How SawBlaze SLASH AND BURNED Their Way To BATTLEBOTS Champion!

We have Battlebots Champion SAWBLAZE with us for a special Secrets of Episode! #robotics #battlebots #blog
Jamison Go has invited Zach to Connecticut this week to go behind the scenes into what makes a Battlebot Champion! SawBlaze is the Season 7 Battlebots champion and our Brother-In-Saw, chopping the competition along the way!
We learn about the changes to SawBlaze over the years, the birth of SawBlaze, MegaTRON, how Jamison got his start, and how he managed to beat HUGE! to win the Giant Nut.
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[@derincattelane43]

I learned that you should never stop trying to improve your robot. Even small improvements can make the difference between winning and losing a fight.

[@The_Curious_Cat]

I was really happy SawBlaze won, they seem such a great team with awesome people. I would also be happy if Huge won, for the same reason, which they showed graciously accepting defeat. You can see how much effort they put in the bot, iterating, learning from the mistakes and losses. That's the one thing I've learned from this video, success doesn't appear out of the blue, it's not instant, it's a compound of failures, learning from them, victories, iteration on both, falling down, picking yourself back again until you reach the goal and win.

[@arandomai2585]

From Jamison's insight, I was able to re-contextualize the phrase "the best offense is a good defense" in terms of robot combat. A lot of focus is always put on the weapons on robots, and a lot of the time it feels like the drive and armor are somewhat of an afterthought. But on all bots, especially like control bots like SawBlaze, those things are just as important, if not more

[@johnathanclayton2887]

Wow, I didn't realize every motor has it's own controller and receiver, even integrated into one block! That's a great idea for redundancy and serviceability! Since all those components are needed for the system to run, it doesn't matter if all of them are taken out in a single hit, since any one component damaged would kill the system.

[@JeffHendricks]

A lot of teams went to isolated or self-contained drive modules- Duck! and Hypershock are good examples. It's a good design strategy.

[@thehmmyone]

the biggest thing i learned about robot building today is that sticking with a design and perfecting it pays off, also that fighting with a scaled down model can give you a good platform to test materials for the heavyweight, design ideas for things to implement to the heavyweight, and also give you an idea on how the bot would handle different types of bots, all while giving you more practice with driving in general

[@iDontGiveaFett]

One of my favorite things I learned in this episode was just how compact and robust SawBlaze's motors are now! It's just amazing how they've managed to put so much into their newest motors and essentially turn them into a tiny package of multiple small parts all in one, while still keeping them as small as they are now. Such an ingenious and underappreciated feat that deserves more attention! 😀🔥💚🖤 And as a side note for anyone who wasn't there to see it at filming, SawBlaze vs. HyperShock was the first fight they filmed for this season and was the first BattleBots fight I ever got to see live in person!! 🤩

[@eveeellam995]

What I learned is that through 19 years of iteration, blood, sweat, and tears, Jamison Go absolutely deserved the Giant Nut, and Sawblaze will stand forever as an engineering masterpiece

[@NorrisVaughn]

Basically, robot building is all about constant improvement. Using smaller versions of the larger robo, alla SawBlaze and MegaTron for example, helps the builders to better understand how to combat more typical opponents, like vertical spinners. It's all about trial and error; seeing what works and incorporate those lessons into the big boy!

[@XQ0M]

been a huge fan of the scene and i most definitly learned that having not only the right meterail is detrimental but also having an affordable one is a great combo for the succsess in the sport.

[@patrickcooke577]

so happy for Sawblaze. #slashandburn Learned that the pursuit of perfection in small details can have big changes in outcome

[@alexs6352]

"No issue to small to address". Tells me to never be complacent and always think about how the small issues can blow up into big issues. Congratulations Jamison and team Sawblaze. This season's final was two extremely passionate and deserving teams put head to head and I think a lot community was rooting for both sides. And you all put on a show for us; so for that, thank you. Enjoy the glory!

[@CFCSM1994]

Today I learned that no matter how strange and meta-breaking one robot might get, there will always be a way to beat it, if you have a dedicated team of amazing engineers. Congrats to the whole team! That said, huge props to the HUGE team for a fantastic tournament run, can't wait for the new season.

