programming and engineering in a nutshell.
Orbit on has a lot of potential when the factors are working in it's favor. Really impressive to see the ai work. It looked really cool when it locked onto the target ready to land a hit. I wish to see this bot fighting more.
* Makes an “AI” robot so it doesn’t depend on human control *
* Loses because the controller disconnects *
Snake AI salesmen 😂💀
Lmao. To be fair I think they do the computing and calculation on the PC then send the command to the robot. So the robot is dumb.
Boi not everything ai is bad and he is anything but a snake ai salesman. There is more ai on video games than this battle bot
@@slappyjo1046 that was my point. That the “AI” is pretty lacking. Borderline non-existent even, they only used the controller. That’s why it’s Snake AI selling, because they tried to sell something as AI powered when it isn’t
@@danielcues well calling someone a snake salesman is saying they are trying to push the ai “agenda.”
@@slappyjo1046 snake oil is false advertising, a scam, it’s got nothing to do with “agendas”. If you create in your mind your own definition for it, it isn’t really my problem
Orbitron was ridiculously good when the AI was working. Roundhouse didn't have much of a chance during the first day, and only won because of the technical issues that Orbitron had.
I hope to see more of Orbitron in the future of battlebots because that thing was a menace in the first fight. Get the internals working to proper specs and it could become a pretty big name
When the Roomba gets human emotions
"If it burns, it's gonna burn, we're not gonna save it". Lmao
Love your vids mate, ever since your old Batman grapple hook I love to see the creations and engineering creativity you guys display in these videos! Love from Australia!
It's amazing how wholesome behind the scenes at BattleBots really is. From everything I've heard, backstage team cooperation is the norm, everybody wants to get all these machines into the ring.
As a person who work in Machine Industry, this is as real as it could be, the tension when seeing it working on the field and just hoping it don’t fail hit hard here. Fix after fix after fix, no ending loop 😂
I scratch-build 4- and 5-channel RC planes for fun, but my expertise is limited to soldering, and installing brushless motors, receivers, servos, and ESCs to get them flying after the build. What you're doing here is truly next-level engineering. Hats off to the entire team! The thought of spending $900 on an ESC is mind-blowing, and I’m sure you go through quite a few-I know I do. Keep up the fantastic work, everyone!
That was a very difficult opponent for your first two fights. It's like starting against the final boss.
I love seeing Ben grow infront of the camera, he is a genius who doesn't have the best presentation skills.. But he has come so far and seeing him work naturally is awesome! Keep going Ben!
I am a huge BattleBot fan. I had NO idea it was that expensive to build one of these bots. Thank you for making this video and good luck with your next bot!
congratulations on the first success A.I. weapon documented
Congrats you guys! Not only is this a wonderful video but you have inhabited the spirit of the hobby. Every bot especially at the start has its gremlins, but you guys did perfect in just hunkering down and getting it fixed, especially between fights!
really impressive, i was rooting for you the whole time :)
if it's at all possible to stay in the game, you would have all the support in the world for it. in the first fight the ai's reflexes were so surperior
This reminds me of the phrase "Everybody has a plan until they get punched in the mouth." I'd love to see Orbitron continue. Knowing how your bot breaks down is even more important than how it attacks. This bot is going to be formidable as it gets more reliable and shockproof especially if they can simplify and protect critical electronics. This is gonna be an awesome bot.
There's been attempts with automated systems in BattleBots before, like Chomp. It initially worked, as they're the only team to defeat Bite Force. But teams figured out how to trick the LiDAR sensors that fed the auto-targeting.
I'm glad other builders are trying automations and AI. Even if you don't win, if you can prove the system works, and you guys certainly did, that's a huge benefit to the sport. More tools and options will push innovation, both in ways to implement AI, and ways to figure out how to defeat it.
If it has AI it makes it 100× better to see it get destroyed
The intensity here was incredible! I love this so much . I’m so happy on what this channel represents and what you support. This is truly inspiring and motivating in many ways. Thank you, Hacksmith Industries.
That first fight was one of the most aggressive I've ever seen in battle bots. I can't wait to see how not only the build, but the AI in particular develops.
The static, is a result of the battlebox rubber flooring in the pits and all of your armour needs to be thicker and float and be rubber mounted. The reason why you lost to the giant spinner was because the driver hesitated and didn't drive straight into it. ; ) - Gabe - Tanshe, Sabretooth, Duck, Beta. The design is cool and i really wanted to see it self right and be less boxy.
I have only 1 piece of advice for you guys. You are an awesome crazy smart group of guys and I am continually in awe. You need 1 guy a non-engineer team member. I'd say a farmer type a guy that has been figuring out how to fix things cheap and reliably. He'd also understand how to do it strong. Thanks guys so very much! I appreciate all the hard work.
Where do you think the name Hacksmith comes from? It's not a professional engineer 😉
@@hacksmith I guess I'm wrong. Sorry.
