Tombstone

Ray Billings’ Tombstone carries the most feared weapon in BattleBots: a horizontal bar spinner made from a solid 70 lb (32 kg) bar of aluminium, steel or titanium chosen to suit the opponent, belt-driven and capable of 400 mph at the tips, though throttled to the BattleBots limit of 250 mph in competition.

The 250 lb (113.4 kg) robot has existed in several generations since 2004 and has fought on US television since 2015, driven by Billings himself via radio on a two-wheel electric drivetrain. Its record: runner-up in 2015 (ABC), Giant Nut champion in 2016 (season 7, ABC) after a 53-second knockout of Bombshell, and a career 25-10 with 20 knockouts.

In 2026 Tombstone returned for the BattleBots Pro League in Las Vegas, whose season runs until November 2026, so the result is still open. Team Hardcore Robotics of Placerville, California, consists of Ray, Justin, Susan and Teri Billings and Kevin Benesi, with more than 20 years in robot combat. Build costs are unpublished; The Ringer puts BattleBots machines at 5,000 to 50,000 USD. Active.

The British equivalent of its weapon concept is Carbide.