[@Wddh4410]

I learned that the pursuit of perfection is like an asymptote, you can get closer and closer to it, but you can never get quite get to it. There's always room for improvement and the pile of unused parts is a testament to that. The quest to optimize and improve never ends!

[@davidharper6276]

I never realized how intricate the drive motor assembly needed to be to stay functional with those big hits. The package put together for Saw Blaze is incredible. Top notch engineering and attention to the smallest detail. What a season!

[@levicharles996]

I think the biggest take away for me are the different iterations a bot goes through, from the builder not giving up even when it seems impossible. Just the determination and passion from the teams are great examples for future builders. Letting them know not to give up on your dreams and aspirations. Great job Sawblaze Team 👍

[@Adam-lw9il]

I love getting to see these in depth looks at how the bots work. Getting to see just how much care and detail goes into every piece of the bot is amazing. One important thing I learned from this is that you need to make something you can throw into an arena and see how it fails. Its important to find your weak points and figure out how you can improve them for the next fight.

[@lisandrob.leopatri3324]

i learned that in this sport you will never have assured the things that are gonna work like you expected, the things that are goin to fail when you don't expected it. And acumulating experience, even with robots on a smaller scale, is how you the builders improve. Congrats to team Sawblaze for the win.

[@TOSkwar22]

I learned, among other things, how weird some of the interactions can be and how massive the result can be. That tire, for example. The weird way the steel got hooked resulted in the entire wheel getting ripped off- clearly, something that needed to be prevented in the future! I wouldn't think of it working like that if I was putting a bot together, but once you do some... Brute force testing, so to speak, it becomes a bit more apparent!

[@trofl]

I learned that a major part of building a winning bot is figuring how to budget your mass. I'm sure having powerful (brushed) 20 lb drive motors helped the original iterations of Sawblaze on a few occasions, but the 24 (2x12) lbs saved by going to the latest brushless motors went to areas of greater need. And also it's really helpful to have smaller scale bots to test these changes at the more frequent events, like NHRL. (Jamison, when are we going to see shuffle drive on a heavyweight? 😄)

[@dandischinosvarietyhour1655]

I learned that designing things is as much of a worldview as it is a skill. I really liked Jamison's "every design decision has a reason" point.

[@mitchellhuman4273]

I learned that every little detail matters. Even the smallest nut, the tiniest piece of material or the most minimal change can easily affect a robot.

[@isaiahschell]

What I learned: (1. Battlebots usually only happens once a year, which can make rapid development tricky. Building a scaled down version of the same battlebot and entering it into say… NHRL will help tremendously. (2. The “meta” will always be an over-powered vert or horizontal spinner, however fighting back with a unique design can temporarily force builders to adapt and change that meta to fit the competition. This also makes the sport more entertaining and full of damage. (3. Lots of collisions in a match many times go unnoticed when televised, and they are only truly visible when inspected close up, one-on-one. Thanks for this series and providing us with an awesome second point of view on the worlds most diverse sport!

[@SuperdivorceChugsFarts]

I learned that there truly can never exist a “perfect” robot, not without years and years of genuine field testing. Minute variables can make the difference between a win and loss, and the sport will continue to evolve for many, many years to come. It’s been so amazing seeing bots evolve over years, and seeing every change either work as intended or potentially crash and burn. Sometimes it’s not about having the most powerful bot but the most adapted. Can’t wait to see what the future holds for us in glorious bot combat!

[@wristofkings]

Robot combat has taught me that K.I.S.S. should be the guiding principle in design, parts and assembly. Tournaments are won and lost in the pits, so ease of servicing is absolutely key to having a successful bot that is ready in time for the next match. It doesn't have to be an off the shelf solution, but interchangeability and standardization should be pursued whenever possible.

[@seanpeterson830]

Perfection is Not Attainable, But If We Chase Perfection We Can Catch Excellence! By watching sawblaze throughout it's time in battlebots I'm literally seeing this powerful quote playout.

[@killapoof]

I learned all rubber/foam everything, nothing is too small to shock isolate. Electronics, motor mounts, wedges. The more energy that can go into compressing elastic material and not into stress propagation the better .

