Brady Davis has been in the sport of combat robotics for over 25 years. He has competed in just about all of the weight divisions, including 340lb, 320lb, 250lb, 120lb, 60lb, 30lb, 3lb, 1lb, & 150g. He currently serves as club officer and event organizer of Texas Robot Combat in the DFW area. He is also a past president of the organization. In the past, he has served as president of the Southwestern Association of Robotic Combat and the Dallas Area Robotic Combat groups.
Some of the bots he has been involved with include:
- BattleBots Classic super heavyweight Steel Reign.
- BattleBots Modern heavyweight SubZero, Texas Twister & Lock Jaw.
- TeamXD (Brady and his son Logan) with Robotussin – one of the first USA 150g bots.
- Time of Death – a much loved, fun 150g bot.
- 30 Below – a 30lb flipper that competed at NHRL.
- SpinnerBait Jr. – a 60lb wedge that competed at the RFL (driven by Logan).
- Currently he and Logan are competing at NHRL with SpitFire – a FlyBot in the 3lb class.
Ron Hervey: First of all, thank you so much for agreeing to do this interview. Tell me about how you got started in combat robotics.
Brady Davis: My son Logan and I were fans of Robot Wars. He asked if we could “do this.” I smiled and said sure, thinking that’s as far as it would go. Soon he presented me with an entry packet for BattleBots and there was no turning back.
One of Logan’s gifts for his 13th Birthday was a used electric wheelchair, which together we completely took apart that night and TeamXD was born. We ended up only using the motors and gearboxes when building Steel Reign, A 340lb Super Heavyweight which we submitted for BattleBots Classic season three. Somehow we made it.
After the bot passed safety, we had our first match with Logan driving at age 13. The lights, the camera, the smell of dead robots in the arena made it even more exciting. We fought HooBot and lost to a close judge’s decision. Afterwards, Logan had his first post-match interview with Arj Barker. Back then it was single elimination, so we spent the rest of the event learning what other bots used, how they were built, and gathered ideas for the next version of Steel Reign for season four.
We met so many great people. One builder from England had brought some small bots that we drove on tabletops at the Hotel in the evenings and he showed us how to modify servos for drive and build one. The next season there were several teams in the lobby of the Hotel having a great time pushing soda glasses around the dinner table. By season five, a small arena ran 1lb combat robots outside of the pit area. The sport was growing fast.
RH: How did you get involved with combat robotics in the Dallas area?
BD: Logan and I learned of a local group, SWARC (Southwestern Alliance of Robot Combat), and soon joined. Mike Shermer built the first 4’x 4′ arena with which he organized and ran many great events with. Mike was the club president and all things SWARC until he had to step down for understandable reasons. He asked if I would pick up the reins and try to fill his shoes thus starting my long-time involvement with a super community of combat robot builders, competitors, spectators and fans in the DFW area. It has continued to evolve thanks to the help of so many great people. Due to them we have been able to hold fun, safe and exciting events for many years.
Now Rev Robotics is the new home of TRC in Carrollton, Texas. We have a new group of club officers committed to hosting safe, competitive and exciting events. I expect the sport to continue growing and evolving while inspiring creativity and engineering excellence, hosting fun events for competitors and spectators alike.
RH: Tell me more about Texas Combat Robotics as an organization.
BD: After running for many years, SWARC became DARC. We realized that we represented more than just Dallas and changed the name to Texas Robot Combat. We have held thousands of matches over the years providing fun, safe, exciting and well ran events for the robot combat community.
After a long pause during the covid lockdown, the new TRC was started back up in late 2023 with the addition of Ryan Lu, Peter Garnache, Logan Davis, Judy C. & Craig Danby as club officers. Along with Richard Blom and myself, we organized as a 501c3 not for profit LLC.
Having such great leadership is just one part of what makes TRC one of the country’s top tier events. Having such a community of creative builders competing with more and more destructive machines while helping one another grow makes for great competition and exciting matches for everyone.
And let me mention all of the super supporters, spectators and families that add to why TRC is so special. We have over 1000 Facebook members and we are building a strong Discord group to help answer questions and give builders support.
RH: How many events does Texas Combat Robotics sponsor a year?
