BATTLEBOTS TOMBSTONE Exclusive Interview [Builder Blog Ep. 75]

[@ray9368]

Man that guy loves the sound of his own voice, doesn't he?

[@andysauro1500]

Almost as much as he loves the screams of his victims :p

[@chb2284]

Could use magnets as a relatively easy way to help with the drive issues.

[@RennieAsh]

We know he wants to ask us "you want some moar?!"

[@Aragorn450]

I couldn't figure out why there were so many upvotes and was gonna harass the writer of this comment for being rude but then realized... 🤣 I'm glad you made a comment here because while you said in the video to watch your channel too, Zach and Diana failed in linking to it in the description!!

[@Aragorn450]

Instead of wheel guards, maybe custom wheels rather like Copperhead's? You'd still have to drop weight from somewhere but their wheels are so solid and durable, they're basically armor themselves and therefore might be worth it? You'd still have the potential issue of getting them ripped off though...

[@Koda89]

Man, seeing Ray's glove from his accident really hammers home just how severe it was. And I thought the mere description of it was terrifying. Wishing a speedy recovery for ya Ray!

[@raffskid857]

How did he hurt his hand?

[@caelestio]

The more interviews of Ray Billings I see the more I like and appreciate him. It also makes me appreciate his bravado during competitions more. It was actually that Bravado that got me to start watching the rebooted BattleBots. So for that reason... Kitty's unofficial name would be "You want some more?!"

[@thedman1696]

Oh my god HIS HAND That's incredible that it looks almost back to normal and moves so well. What an amazing job the surgery team did for him

[@thedman1696]

Call the cat, The Grim Sleeper

[@ironoreiron]

@@thedman1696what happened to his hand

[@PrimalGoat]

They say knowledge is power. Ray's extensive knowledge of the design he's been refining for years makes him very powerful. Knowing exactly why the robot does what it does is important in a fight.

[@neilfriedman]

Ray and Tombstone are my favourite builder and bot. Thanks Ray for looking after the ferals

[@nexusthenormie5578]

I love how he explains it, he doesn't ramble, he doesn't gloat, he just tells you like it is, exactly what he does, and why he does it the way he does

[@ratheonhudson3311]

Tombstone's defense is its intimidating offense. Having a massive weapon that can quickly be aimed to defend its back is enough to protect the back. Opponents are wary

[@The_RoboCast]

I'm here for Rays choices of beer! Love a blue moon!! Always fascinating to hear what Ray has to say, so knowledgeable about the sport he loves!

[@thrasher121]

I’d name the cat Bones. Fits in with the Hardcore Robotics theme, and is actually an intimidating name for a cat.

[@nodsib]

I like this, def fits the Tombstone theme really well

[@boxlessthinker1973]

Great to see behind the scenes!! Love his explanation of the physics behind the trade offs, the metallurgy choices, the visiting cat, but my favorite is the wall of death featuring metal chunks from various fights signed by the teams they came from. That is just all kinds of cool!

[@Pro-Zilla]

First off, 🙏🏽Hoping Ray has a speedy recovery! I remembered The Mortician when Ray was talking about the offset on Tombstone’s wheels affecting drive. So Why not name the cat Mori or Tici? Random story time! Whoosh Flash back to 2018 Makerfaire on a Saturday during Robo Ruckus: After talking to most of the battlebot teams my family and I stepped out for something to eat. We stood in the walkway that lead from the entrance to the main area where the event was held. I was distracted but my dad said something that made me turn around,and OMG ITS THE RAY BILLINGS RIGHT BEHIND ME 😱😱😱 😤I got a picture with him💪🏽 Core memory for sure!

[@SuperMariostorys749]

Tombstone is still a legendary bot

[@SkorpiosBattlebot]

Agreed

[@funnybones46]

@@SkorpiosBattlebot yes

[@mikedski9698]

@@SkorpiosBattlebot Right!

[@randomneuralfirings]

It's always great to hear from one of the legends of the sport. As for the Billings family indoor cat, how about Mara, named for a legendary demon who tempted Buddha toward darkness, whose name means "one who causes death" or "killer". Kinda fits with the Tombstone theme.

[@jaydenbuhbaden]

YESSSSSSSS

[@BellyLover06]

I had no idea how the shorter frame affected the driving. Guess that explains why it appeared to "ice skate" in the test box. Based on the damage to the glove, one can only imagine what the hand was like. I just rewatched doc about the Kansas City Hyatt collapse where a guy was basically folded like a pretzel with his legs behind him but made a full recovery later. I say name the kitty Reaper to act kind of like the mascot of the team.