[@user-kz4yy8lt7p]

I learned that even small changes can get a bot from rarely making it past the quarterfinals to becoming the world champion

[@carluchito76]

The thing that I learned in this video was about what the Giant Nut and other trophies really represent. Before, I would've have seen them as just having a lot of wins under your belt or getting through the bracket undefeated. However, I now know what goes into winning it. I now see the Giant Nut as a testament to a true and worthy champion. One that has gone through trial and error over multiple seasons. One that has endured long enough. One with a team that worked hard together. SawBlaze and its team have definitely shown these attributes and are very deserving to be this season's champion.

[@SkorpiosBattlebot]

Congratulations! Jamison has selected you to receive the piece of SawBlaze! Please email us [e-mail]! Thank you for the wonderful comment!

[@frostbite88]

I leaned that you really need to be willing to innovate and improve your designs. This is one of the reasons that sawblaze was really good this year.

[@grapploct2796]

I think it’s crazy that every tournament fight for Sawblaze was in some way a rematch. First round was a rematch against Aren Hill, next three were much more literal rematches, and the finals was a scaled up version of when MegaTron fought Huge in NHRL.

[@joshuamao9736]

Jamison Go is such an inspiring guy. I can't help but smile listening to him. One thing I learned about building combat robots is that even the greatest heroes of the sport started by dumpster-diving. Now he's surrounded by golden dumpsters!

[@rebeccasnowden6717]

"No problem is to small to fix" I guess I need to keep that in mind for my bot

[@akronguy3616]

I learned that you must take an iterative approach when designing your robot, learning and improving from past failures (preferably through smaller and cheaper robots before scaling up!). It’s very cool to see the behind-the-scenes look that your videos and interviews provide, thanks so much for doing this!

[@erwater18]

I learned how important it is to recognize something isn’t working and change it. Some teams and even myself can get stuck on one the design of a bot and just accept that’s the way it is. Jamison and his team realized the design for the plow was eating into their time and energy in the pits (having to saw of the bolt etc) and instead of just accepting that they changed it to a more efficient way of attaching the side plows. Just the way his whole team works is amazing to me!! Jamison is known for coming up with ways to face opponents and I just think it’s so neat to see what he comes up with!!!!

[@Kandorr617]

I learned the importance of many subtle changes in design can lead to greater success than large paradigm changes. Staying with what you know, what you are good at, and improving and testing many many times has lead SawBlaze to a giant nut. Patient perseverance, belief in your plan, and remaining open to change - these things brought them the championship. They deserve it!

[@themcons50]

Great vid very informative and behind the scenes!!

[@candyman_5005]

I learned how valuable testing your robot in different weight classes can be. It allows faster, and cheaper development!

[@anthonymartin9566]

One thing I've learned this season is how important low ground clearance is and the important of forks.

[@Paytrolah]

Well I definitely learned that Jamo is far more brilliant of a mind than the show could ever portray, the sheer effort he has put into Sawblaze is shocking. I never realised just how much trial and error went into it. Well, well deserved nut.

[@mangoproductions875]

Its really cool how helpful the community is, how you guys are helping each other with your designs and everything.

[@boomslangbites]

What i learnt from watching jamison and his team is that battles aren't won by the big showy hits or fancy gadgetry, its the small details that help to bring about the win and that no small detail is too small or inconsequential to not warrant spending time on going over possible points of failure. Nothing should be set in stone and considered a done deal when chasing refinement.

[@Shark-xj2yz]

I learned that every piece and part can really affect your effectiveness. Even small parts like the ring or bolt that held its armor together. Really great video Scorpios!

[@Dutch972]

I learned that no matter how many times it takes, you should never give up something that you’ve been working on for so long to achieve. Believe in it and make it so!

[@theorangesteak]

I learned that robot building involves adapting to the opponent. There isn’t a single design that can beat every other bot, but using different attachments and configurations is crucial to winning fights.

[@LightningGTM]

Something that really stood out to me was how no robot design is "perfect" in that it is never truly complete; new iterations will always come along. Jamison said it best at 3:20 - "There's no issue too small to address."

