BattleBots Wiki
Register
Advertisement
BattleBots Wiki

Moebius was a middleweight (later heavyweight) robot built by Team DaVinci Robotics, also known as Team Moebius, which competed in Season 4.0 and 5.0 of Comedy Central BattleBots, as well as World Championship II on ABC.

It was armed with a lime green spinning shell throughout its appearances, originally weighing 20lbs and made from 1/8" CP-2 Titanium but later made from 1/4" 6Al-4V titanium alloy and weighing 40lbs.[2][3] Moebius' name derived from

"I thought about naming him after one of the Japanese comic books that I use to read (I do know a little Japanese), Silent Moebius. After discussing it with the other team members and verifying that the name wasn't already in use we decided to keep it."
— Brett Dawson on Moebius' etymology[4]

It won numerous Season 5.0 fights despite losing early in Season 4.0. The team also entered 1lb robot MowBee into the inaugural BattleAnts competition held during Season 5.0.

Moebius coffin Season 5

Moebius in its coffin.

The team was well-known for carrying Moebius around in a coffin to their fights. This was an idea by the team to give their robot a 'resurrected' theme, as Moebius lost and 'died' the season before. This, plus the team's uniform of black and green robes, made Moebius a fan favorite during its time on BattleBots.

Inside Moebius Season 5

An inside look at Moebius during Season 5.0.

In August of 2014, team member and former BattleBots IQ referee[5] Brett "Buzz" Dawson passed away. Following his passing, Michael Macht was encouraged to rebuild Moebius for BattleBots World Championship II to pay tribute. Now a heavyweight design, the robot was also renamed to Moebius Resurrected, but kept its original name on both the show and the official BattleBots website. Moebius now featured a sloped spinning shell and Inconel chromium-nickel teeth as seen in jet engines.[6] Its chassis underneath was made from 1/2″ thick machined aluminum plate. It lost its only battle to Brutus after its batteries were expelled from its body mid-match.

Moebius inside WCII pits

Inside the heavyweight version of Moebius.

Team member Michael Macht later joined Icewave. Despite attempts to reignite their brand, including applying for World Championship VI, Moebius ultimately did not return. The team sadly confirmed the passing of Kevin Berry on September 16, 2021, having battled cancer for more than 20 years.

Outside BattleBots[]

The original shell of the middleweight Moebius was brought to RoboGames 2015, where it was placed on top of the frame of Mouser Mecha-Catbot. The union was named Moebius Mecha-Catbot and entered in a grudge match against Vlad the Impaler II, driven by Grant Imahara, and Evil Plunger where the robe-combo was almost immediately disabled but won the match, by audience applause.

The team also competed with Bonesaw in the Chinese show King of Bots. However, it lost in its only fight in a four way battle against Green Agate, Mr Hippo and Weber after being flipped over.

Robot History[]

Season 4.0[]

Moebius vs. Speed Bump XL (Forfeit)

Moebius was scheduled to fight Speed Bump XL first, but Speed Bump XL had technical issues and was forced to forfeit. Moebius won by default and advanced to the final preliminary round.

Moebius vs. Heavy Metal Noise

Here, Moebius took on Heavy Metal Noise. This fight caused a considerable amount of destruction, as immediately both robots collided hard against each other, and Moebius went flying through the air, landing hard and not quite straight, so that its spinner hit the floor and made a big spray of sparks. The bots clashed weapons a few more times, causing serious damage to one another. Moebius was getting knocked skyward each hit, but its gyroscopic stability from having a horizontal spinner kept it from being flipped over. After several more collisions, endurance began to wear on Moebius, allowing Heavy Metal Noise to get a good hit in on Moebius while it was almost stopped, and this flipped it over. Moebius was counted out and Heavy Metal Noise won by KO. This loss meant that Moebius was eliminated from the tournament.


Moebius ultimately lost because there was 1/8" lip all the way around the top of the shell left from when the titanium was sent to the welder, which Heavy Metal Noise was able to hit consistently.

Season 5.0[]

Moebius vs. Persistence

Persistence vs moebius

Moebius hits Persistence.

Persistence post Moebius Season 5

Damage to Persistence post-fight.

Moebius fought Persistence first, with Persistence running from Moebius when Moebius charged at Persistence. They continued this until there was just 30 seconds left on the clock. With just 30 seconds left of the fight, Persistence decided to confront Moebius, surviving until the end of the fight. Moebius, however, won by a 41-4 judges' decision.

Moebius vs. El Spooky

Mobius action small

Moebius tears into El Spooky's chassis.