[@spider0804]

This was nice, more info in 15 minutes than the entire show series old and new.

[@celecraft4567]

I love this souvenir wall of old battles, great! Tombstone is Nr1

[@CZpersi]

I did not realize, how massive these things actually are. It must feel scary in real life, when the weapon is spinned to maximum.

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

A lot of what you hear on the show is faked/amplified for the spectacle, but one thing they have _never_ had to fake is the SOUND of these machines hitting each other and the reactions of the commentators when a solid hit goes off in the box.

[@ZesPak]

Heavyweight battlebots are 100kg. Spinners like Tombstone often sees them flung across the arena as if they were 300g drones. It's insane.

[@butchs.4239]

@@OneBiasedOpinion I particularly enjoyed the raw "inside the box" feeds BB posted to youtube a few seasons ago for that reason. I will grant having the crowd cheering and Chris & Kenny's commentary makes for a better show, but the raw feed really demonstrates how violent heavyweight bots are when they are smashing each other to bits.

[@colemitchell6728]

i love the pit or behind the scene stories

[@redstone51]

This was a great post of TOMBSTONE. I have 3 faves and this one is at the top. How about a contra rotating flywheel above or below the blade to help minimize the bounce back and should create harder hitting attacks? GREAT POST RAY!!!👌

[@bami2]

If Tombstone had wheelguards, pretty sure it would do the thing way more frequently. Because the wheels are all exposed, no matter what orientation the bot is (except straight up), a wheel will almost always touch the ground so it can be jiggled to get the bot flat again. It's just such a great design and I think no matter what, it will always be a viable one.

[@TheSuperPlayer707]

Yep. What we had this year it was all experiments in order to end up with a completely revamped version of the bot. The design it still viable (and I dare to say it always been keeping viable), just need to overcome the competitive level of the nowadays field.

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

It’s really hard to beat a well-built, dedicated kinetic spinner. They just _smash_ through armor and weapons so quickly and the recoil from the hit disorients the target, forcing it to line back up afterwards.

[@StrangerGamer10]

9:13 like that pic of ray with the Razor Team, 2 real legends of robot combat.

[@tygrawr]

For Ray's cat, Scythe. All reapers need one after all. Wonderful video.

[@aztazou]

Longue vie à Tombstone et à Ray, the best for ever.

[@structor125]

*Ray Billings gives the raccoon more food* "You want some more?"

[@ray9368]

It's a raccoon - they always want more :)

[@RennieAsh]

He's not a raccoon Ok, trash panda! 🦝 🐼 Is that better? (No, it's much worse)

[@vac-dude9190]

​@@ray9368OMG RAY REPLIED

[@darthandrew2036]

I can't wait to see Tombstone compete again. I hope they do well in the Golden Bolt tournament and Season 7, hopefully even a second Nut. But I'll settle for whatever carnage Ray brings into the box. As for the cat, I think the name Catcore Catotics might work, (idk I'm not a big cat person)

[@Jonathan-mj1oe]

When do the new seasons start?

[@Neighbor618]

Binging these behind the scenes. Subbing 👍

[@AdityaPrakash-kt3rf]

Thanks a lot for this awesome episode u beautiful people! And the king will definitely recover and come back even stronger!

[@EleanorPeterson]

As robots currently fight indoors on a relatively smooth, sealed surface, I think slick, squishy silicone rubber tyres (with no tread pattern at all) would offer greater traction than the 'knobbly' ones Tombstone and some other bots use. I know that the arena floor becomes covered in debris, but in my experience a treaded tyre is really only of use on grass, gravel, snow, or to disperse water on rain-soaked tarmac. Wheelspin and friction would soon clear a slick tyre of accumulated dust and crud in the arena. Robots with tank-style tracks work brilliantly outdoors in mud or sand, but on a smooth, hard (sic) indoor surface the bot is essentially wearing stiletto high heels instead of tennis shoes. It makes a huge difference to grip on a hard floor. As with a knobbly tyre, it's balancing on points; a smooth rubber belt would offer more contact than a ridged track. The biggest problem with indoor tracks, though, is the very thing that makes them so good outdoors: they spread a robot's weight over a huge area, reducing its ability to grip a smooth, hard surface and gain maximum traction from its 250 lbs. The tyres on a forklift truck are optimised for use on smooth surfaces. The tyres don't have a tread pattern. For robots, a 4-wheel drive configuration with soft, smooth tyres makes the best use of the current fighting arena. In a 2-wheel design [Tombstone], maximising traction becomes even more important. Has Ray tried fully slick tyres before? They'd probably need to be custom-made. As Tombstone's success depends so much on controlling its gyroscopic forces and making the most of every fraction of a second that its tyres are in contact with the ground, I'm not sure that reducing the tyres' contact footprint with a treaded pattern is helping matters. Tombstone fans will be shouting at me to shut up, saying that I should look at Ray's trophies and remarkable career before daring to suggest any possible improvements. That's fair. You can't argue with success. All I'm saying is that slick tyres might make things even better. Worth a try?🤔