💪💪💪 Great fights! Rematch next season?
You're on! Was great meeting you guys, couldn't have asked for a better opponent team!
@@hacksmith FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT FIGHT
I love seeing how Bogdan has gone from a wet behind the ears intern to a super duper competent engineer.
It's funny how many times you see him biting his tongue to encourage the younger generation. I feel he sees them making similar mistakes at a similar age and he knows that it takes mistakes and perseverance to make it to the top.
I hope you continue this project, one of the best ones yet. Protentially bringing battlebots to the next level.
I’d like to offer you guys a reference for Cables,Crimps and Harnesses!
I worked for a very prestigious manufacturer out here in Utah for 3 years.
The owner and a lot of skilled employees are very good at what they do and they have people (continually new customers and companies) from all over, asking for their business.
They have their HQ in Utah and another place in CA.
It’s called: Alliance Cable and Wire Harness.
They can do anything you need, especially custom work like the system your Bot is running.
I only refer them on rare occasions; not trying to boast about them or advertise, I just like your videos and this one was very cool! I’m a huge fan of Battle Bots and I’ve been watch you guys for years now!
Man I've been watching hacksmith since the half life 2 crossbow, and seeing the whole team coming together in such a beautiful display of unity, trust and self control, it makes me love you guys even more. Orbitron was a BEAST!!! I'm sure that if given another chance it might win the whole thing. Keep up the good work!
Orbitron is a well-designed robot. By all means, it should've absolutely obliterated Roundhouse. If they can work the kinks out, that bot would be absurdly strong. It's a shame that it had to end this way, but it's simply a step towards the future. Good luck in the future, because you guys clearly have a vision that WILL be realized in time.
There is a very good reason why horizontal spinners are often near the top of the lists in most fighting robot competitions. They're incredibly difficult to approach and relatively easy to aim. They also tend to kick whatever they hit much farther away than vertical spinners and can fling opponents into walls and hazards, where the impact can do even more damage.
i'd love to see how you guys design you're next gen battle bot (if you make another). Orbitron was a great test bed
One of the most exciting videos on this channel! Please do another design! I want to see how the battlebots will improve.
As a fan of the sport, especially the heavy weight division and BattleBots as a show, these videos have demonstrated how much time and dedication really goes into getting these robots to the fights. Orbitron looks like it could give some of the greats a run for their money. Could totally see a Giant Nut in the Hascksmith's team's future!
who says the failure is failure?,
for the enginner, failure is just another step to make it more better,
KUDOS FOR ALL TEAM,
this is the most pinnacle of joys even you lose
I really hope you guys get picked next season! It's a pretty strong bot so you will probably win
I don't believe it would ever beat the likes of Minotaur or Riptide because it is too unreliable.
Yes because we wouldn't fix the reliability...?
They wont win, probably go 1-2 or 2-1 and make a low seed and get Ko'ed in round of 32
@@hacksmithI think you’ll do fine, with your team it’s only up.
Optimism is great, but Orbitron will get one shot by the likes of Witch Doctor, Copperhead, End
Game and Minotaur.
I definitely want to see an Orbitron v2 and yall to come back stronger then ever. I very much enjoy this content as I was on a FRC team in high-school this is very close to me.
I love how Tombstone is still THE reference in term of dangerosity
Stellar showing! "No plan survives contact with the enemy."
a good first run... Roundhouse shows truly just how valuable even a single tournament of experience can get you...
Going straight into the 250lb weight class is no joke & its a hard & expensive place to learn all the hard ish every competitor has to learn, either the easier or harder way
As someone who made it to vex worlds I’m impressed about how you guys managed to fix so much stuff in that little time
As an electronics engineer i can say they have built a good design but i have suggestion when ever some component fails you have to look source of it and it take time, thats why i respect the good efforts they put in and keep improving this design and you will surely win
I won show favorite at a robot show after I made a lego skeeball machine. That thing took me a week of no engineering experience to make, so what y'all have made is truly commendable!
Live by the spinner, die by the spinner -- that was a great fight! The raw speed and the AI navigator were a really impressive combo in the first match! I've no doubt the technical issues can be worked out by you guys (I mean, seriously, technical issues seem to be a snack item for the Hacksmith crew haha!), so here's hoping for a full match -- and the win -- in the next run! ^_^
Probably a bit late for you to see this James/hacksmith media but I remember asking your channel about sponsoring battlebots back in 2017 while working on my first battlebot, Cerberus, in highschool. That team actually won most it’s competitions (15lbs NRL in PA) and It gave me the chance to work on a 15lbs HUGE as well. I haven’t done bots since Covid shut it down in my area for a while and then I moved and graduated college etc… I’d say one of the main reason Cerberus was so successful is that we really overbuilt and powered our drive systems so we could fly around the box and avoid ever getting hit. With most weapons in bots these days it’s really hard to build a defensive bot that can tank more than 3-4 hits reliably. If you can pair a crazy AI program and a bot with unmatched maneuverability, then the weapon doesn’t need to be a hard hitter, but a fast weapon is still super important, you want your weapon to be the one making contact first so balancing speed with bite is big especially with vertical spinners like the one I see your using. Super cool to see you and your team getting into battlebots, I miss it.