[@roghider319]

I learned that not only starting small is the best idea,but keeping to use your smaller bots will help you improve your bigger copies much faster and better

[@53rdcards]

Its amazing to see all of the past parts, and how things change, also learned that he has a mini sawblaze

[@NifesTheCat]

A common thread I found in the builders I tend to like the most is the emphasis on internal modularity, and seeing that drive pod next to the original motor and gear box was such a cool before/after comparison. That being said, the lengths they went through to static-proof their components absolutely blew my mind, and I don't think I've ever seen that discussed so deeply even with BB being in the desert now. That was a revelation, to me, on par with Paul's walk-through on battle-hardening motors. The Murphy's Law-proofing is off the charts.

[@ianross2352]

i learned that having the passion and dive to think outside the box and to rethink even the smallest setails is how you keep getting better both as a person and a team

[@jevil9117]

I think the biggest thing ive learned is just how much a robot changes seeing how big sawblazes old motor was and how small the new ones are kinda made me realize that the current sawblaze and old sawblaze are almost completely different really puts into perspective how much each robot changes for the next season

[@pissedoffpotato1882]

I have learned that it takes a lot of determination, willpower, skill, consistency, teamwork & luck in order to win & succeed. Among all of the robots my husband and I have watched we have certainly seen how jamison go was just unstoppable & his determination to succeed was just impressive. Their team just keeps getting better & stronger every season ❤ More power to battlebots!

[@CylitheraGreywolf]

I just learned that the entire process of robot evolution takes place across different size scales as well as over time. Congratulations on your win, Jamison, and that was the best Giant Nut fight I have seen since I started watching BattleBots! Here's to many more exciting fights! Also thank you Zach and Diana for all these fun, educational videos, even if it takes me a while to get to them!

[@isaacgraphics1416]

Best builder blog so far! Those drive modules are really impressive.

[@c90adventures]

I learned that continuous improvement is so important in combat robotics. The improvements are often worth more than the sum of their parts. And to have Huge and Sawblaze fight in the final of Battlebots 2023 really shows how important continuous improvement is. I really hope I win that piece of Sawblaze, I'll mount it on the wall if I do.

[@Glabe87]

And thanks for winning, Sawblaze! I had you picked in our family betting pool

[@101rotarypower]

So happy for Jamison and the entire SawBlaze Team! You can easily sense just how deeply important and meaningful it is to him, and how humble he is to have had the opportunity to procure one because of hard work and motivation to improve iteratively. Glad to see the essence of what battlebots is to me pay off for the exact right kind of competitor I want to see Winning the competition!

[@Fattoxthegreat]

A Giant Nut and a Founder's Bolt is all of the hardware that matters in this sport. Very cool they have both.

[@crynomancer]

One that the smallest changes even if they seem small and point less can make such a huge difference in a fight and that you can win with not only brute force (the hammer saw) but it's also win in the mind with skill (Jameson driving skills and problem solving skills

[@jonathangears]

I learned about the importance of testing and scaling. Knowing that MegatRON and Sawblaze compete at different times of the year and that they get data from both bots to continually improve is actually huge. While I respect a team that is able to jump right into the heavyweight class, it really shows how the Sawblaze team is able to continually grow, evolve, and improve, and that's why they have a Giant Nut now and others who just jumped into 250 pounders don't.

[@HoosierHacker]

This is gold! Thanks for the detailed interview on this amazing engineering! Can you please ask them what they are planning next?

[@dex_kun_fails]

Just the shear amount of work that goes into making these machines successful at this point in the sport, sealing off every potential point of static incursion, making sure every shock sensitive component is shock mounted, the little changes that happen year after year. I've been watching Battlebots since the original Comedy Central Vegas special in 1999 and the days of tossing together junkyard parts and running through the field are long gone

[@wizardbuilds207]

What I learned about building battle bots is making it adaptable. Having the modularity to adapt to as many scenarios as possible leads to victory.

[@TerminaHeart]

The thing I learned the most about robot combet is that almost no bot stays the same past 1 season. There's always upgrades and changes. Also, brushless is hard, but you need to do it.

[@DancingManWheat]

I'm happy Jamison Go and his team finally got a Championship win. Their bot has come a long way and was especially hard hitting this year. I am excited to see where things go from here.

