Robot Combat League
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Robot Combat League | |
|---|---|
| Genre | Action |
| Presented by | Chris Jericho |
| Country of origin | United States |
| Original language | English |
| No. of seasons | 1 |
| No. of episodes | 9 |
| Production | |
| Production company | Smart Dog Media |
| Original release | |
| Network | Syfy |
| Release | February 26 – April 23, 2013 |
Robot Combat League (RCL) is a U.S. television show on the Syfy network about robot fighting competitions. On the show, teams use exosuits to control fighting robots. The series is hosted by Chris Jericho and was first shown on February 26, 2013, at 10pm EST.
Each weekly show has tournament competitions between 8-foot, 1,000-pound[1] humanoid robots controlled by human competitors, one robo-jockey and one robo-tech per team. The series has 12 teams of individuals from diverse backgrounds. Each team is paired with a robot that they control using an exo-suit that directs its movements. Each fight is of three rounds and the winning team advances.[2] There are 12 robots.
The robots range from an axe-headed laser-eyed warrior to a robot made of plexiglass and a roll cage.
The robots and the suits used to control them were created by the robotics expert Mark Setrakian.
Rules
- Fights consist of three,^ two-minute rounds
- Three ringside judges score the action to determine a winner
- Points are awarded to strong solid hits to vital parts
- Teams have a pit crew and twenty minutes in between rounds to make all necessary repairs
- Judges can stop a round early due to excessive damage
- Robots can be KO'd if they are unable to make the bell signifying the round's end
^Note : In the season one finale's championship fight there were five two-minute rounds, with the winner being the first team to win three rounds out of the five.
Competitors
Each team consists of a uniquely themed robot and two human controllers.
- One human is the "Robo-Jockey," controlling the robot's arms and torso while standing via an exosuit-like harness strapped to his or her back and arms.
- The other human is the "Robo-Tech," seated in a chair while using two joysticks to control the robot's feet and any other unique parts, such as the movable axe "head" on A.X.E.
Each robot is powered by hydraulic and pneumatic actuators. Each robot moves on two feet, stabilized by a bar that attaches at the back of the robot, above the legs. The robots each have six actuators at the waist, and several more in each arm. The robots are all styled and painted to be unique and distinct from each other. This unique styling is especially expressed in the different types and designs of armour that cover each robot, from sheet steel, to steel pipe roll cages, to carbon-fiber, to leather. The robots' hands are also all individually styled, and can be quickly detached to facilitate repairs between rounds, or swapped out for weapon attachments. Several cameras may be mounted on each robot by the show staff to capture show footage, but none of the camera images were used to help control of the robot.
The robots are controlled by the "Robo-Jockey" and "Robo-Tech" by direct line of sight, from two raised platforms at either end of the arena.
The initial team seed order was determined by a timed challenge in the first episode.
Episodes
Overview
| Season | Episodes | Season premiere | Season finale |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 9 | February 26, 2013 | April 23, 2013 |
Season 1 (2013)
| No. | Title[4] | Original air date[5] | Powerup Challenges / training / match-ups[6] | Fight winner(s) | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Rise of the Machines" | Feb. 26, 2013 | Man meets machine / Steel Cyclone vs Crash | Crash | |
| 2 | "Blood, Sweat and Gears" | Mar. 5, 2013 | Scorpio vs Commander / Thunder Skull vs Brimstone | Scorpio | Brimstone |
| 3 | "A Hero's Journey" | Mar. 12, 2013 | Game Over vs A.X.E./ George Lucas cameo[7] / Robo Hammer vs Drone Strike | A.X.E. | Drone Strike |
| 4 | "The Fight of Your Life" | Mar. 19, 2013 | Special training with Freddie Roach / Steampunk vs Medieval | Steampunk | |
| 5 | "The Next Level of Carnage" | Mar. 26, 2013 | Big surprise / Quarter-finals begins / A.X.E vs Scorpio | Scorpio | |
| 6 | "Kicking Bot" | Apr. 2, 2013 | Steampunk vs Drone Strike / Crash vs Brimstone | Steampunk | Crash |
| 7 | "Wild Card Fight" | Apr. 9, 2013 | Steel Cyclone vs Thunder Skull (both voted in by remaining teams) / Weapon selection | Steel Cyclone | |
| 8 | "Semi-Finals" | Apr. 16, 2013 | Crash vs Scorpio / Steampunk vs Steel Cyclone | Crash | Steampunk |
| 9 | "Built Like a Champion" | Apr. 23, 2013 | Powered weapon reveal & corner man selection / Crash vs Steampunk | Crash | |