[@OneBiasedOpinion]

I don’t disagree with your points, but given how much experience many of these builders have with the BattleBots arenas, I’d imagine they’ve already tested those theories. There’s gotta be a reason why they don’t go with slicks.

[@Caliver_174]

Fun fact megabyte has competed in the Chinese version of battle bots (king of bots)

[@MongooseJakeNerf]

Two of my favorite bots together team wise for another video! As for the kitty, either CryptKitty or Coffinsmasher would work, just jives well with the bot.

[@Jinsoku440]

I really like the wisdom the both of you and your teams provide to the community, can't wait for Robogames! Also, name the cat Graves, a grey housecat that lies around?

[@LiveLaughLuke]

I would name Ray’s cat Phoenix, in honor of Perfect Phoenix and him helping Tyler with his bot.

[@SIMULATAN]

Great idea, phoenix also could be perfectly said as a name, it sounds more fitting than some of the other names I saw

[@cameron4787]

I’d name the cat Morty, which could be short for Mortician. Tie it back to Hardcore Robotics’ previous machines Really good video guys. Keep it up!

[@jareddiamond5133]

I've seen a few of Ray's bots over the years from videos, and I would make a few adjustments to Tombstone's overall reliability, durability and destructive power (just to be clear, I respect Ray, his robot combat knowledge and Tombstone. I am a fan of Tombstone and other robots that Ray and his team has built. These are merely suggestions). First, I would use the wheelbase of Ray's Middleweight version of Tombstone, The Mortician, to prevent the exposed wheel problem, it would allow Tombstone to have more defense. However, if caught on the screws or on its side, it could cause problems without some sort of object to allow it to stay mobile or Tombstone would have to use the momentum of the blade act as a makeshift wheel to escape. Secondly, I would put a covering on the frame of Tombstone to prevent overhead attacks and to strengthen the exterior of the frame. Plus, the covering would prevent the chain guard (as mentioned below) from being hit if the covering was to bend or warp during a battle. Third and finally, I would either add a chain guard to prevent any spikes, forks, lifters or other spinners from disabling the blade OR add a second chain to the weapon motor (if the motor can handle two weapon chains). Also if the frame was to hit the chain guard, the chain to power the weapon would still be active.

[@Trakker1985]

wheel guards, with guards, they can be dented and bent into the wheel from impact, immobilizing the robot. without, something hits the wheel and it comes off, immobilizing the robot. so yeah, might as well leave that weight in the Bar, just don't let the wheel get hit lol

[@ZesPak]

Yep, as he said, anything worthwhile as a guard will be 10lbs each. For both of them thats almost 10% of their total budget.

[@donaldbucher472]

Do I want some more of Ray Billings? I’m getting tired of ground-hugging vertical spinners. But I’m always happy to see Tombstone!

[@poindextertunes]

I love the “no bullshxt” sign 🚫🐂💩 😂😂😂😂😂

[@nedflanders9045]

Awesome video

[@mikedski9698]

Hello Zach Lytle And Ray Billings, Mike Dombrowski Here! Last Wednesday Was My 45th Birthday And I Got The Tombstone T-Shirt!

[@muneeburrehman450]

i will listen him all day.

[@overvieweffect9034]

I'd name the cat Grave Digger, sure, it's not the cutest cat name, but it's a great complement to Tombstone!

[@Phylthya]

What's the story for the mystery piece at 9:44 "that's not that important of a match"?

[@Turboy65]

The fractured S-7 blades tell a hell of a tale. The energy it takes to snap a piece of steel that large....really scary.