[@user-zb8wy1tk7h]

The thing I learned is just how much thought is put into making the robot easy to repair- even down to making custom nuts. The level of detail put into every aspect is amazing.

[@toyotanos]

I enjoyed the video! I learned that you can forgo using perfectly good parts (even if they give you a serious tactical advantage) if they have a tangible downside that is likely to lose you fights. The tires were something I had wondered about for a while, and now I know! Thanks, guys!

[@johnnyc2764]

Thanks jamison for making me realize no problem is too small to address. Great nugget of wisdom!

[@spleck615]

That’s amazing the lower weight class is so similar it can be used as a trial iteration grounds for optimizing the heavyweights! Love it!

[@user-xb5bx6tc4h]

I learned you should never accept defeat. Continue to make changes that will better yourself and your team. Eventually the hard work will pay off and you can become a champion, like Team SawBlaze. Congratulations on a job well done!!

[@CVBenedetti]

I learned that - in high stress applications like combat robotics - there is no such thing as a perfect answer. It's more a question of which answer reaches the best compromise. Strength vs flexibility, armor vs speed, and so on. Very cool stuff!

[@jeromephillips4529]

I learned that no matter how much you try to perfect a robot, there's always something new to try that might change the way you see your own build and better those builds you make in the future.

[@PyroBear1776]

It’s been a pretty long day so this is just what I need. SLASH AND BURN!

[@MGFDLR]

What I've learned mst about robot building/combat is the tenacity of never giving up - even if you have the wackiest most out there robot idea or the most plainest standard 4wd vert, the idea of designing a robot, building it, fighting it, and putting the hours, time, money, blood, sweat and tears into it, for that glorious moment where it just *works*, and "works" is so broad, it could be anything from the thing moving across the arena to winning the Giant Nut, that feeling of having a thing you came up with, a thing you built, do what it was meant to? There's got to be no better feeling than that.

[@TheLiverpoolOwen]

kid standing in front of class giving presentation: today on the Builders Blog I learned that sawblaze is powered by lightning! ⚡

[@silverma]

I learned if you love what you’re doing, you can be the best. Congratulations Sawblaze crew.

[@codyphillips1821]

Not just today but through watching the tv show and all the different content the builders make themselves I've learned that there is so much passion and personality that goes into them. When Matt announced he was retiring Kraken I learned that the builders put their heart and souls into their work. That builders look at their bots kind of like their children in that, win or lose, they just want them to go out and do their best.

[@Death_is_Beauty]

The thing I learned is that Jamison Go is such a BAMF all while being so cool and humble. Sawblaze is a legend now…

[@menkomonty]

What I find interesting is that even the smallest design change can have a great impact in a robot's success. Even a change in bolts can make all the difference between success and defeat.

[@steampunkstarfish6144]

I learned that he has even more control and discipline outside the battle box. You can hear the nervous sweat in his voice just from explaining why they haven't threaded the nut with the bolt. He wants to try it so bad!

[@BitzTeamHeatwave]

I learned that if you try and try and try and don’t give up and keep Comming up with amazing designs, plus using smaller weight classes to test, that adventually you will find your success, like how sawblaze went from the qualifiers of season 2 to the season 7 champ. Amazing. Awesome builder in Jameson go there.

[@burnsfamily1616]

i learned that you should have a small scale bot and to never stop trying new things. Thanks 4 the vid!

[@DarthAVL]

This is a great perspective and insight into what SawBlaze is AND how it evolved (little increments that add up!) If I have to name that most interesting thing I learned, it was the value (and fun) of having a "Mini-Blaze" in the 30lb (?) weight class. Being able to test and evaluate ideas in a smaller scale and to do it economically is a cool and valuable tip and trick Bravo on the the interviews!

[@redwingcharlie1]

What I learned is that despite the proliferation of "vertical spinners" of all manners (discs, drums, & egg beaters), a pair of other-than-that bots made for a thrilling race to an exciting final; and they both did so by iterating scale versions of their bots at smaller regional competitions such as Norwalk Havok (NHRL) where schmucks like me are encouraged to first get involved in combat robotics in the lighter weight classes. The pinnacle is glamorous, but the community is accessible to so many and inhabited by good folks like Jamison, Jonathan from Huge, and,, of course, Zach and Diana. Thanks guys.

