If Pi Wars is anything to go by, the appeal of robot battling will always be strong. However, Pi Wars is, for many good reasons, non-destructive – maker Thomas Nguyen ignored all these reasons when he created the online sensation Bentobot.
“[It’s] the most accessible way to experience combat robotics,” Thomas says. “I built three combat robots and developed an application that lets people control them from anywhere in the world. I streamed twice weekly, hosting fights between players from India, Canada, the Netherlands, the US, and beyond. Players simply grab their phone or computer, sit on their couch, and pilot real robots in combat from wherever they are.”
While making fun robots with his online friends, Thomas wanted them to try them out. As is common these days, his friends are scattered around the globe, so his solution was to create a “simple app” so they could control the robots remotely.
“Word spread quickly, and soon people from around the world wanted to play,” Thomas explains. “What started as a solution for friends became a global community experience.”
Crumple zones
The remote robots are powered by a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W, Thomas’s go-to microcomputer, and a popular choice for robots everywhere.
“I designed the robots for easy repairability – essential given the combative nature of the game,” Thomas says. “Each of the three robots is controlled by a Raspberry Pi Zero 2 W and features three DC motors: two for movement and one for the signature weapon. I use either TT motors or modified N20 motors, depending on the application.”
Each robot can operate for about four hours on battery power. “Everything fits compactly within a 4 × 4 × 4-inch chassis,” Thomas says. “Each robot sports googly eyes and a unique weapon – flippers, spinners, or blades – inspired by NHRL (National Havoc Robot League) combat robots. The control application was built in Flutter for true cross-platform compatibility (iOS, Android, Windows, macOS, and web). It connects to a real-time Firestore database – when players update commands in the app, each robot instantly receives the changes and responds accordingly.”
Thomas even created a custom programming language for this called comfyScript, which specifically allowed for ultra-low-latency network communications on Raspberry Pi robots.
Live entertainment
The fights are broadcast live on YouTube, with members of the chat being given access to a robot.
“They log into the application and start battling immediately,” Thomas explains. “The interface is elegantly simple: one joystick controls robot movement, one slider operates the weapon, and a live camera feed provides low-latency visual feedback. Players compete to score five points by immobilising opponents or destroying significant portions of the arena.”
Bentobot ran for two “intensive months”, and Thomas says that many incredible friendships were forged in an active and welcoming community.
“Due to time and budget constraints, I’ve retired the active project, but I’ve open-sourced all code and mechanical designs with comprehensive instructions,” Thomas tells us. “By popular demand, I’m now helping former players organise their own Bentobot battles in their local communities. I’m excited to pursue more community-centric projects because the most meaningful building happens when we create with, and for, others.”