[@mandoris8387]

Always cool seeing the bots next to people... Watching fights on TV doesn't do justice to how MASSIVE they really are. :)

[@ConquestOfJustice]

I would name the cat Reaper! Look at the grey fur, fits really well

[@mitchellhuman4273]

I would personally name the cat “Smoke” because of the color and in honor of all the npc motors burned out in certain tombstones matches :D

[@EJJunkill]

Fantastic interview!! Keep the beard, Ray, it looks cool!

[@SteveWB]

I would name his cat Death Stroke What a fitting name!

[@7Doublestuff]

A great cat name for the creator of Tombstone would be RIPley

[@codesilvergaming]

I’m getting Jerome vibes from the cat. “Jerome! Stop jumping up on the counter!”

[@Wddh4410]

I would name Ray's cat Sol, after Sol Roth from the movie Soylent Green (If you know Ray's bot history, that will make sense :P )

[@tigerrocks503]

I’m tired of people saying Tombstone is outdated, it’s not like the technology it was using was outdated like Broncos. It’s just the weapon is so powerful it puts stress on Tombstone easily. Hopefully Tombstone will have better luck in the Champions Tournament and Season 7. I love Tombstone and Ray and I got a Hexbug Tombstone last month just because I love the destructive nature of the robot! Also I saw a picture of an unused green blade tombstone had during the 2018 season. Tombstone should have more colored bars like yellow or purple. There’s already Black, silver, red, and blue.

[@eioclementi1355]

Dose the giant nut shrew to the giant bolt? I need to know this!

[@Eh1dk]

What if Tombstone used Tungsten impactors for some of the bars?

[@chb2284]

While Tungsten is very dense and hard it is also quite brittle and would very likely shatter on impact.

[@Eh1dk]

@@chb2284 Oh Damn it’s brittle? Cobalt’s been lucky than jeez

[@chb2284]

@@Eh1dk Cobalt uses a special type of experimental tool steel for its weapon not sure exactly what it is though

[@TipOfTheSauce]

@@chb2284 unobtainium

[@glennbreuklander5674]

@@TipOfTheSauce Superexpenisium!

[@charleyboy74]

Love you guys

[@JeromeDemers]

forgot to link Rays channel, didn't know he had one

[@jerretringler1462]

I would name Ray’s cat…Ken the kinetic energy cat!

[@newt2010]

When you interview people, please give them a lapel mic. Wireless mic. It will really help.

[@CalgarGTX]

Why not lead or tungsten edges on the blades lol I don't know the rules but wonder if there is a limit to allowed metals or what

[@produKtNZ]

Had Ray ever considered a weapon braking system to prevent the out-of-control shenanigans after a massive hit? Also - missing you Ray in the current TV Broadcast season :( - Love from NZ

[@qwicy]

Seeing that thing next to a person shows just how terrifying it actually is.

[@miladebrahimy6050]

@Ray Billings why dont use sandwich(layers of different material) in your weapon bar? my English is poor

[@brianorcesi-bj4st]

Una pregunta ❓ con cuánto voltaje ⚡ funcionan estos robots?

[@TheDistur]

I'd call the cat Mr kittyman face. Good thoughts for his hand.

[@derincattelane43]

Tombkitty is what I would name his cat

[@rustyftw943]

Ray should name his cat Kraken, because Kraken retired this season.

[@geovanedasilva134]

Essa maquina quantos kilos pesa, e dá categoria 113 kilos também??

[@ConstantlyDamaged]

Hrmm, indoor cat? Gather they sleep a lot, so definitely name them Potential Energy.

[@ansgar_odinson]

I would name the kitty "Captain MacFluffykins, Scourge of Billingsport"

[@dmunn813]

The cat can be Rocky, the Raccoon can be kitty

[@DavidR212]

where is tantrum's fist ? :(

[@Strutsss]

Looking forward to Tombstone V3.

[@gearjammer3200]

Why not tungsten teeth on the aluminum bar?

[@mattiatorX]

Name them both Smudge to confuse interviewers even more.

[@vjollila96]

I hope Ray recovers from the injury to return for next battlebots season

[@Turboy65]

There's no secret. It's a simple and very rugged design. Swing a heavy mass really fast, build a simple, tough as hell structure to fit it into.

[@scottcarn6409]

I’m a highschool soon to be collage student in mechanical engineering and my mentor and I are looking to start a battle bot project. Is there any way I can get in contact with some battle bots teams to discuss there thought process and engineering principles?

[@nodsib]

I’d definitely name Ray’s cat “You Want Some Meow?”

