Lateral Thought was a competitor robot that appeared in Series 2 of Robot Wars. It competed exclusively in the Reserve Rumble, broadcast as part of the Grudge Matches special, but lost after being immobilised by the House Robots.
The robot was entered by students from the University of Glamorgan, led by then-student Phil Hardwick. After competing in the Reserve Rumble of Series 2, it was not seen on television again despite having intentions of entering both Series 3 and 4.
Design[]
Lateral Thought was an invertible, six-wheeled robot armed with a set of spikes. It was box-shaped, and had a ground clearance on all sides, for ease of running the Gauntlet. However, it was extremely light at 56.2kg, only 2.2kg above the weight limit for the middleweight category.
Qualification[]
Lateral Thought at the Series 2 rehearsals
Lateral Thought attended the Series 2 auditions with a white colour-scheme[1], and although it did not qualify for the main series directly, it was selected as a reserve.
The team had intentions of competing in Series 3[2], although its application status is somewhat unknown. Phil Hardwick would sign many forum posts in 1999 and 2000 with the signature "Lateral Thought - Superheavy weight entry series III", suggesting that Lateral Thought may have been upgraded to super heavyweight status for the Third Wars, in which case it may have been present at filming prior to the cancellation of the Super Heavyweight Championship. It is unknown if this would have been a new build, or if indeed Lateral Thought had managed to apply or been accepted in the first place.
Although Series 4 would not feature a Super Heavyweight Championship, the team did send in an application for the Fourth Wars[3], although the Lateral Thought team and their robot would not qualify, nor compete in any future series of the show.
Robot History[]
Series 2[]
After not being selected to compete in the main competition, Lateral Thought appeared in the Reserve Rumble, which was broadcast as part of the Grudge Matches special. There, it fought against Malice, Bumblebot, Forklift and the walkerbot Jim Struts.
Shunt punctures a hole in Lateral Thought
Lateral Thought drove back and forth in the opening seconds, but soon found itself in the PPZ, where it had its top panel axed by Shunt and was caught under Dead Metal's pincers as it tried to escape. Both House Robots continued attacking Lateral Thought as it sat immobile, with Shunt axing and shoving it into the pit. This eliminated Lateral Though early on from the Reserve Rumble, which was eventually won by Jim Struts.
Results[]
| LATERAL THOUGHT - RESULTS | ||
| Series 2 | ||
| Grudge Matches Reserve Rumble | ||
| Reserve Rumble | vs. Malice, Bumblebot, Forklift, Jim Struts | Lost |
Wins/Losses[]
- Wins: 0
- Losses: 1
Series Record[]
The Lateral Thought team
| Series | Lateral Thought Series Record |
|---|---|
| The First Wars | Did not enter |
| The Second Wars | Reserve Rumble |
| The Third Wars | Super Heavyweight Championship (event cancelled) (not confirmed) |
| The Fourth Wars | Failed to qualify |
| The Fifth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Sixth Wars | Did not enter |
| The Seventh Wars | Did not enter |
| Series 8 | Did not enter |
| Series 9 | Did not enter |
| Series 10 | Did not enter |
Trivia[]
- As there were no known super heavyweight events planned for Series 4, and the weight limit for heavyweight competitors had not yet been increased, it is uncertain if the team applied for the Fourth Wars with an existing version of Lateral Thought from Series 2, 3, or with a new robot entirely.