[@EdgeCat]

I've learned how there is no such thing as "off time" if you want to improve your bot to a championship status. You need to be constantly thinking about where your bot went wrong and what to do about it. Testing the ideas out with a smaller version of your robot helps a lot, especially with the meta being similar

[@Northpine_17]

Definitely learned just how important it is to test ideas at the smaller scale first before going full in on them in the larger weight class.

[@dabois7394]

The thing I learned the most from this: Don't be afraid if something doesn't work. If you make a robot that you poured your heart and soul into doesn't perform the way you wanted it to at first, don't think of it as a failure. See it as "an improvement to be" and don't afraid of changing! SawBlaze is the embodiment of change and innovation. When Sawblaze first came around, it was unique and a good robot. But Jamison and his team did not sit and say"Yep, that's good." They saw what did not work, and improved it. You can see from each season that SawBlaze is in and SEE the changes they made, until it became the near perfect machine it is now. But even then, I am sure the team is looking what to improve for next season. Hard work does pay off, even if it takes awhile. Congrats SawBlaze!!!

[@bblessed]

Prototype fast and break stuff! That is one of the key rules and doing it in a smaller scale is very smart. I watched battle bots since I'm little, and it was the thing that eventually made me persue a career in engineering my self. So I'm so happy to see that one of my favorite type of battlebots finally took home a giant nut.

[@allytess1814]

I learned about the downsides of brushless motors! I had always assumed that the only thing stopping people from switching was cost/having to reconfigure things. Super interesting!

[@Frost_Husky]

I learned that even the smallest of imperfection can cause big changes, it never would've occurred to me that even a bolt being too hard to remove would be reason enough to remake an entire section of a robot for easier dismantling. Jamison truly knows how to perfect his bot in every way possible. Really interesting to see all the small changes he's made over the years due to one small issue with each component.

[@michaelcraig7766]

Todays episode was an in depth look at one of my favourite parts of battlebots. I love to see how these 250lb death machines evolve season after season to become more reliable, more powerful and more deadly as the sport progresses. Today I learned that this sport is just gonna keep getting better and better as these machines get more and more bad ass. I for one couldn't be more excited to see just how destructive future seasons will be.

[@provolonecheese3691]

It's cool to see that they keep updating and developing their robot, and I learned in this video that that is okay. When I make new changes to my bots, I usually think that I made a mistake by even designing it in the first place. But I learned that it's okay to "make mistakes", and that you should always strive to make your bot the best it can be!

[@_Simon]

I guess I knew it before but I haven't realized how expensive iteration is, and not just with money but with unused obsolete parts. I always got frustrated when I bought something for my beetles or spent so much time making something to move on without it due to whatever constraint, but seeing that's just how it rolls will actually change how I see things when I buy new parts. Thanks for the video!!

[@XantipNL]

Epic video! The thing that stands out above all is that a (competitive) Robot is never leaving the development stage, there always will be improvements made to it until its retirement...

[@mustache4]

I learned that sawblaze has rebar running along the inside of its wedges to help them keep shape after hits

[@avzu5575]

i learned that somewhere out there there exists a sick hammersaw catalogue shirt, one of which i desperately need to find - praying that blacksmith and doom find their way into the competition next year!

[@denisloebner4882]

i learned that sawblaze is truly an amazing piece of robot combat and that focusing on iteration and perpefection can net you the ultimate win!

[@LukeisKooL]

I learned that even the smallest changes can lead to hours of redesign... kinda love the grind!

[@webdeck]

I learned that details matter and research and planning pay off. Learn from every fight. Study every potential opponent and create a plan of attack. And despite all of the "fighting", it really is a community of builders, so it is more like "co-op-itition" than competition.

[@michaelwise4252]

I learned two main things that stuck with me 1. I learned that it’s smart to build redundancy so that way you can easily have extra parts for example any of sawblaze drive they said could be used on either wheel. 2. Sometimes something crazy works. Something no one thinks is going to work may be the difference like it was with huge for sawblaze.

[@ae5532]

Congrats to sawblaze! Biggest thing I learned was to iterate and continuously improve.