[@trexpaddock]

The cat looks like a 'Grimmy' to me. (Short for Grim Reaper)

[@ruvimsemenyuk8224]

Can’t wait to see what ray billings will build for robogames and the ways he will improve tombstone

[@54raceman]

If he makes robogames he’s already announced after this video was filmed that tombstone and the kids bot are forced to skip the next battle bots season do the more surgeries and therapy for his hand

[@mlealbr2]

Eu sou do Brasil! Meu robô favorito é o Minotauro e nós brasileiros tememos o Tombstone! Quando assisto o tombstone imagino o estrago que ele vai fazer no adversário. Parabens ao Tombstone!

[@Kandorr617]

Name the cat Princess Joules! FItting for the King of Kinetic Energy!

[@str8forthakill]

I wonder how a weapon made out of Safurex would fare, that shit is extremely hard, robust, and shatterproof. And its main property is that it hardens when deformed. Downside is weight. And difficult to get ahold of.

[@ultimate_fanboy6891]

The name for Ray's cat maybe Reapper cuz it fits the theme for Tombstone or Fluffy / Chunky for Ray's softer side because its very fluffy and cudly for sure .

[@criticalfayle7509]

Ray has a bot named Tombstone and is kinda the undertaker of BattleBots so my recommendation for cat names is Calaway

[@gorkskoal9315]

lol I see what you did...and love it personally.

[@WolfManCrabArms]

He should name the cat Yuwan. Yuwan Samore.

[@harvey648]

The cat's name should be "Visa" because it's everywhere you want to be! 😇

[@ScaryFoot]

I wonder if anyone’s made a weaponized super magnet to mess with all the wiring and internals of the enemy robot from the outside?

[@evernewb2073]

magnets don't really do at-range well at all...though a lot of bots will use magnets in the aid of more..."direct" ways to mess with another bots wiring. things like using magnets to passively increase downforce are fairly common and will allow a bot to handle maneuvering with the frankly horrifying energy density in a spinning weapon a lot better (not to mention helping drastically with the ground game) occasionally you'll even see more active systems like locking the bot to the floor the moment before it hits something or more adaptive versions of the downforce trick. closest I've seen to what you're thinking of was one of the VERY short list of drones that had any chance of actually mattering in a match: it would theoretically magnet itself to another bot, drill in, and flamethrower the insides, but even that didn't work well enough to pull off in practice...frankly the only time I've ever seen a drone do something in one of these competitions it was when someone noticed that they forgot to ban entanglement devices in the rules, the drone literally just dropped some random fishing line or nylon cord or whatever else they had on hand on the other bot and 90% of the time it took out at least their weapon or wheels, usually both. oh! also saw an omniwheel bot that did something like that: unlike most omniwheels this one was _fast_ and driven by people who clearly had a chance to actually practice with it, the bot had a flamethrower and tried to strafe around it's opponent and keep the flame on it, get the other bot hot enough and their electronics will overheat and shut down, it's both the best use of omniwheels I've seen and the best use of a flamethrower I've seen. bot name was Alchoholic Stepfather I think? don't remember the teams or associated bots of either of the drones I mentioned.

[@OcelotianRepublic]

The fact Megabyte has only lost 3 makes me surprised Gigabyte has only won one tournament match.

[@SlickGokuBaby]

Name the indoor cat Golden Bolt. Either in honor of Ray's newest trophy or as a memorial for the one he didn't get.

[@colemitchell6728]

I would name the indoor kitty Orion, because its black and white but also its somewhat battlebots related.

[@bebop8929]

Ray should name the kitty Inertia

[@SkorpiosBattlebot]

Congratulations! You won the Tombstone give away! Please email us at [e-mail] with your shipping information!

[@trainwreck2377]

Our cats name is lil-kit, she was the smallest out of her litter so we started calling her little kitten and the name kinda just stuck. I do have a question for Ray,has his own weapon ever but into his bot, kinda like what happened to rotator against glitch?

[@ruvimsemenyuk8224]

What if tombstone had wheels like copperhead and had a few forks up front or on the back

[@samuellondke9108]

Just keep the name kitty, I like it. Always a fan of Tombstone.

[@mikedski9698]

Tombstone Is The Kinetic Energy Battlebot Weapon.

[@ThyBountyHunter]

I would name the cat Tiamat, after the mythical 5 headed dragon.

[@iamdb1990]

I'd name Ray's pet Bar-Cat-The-Moon, because wordplay and bar weapons and... yeah... lol

[@sonofagun1037]

I think tombstone would benefit greatly with a brake. Something to slow down the spinner whenever it starts to become airborne