BD: We are planning 3 events for the 2025 season at REV Robotics.
RH: What is the competition structure at the Texas Combat Robotics events?
BD: Double elimination for 3-pound open class, 1-pound open class, 1-pound plastic class. Winners in first, second and third place in all three classes receive awards and prizes from our sponsors. First place winner of 1-pound plastic has to retire the winning bot and not use it again to inspire creativity.
RH: Unless I am mistaken, the last Texas Combat Robotics event was the Texas Cup 2024, last November. How was the attendance?
BD: We had over 60 bots fighting in two arenas for our 4th annual Texas Cup event. We had a small crowd attending that cheered on competitors which added to the excitement. We even had some real BattleBots on display. Turnout was so good that we had to have a wait list for bots. We may have to host two day events in future.
RH: Any details you can give at this time on the next Texas Combat Robotics event?
BD: TRC’s Robot Rodeo will be held on Saturday, May 24th (2025) at REV Robotics. Competitors should sign up early on robotcombatevents.com because slots fill up fast. TRC events are free to attend but bring a chair as we fight all day.
RH: For a newbie attending, and possibly participating in their first combat robotics event, what is your best advice?
BD: Be sure your bot is underweight, test the failsafe, and practice driving before attending. On the day of the event, check in and get inspections completed early. Be sure to listen during the drivers meeting to learn the procedure. Our staff will also be there to help guide competitors and keep everyone safe. If you have any questions, just ask, we are always happy to help.
RH: With your experience, and from what you have noticed at the different competitions you attend, what are a few of the most used radios used with combat robotics.
BD: From affordable entry level radios from FlySky and Hobby King for the smaller class bots to radios with more features and programmability like radios from Spektrum, Futaba and FrSky for the bigger bots. Some drivers like the pistol style radio as it has a steering wheel and trigger input. Others like using a stick radio with most drivers mixing turning and throttle on one stick, while others like tank steering using both sticks.
RH: What are current trends in combat robotics that you have noticed.
BD: In the smaller classes, an arms race between armor and weapons have set the trends. A trend of smaller robots being made with or completely out of rubbery TPU 3D printed filament has helped to make machines that can be nearly unkillable by spinners. This advancement in armor strategy has prompted a return of robots with cutting saws and fire bots. Three pound beetles like Mako with it’s 400mph circular saw can surgically slice TPU robots in half, and advanced flame throwing robots like Dutch Oven can put out enough heat to melt frames to the floor.
RH: I don’t see a lot of competitions offering a sumo robotics division. Have you seen any interest in sumo in the north Texas area?
BD: Our friends at the Dallas Personal Robotics Group (DPRG) have been the go-to group for Sumo Bots and hold events at another one of TRC’s longtime friends, Dallas Makerspace. See their website for more information (link above).
RH: Tell me about some of the bots that you have built and how they have done.
BD: Logan and I have been building and competing together for over 25 years, starting with the largest bot – Steel Reign, as seen on BattleBots Classic Season on Comedy Central. We lost our first match that season, rebuilt and tried again but lost in season 4.0. We didn’t give up and in season 5.0 we won several fights leading up to our fight against Son of Wayachi. That match ended with the arena crew handing us a cardboard box of scrap. Logan held the “Spinal Column” of the bot for his post interview as they wheeled our poor bot away on a cart. We did better than we could have ever imagined. It started us on a journey of a lifetime of building and competing together.
RH: What is your best advice to someone just getting into combat robotics?
BD: My son Logan has great advice for that. He suggests starting with the smaller robots. You can get way more battle time and practice than with the larger classes. There are many well-run events for the smaller bots. Parts are affordable and replaceable, and building doesn’t require expensive fabrication equipment. Plus, with all of the combat robot kits on the market you can easily assemble and start competing fast.
RH: In your opinion, what is the future of combat robotics?
BD: The near future of combat robotics will likely see more robots with cutting saws, blow torches, soldering iron spikes, and C02 dart guns, and that in turn could force builders away from printed thermoplastic frames, and back to metal, where we might see a resurgence of spinners.
RH: Thank you so very much Brady for your time and cooperation.
Find out more about Texas Combat Robots on their website.
Check out more info on Robotics Combat on my Knowledge Base page.