After that, Moebius fought El Spooky. This fight started with Moebius spinning up to speed and darting across the arena to meet El Spooky. But instead of hitting El Spooky head on, Moebius turned right and grazed the corner of the front and left side skirts just as El Spooky's hammer came down. The bottom sweeper blades of Moebius then caught the edge of the left skirt and peeled it back like a banana peel. That was all Moebius needed. Moebius reversed into the gaping wound, tearing into El Spooky. Once the skirts got peeled off Moebius turned beaver and started chewing through the wooden chassis. Sawdust, splinters and sparks were everywhere, El Spooky getting tossed across the arena floor repetitively. The last hit knocked something loose because El Spooky stopped moving. The team tapped out at this point. Moebius won by KO and the CrewBots had to come out with brooms to sweep up all the parts.

Moebius vs. Mr "D"

Moebius vs mr

Moebius hits Mr. "D".

Moebius then fought Mr. "D" in the next preliminary round. The match started with Moebius spinning up to speed and running across the arena. Moebius tried to get around to the side of Mr. "D" but Mr. "D" kept turning to face Moebius so they hit head on. The milling head of Mr "D" nicked the Titanium shell a little bit but Moebius could take it. This initial impact had turned Mr. "D" so it was side on, were Mr "D"'s wheel guards were waiting, which Moebius chewed right through. Mr "D" then turned so the steel plow faced Moebius. Another couple of quick hits and Moebius disabled Mr "D" who was now missing most of its right side. Moebius won by knockout once again.

Moebius vs. Phoenix

Action10 small

Moebius rips one of Phoenix's wheels.

Moebius fought Phoenix next for a spot in the TV rounds. The match got started and Moebius tried to get across the arena before Phoenix could spin its hammers up to speed. Moebius and Phoenix hit head on. Phoenix put a divot into Moebius' shell but the impact turned it to its weak side that had been damaged in their previous match. Moebius hit the back right corner, and peeled the armor back. Moebius then reached into the gash and ripped the wheel clean off of the hub. All of the digging and clawing at Phoenix took its toll as the receiver cable came undone and Phoenix shut down. Moebius won by KO again.

Moebius vs. Ankle Biter

Moebiusvsanklebiter sf02

The impact between Moebius and Ankle Biter.

Moebius Post-Fight

Moebius after its fight against Ankle Biter.

This put Moebius through to the TV rounds against the experienced Ankle Biter. Moebius started strong, spinning up and damaging Ankle Biter's weapon and rear bumper. Unfortunately, one of Moebius' hits sent it over the killsaws and the resulting damage broke one of Moebius' drive train sprockets that didn't fit properly inside the chassis and was sticking out, disabling the drive train. Ankle Biter, still alive, celebrated as Moebius was counted out.

World Championship II[]

Moebius vs. Brutus

Bb2016BrutusHitMoebius

The finishing blow.

Bb2016MoebiusSmokes

Moebius, upside-down and smoking.

Moebius returned in 2016, and its first fight came against Brutus. Brutus fired its projectiles, which were actually special effects bullets, causing sparks to fly around the BattleBox but doing no damage. Meanwhile, Moebius tried to get its spinning shell up to speed but was unbalanced, causing the robot to wobble. This caused some of its batteries to be expelled through a gap between the shell and the body. Keen to take advantage, Brutus hit its opponent, causing Moebius to flip over, landing on its wheels but spewing smoke from the batteries powering its weapon. A second shot from Brutus put Moebius on its back and cracked Moebius' shell. Moebius was counted out and Brutus won by a quick KO. Moebius was not chosen to be a wildcard, meaning it was eliminated from the tournament at the early stages.

Results[]

MOEBIUS
Season 4.0
Heavyweight Championship
Bracket vs. Speed Bump XL Won (Forfeit)
Bracket vs. Heavy Metal Noise Lost (KO)
Season 5.0
Heavyweight Championship
Bracket vs. Persistence Won (JD)
Bracket vs. El Spooky Won (KO)
Bracket vs. Mr. "D" Won (KO)
Bracket vs. Phoenix Won (KO)
Bracket vs. Ankle Biter Lost
World Championship II
World Championship Tournament
Qualifiers
Qualifier vs. Brutus Lost (KO)

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 4
  • Losses: 3
Competition Wins Losses
Season 4.0 Speed Bump XL (Forfeit) Heavy Metal Noise
Season 5.0 Persistence
El Spooky
Mr. "D"
Phoenix
Ankle Biter
World Championship II None Brutus

Faruq Tauheed Introductions[]

"A-tisket a-tasket, it brings its own casket! It's MOEBIUS!"

Trivia[]

  • Moebius also competed in the S.E.C.R. tournament in early 2002.
  • All of Moebius' losses came against robots with vertically spinning weapons.
  • Moebius is one of two middleweights to be revived as a heavyweight for the reboot, with the other being Complete Control.
    • Mega Tento was also a scaled up version of a Comedy Central BattleBots entry, however the original Tentoumushi was a lightweight competitor.
  • According to the team, they originally wanted to call their robot "Knightro" after the UCF Knights football team, and then "Knightmare".

See Also[]

References[]

Navigation[]

Advertisement