The potential for this is incredible. I hope you guys can work out the kinks and destroy next time! Great showing for a first time bot. The design is great to look at too.
As someone in the battle bots community I felt the terror that you feel when you are losing and cant do anything about it while watching this video.
Got to watch your first fight live, thank you for putting on a great show! It was a shame to see you die as soon as Roundhouse got their weapon going but it certainly wasn't a bad loss, hopefully you both get the chance to compete on the main show!
It's nice to see a battlebot that isn't just a glorified RC car, because that's so 1998, seeing AI functions added, hopefully other sensors too, with the ability to aid the human with precision control, would be great to see it learn from different opponents and develop its own strategies for the fight 😊
Wow! This is the first video that I've seen that explains all the prep that a team has to go through to get their bot into the fight. I think that your team is awesome and I hope that you guys stick with it because the beginning of the fight shows just how powerful your bot is!! Orbitron rocks!!
I do hope you get invited back, seeing the design and engineering going into making the bot happen was awesome!
Sad that they were plauged by mechanical issues, I am happy tho that we got to see the glimmer of hope and potential in that first fight. I look forward to the continued progression and fabrication of a fully autonomous bot! Go team!
Remember, how many space x rockets did they break before they finally got it? More battles mean more information on better designs. Keep it up yall. This all looked like a win to me.
Wearing sun glasses inside was totally hilarious, what a champ.
I look forward to Hacksmith coming back to Battlebots bigger and badder! This was my favorite Hacksmith video thus far.
I really wanna see the team from UoW return too!
love the editor and the battlebot scene great vid guys
I don't think enough credit was given to the genius of putting that big hunk of sacrificial plastic on each side to absorb a good hit. In that first fight, the first big hit Orbitron took on the flank was definitely blunted by that hunk of plastic absorbing the blow and giving the bot the chance to get kicked out of harms way before the armor had to do its job.
that looks like an old bot that got absolutely bonked by tombstone, but with AI. super cool bot. awesome to see warframe supporting bot builders
For your first 2 fights, you did really well. I have no doubt that with a little more experience and some tweaks Orbitron can start racking up wins
The AI in the first fight really showed the amazing potential. I think there should be a engineers price at the competition if there isn't one allready.
They do already have awards for stuff like Best Design, Most Destructive, etc.
A wise man once said:
“Losing is learning”
hope you improve from here! ❤
I feel in my bones that this is going to be a underdog story, keep up the hard work team and thanks for bringing us along for the journey! I can’t wait to see the comeback 🖤
You guys did great. Keep your head up.
I relate to the solution, take it apart and put it back together to fix it and not knoing the exact issue. The answer is intentionally inspect as you take apart. Usually means it wasnt put together right the last time.
"mastery of something can only be achieved through continuos mistakes and errors" don't give up on this project
With robot fights there seem to be so many unlikely comebacks. That reminds me a lot of Futurama Robots.
The team did excellent the entire time, hats off to you guys
For me the main thing why the lost hurt so much is because you technically didnt lose because your bot wasn't good enough. You lost because it didn't work properly. The "what if it work as expected?" Starts to swirl and the hurt comes from knowing that it didnt get a proper time to shine. If it worked and still lost then that just means the bot wasn't good enough but atleast it tried its best. Here there are just many what ifs. "What if it didnt suddenly stop at the first round?" "What if it didnt fry its own circuits?" "What if the AI worked properly at the second round?" "What if we hit it first in the second round?"
Nice to see what happened during your fight since I had to leave town. Thanks for the bundle of stickers you left on my toolbox!
11:17 Bro thinks he's Tony Stark right there. Jokes aside incredible performance
I really hope you guys continue to develop Orbitron. I feel like with more time you’ll be able to work out the reliability issues (which is kinda crazy to say since you already spent so much time building it)
Uh, yeah, you Orbitron guys better do that. You owe us now. We're emotionally invested in your success. Deliver and we all win. Become complacent, or lazy, or selfish, and the universe is nasty & harsh place. I don't believe in karma, or whatever. The universe has a playbook that religions try and explain. The universe isn't easy, but it is simple.
What a show guys!! Crazy to think how well the AI worked in the first match
There's a saying: "Legends are not born in a single day". I m sure, you guys will come back stronger next time. Good luck!
"everyone has a plan until they get punched in the nose" Mike tyson
Guys keep working at it, your concept is great and you have a good start. You'll make it.