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"This emperor, Tiberius, plans to rule!"
Jonathan Pearce in Series 5

Tiberius was the name given to a series of competitor robots which competed from Series 4 through to Series 7 of Robot Wars and the second series of Robot Wars Extreme. It was originally armed with a vertical crushing spike, which was later replaced with a more conventional crushing claw. Tiberius never progressed beyond the heats in the main series, reaching one Heat Final in Robot Wars: The Seventh Wars, but it won the University Challenge in Robot Wars Extreme: Series 2.

When Robot Wars returned in 2016, Sam Smith joined forces with Dave Moulds to form Team Carbide, competing with the three-time finalist and Series 9 Champion Carbide.

Versions of Tiberius[]

Tiberius[]

"This looks pretty special to me, for a first attempt."
Julia Reed
Tiberous s4 arena

Tiberius

The original Tiberius was a basic two wheeled box-wedge shaped robot with a large steel spike powered by a car jack delivering 1.5 tons of pressure, which could pierce through stainless steel. The machine could pull a Volkswagen Estate with the handbrake on. This version had a welded steel chassis, gears from a motorbike, and travelled at 8 mph. The armour was polypropylene, lexan, nylon and steel.[1] Like TX-108, this version had a crusher which was pulled down instead of pushed down.

Tiberius 2[]

Tiberius2

Tiberius 2

In Series 5, the team entered Tiberius 2, which had a more conventional crusher, pushed by a hydraulic ram, and the team captain cited inspiration from Razer. It was more powerful than its inspiration, powered by a 6 ton hydraulic ram.

"It's got a 6 ton hydraulic ram, which has only 1.5 leverage against it, so technically four at the tip, 4 tons, but our entire chassis will collapse before that...we've reinforced it since we last broke it, probably about 3 tons"
— Sam Smith explains the power of the crusher

This machine was armoured in steel, polycarbonate, polypropylene and titanium, and the robot was powered by two 750 watt motors. A frame could be attached to the crusher on the rear of the robot to act as a srimech. The robot's name was styled as T2 on the crusher, with no relation to the Series 3 competitor.

Tiberius 3[]

Tiberius S7

Tiberius 3 in the pits for Series 7

TiberiusIII

Tiberius 3 in Series 7, with reinforced armour at the back

The team entered Series 6 and 7, as well as Extreme 2, with Tiberius 3, stylised as Tiberius III, which retained the crushing weapon of its predecessor, now operating at 5 tonnes, producing 3 tonnes at the tip. A new self-righting mechanism was added in Extreme 2, which was revised again in Series 7. This also had improved systems for higher manoeuvrability and faster operations.

"Fairly fast, highly manoeuvrable with the powerful hydraulic crushing weapon as we've seen, good control, low ground clearance, tough armour, which is rare for a crusher, but is slow self-righting."
— Jonathan Pearce describes Tiberius 3 in Extreme 2

In Series 7, the electronics and hydraulics were improved, the pressure now being 2000 psi. The back end was improved with titanium and polycarbonate. It was well controlled, had a low ground clearance and was well armoured, but was fairly slow at 10 mph, did not have much traction and more importantly was slow to self-right. After being built over the time period of one year, Tiberius 3 was the most successful version of the robot, reaching the Heat Final of Series 7 and winning the University Challenge special in Extreme Series 2.

The Team[]

The team captain was Sam Smith, who was the only team member present throughout all the team's appearances. In Series 4, he was joined by Simon and John Coulthard. Sam Smith and Simon Coulthard were both students at Portslade Community College, and John Coulthard was a teacher there and Simon's father.[2]

The Coulthards only appeared in Series 4, and for Series 5 and 6, the team consisted of Sam Smith and his father Stuart.

For Extreme 2, Craig Lawson joined the team, and in Series 7, Stuart Smith was not present, replaced by Craig's twin brother Carl Lawson.

For more information on Sam Smith's excursions aside from Tiberius, see Team Carbide, which was captained by Smith in Series 10.

Robot History[]

Series 4[]

"This emperor of bots has a steel armour piercing weapon powered by a car jack, welded steel chassis armoured with polypropylene. The gears come from a motorbike, and Tiberius is ready to rule!"
— Jonathan Pearce introduces Tiberius in its first appearance

Tiberius made its first appearance in Heat K, and was drawn against veteran MouseTrap, successor of Triterobot, and twelfth seed Evil Weevil 2.

MtvTbvEW

Tiberius inspects the immobile Evil Weevil 2

TiberiusPiercesMousetrap

Tiberius grips MouseTrap in the opening melee

MousetrapRefbot

MouseTrap stuck on Refbot after he separated it from Tiberius

Tiberius started by driving at Evil Weevil 2, getting under it with the wedge as Evil Weevil 2 drove forward, but Evil Weevil 2 drove straight off the wedge. Tiberius drove past the front of MouseTrap, which fired the trap but missed. As MouseTrap tried to retract the weapon, Tiberius got under MouseTrap's front, before turning away, allowing MouseTrap to fall off the wedge. Tiberius drove into Evil Weevil 2, which tried to get its forks under it, but Tiberius drove away up the arena. Evil Weevil 2 followed it, and as Tiberius turned to face Evil Weevil 2, it drove onto its opponents forks. Evil Weevil 2 pushed Tiberius towards the CPZ, and MouseTrap came in, getting under Evil Weevil 2 and firing the trap. However, the trap appeared to get stuck after this. Evil Weevil 2 sat motionless as Tiberius drove around MouseTrap, eventually getting at the side of MouseTrap and plunging its piercing spike into its top armour.

"This is Tiberius, in underneath MouseTrap. MouseTrap, with a ground clearance of 20mm, in danger. There's the pick axe of Tiberius, pinning MouseTrap down."
— Jonathan Pearce

Evil Weevil 2 was still not moving, so Dead Metal and Shunt closed in. Refbot came in to separate MouseTrap and Tiberius, but MouseTrap became caught on Refbot's front wedge, before Refbot managed to shake him off. The House Robots carried out their punishment on Evil Weevil 2, while Tiberius pinned MouseTrap in the CPZ. Evil Weevil 2 was declared immobilised, and was tossed by the floor flipper, with Tiberius charging across the floor in the process, potentially suffering issues with its forward drove. Nevertheless, Tiberius and MouseTrap were left to go through.

"This is going to be easy pickings for you lot really, isn't it? ...You're going to make small fry of Little Fly!"
— Julia Reed to the Tiberius team before their battle against Little Fly
Little fly tiberius battle

Tiberius tries to grab hold of Little Fly

In the second round against fellow newcomer Little Fly, Tiberius started by charging straight at Little Fly, getting under it as it tried to turn away and pushing it down the arena. Little Fly turned around, and Tiberius backed off for another charge, but Little Fly dodged as Tiberius charged. Little Fly managed to land a blow with the spinning blade on the side of Tiberius, but caused no damage. Tiberius drove around Little Fly, trying to get under it whilst avoiding the blade. Tiberius eventually got its wedge under the front of Little Fly and pushed it back a bit, but Little Fly turned off the wedge. After a couple of attempts to get at the right angle to push, Tiberius got under Little Fly again and pushed it into the arena wall by the CPZ where Sgt. Bash was. Little Fly tried to reverse away, but Tiberius blocked its path, and pushed it into Sgt. Bash, who torched Little Fly but caused no visible damage. Sgt. Bash grabbed Little Fly with his pincers, but let go and Little Fly reversed away.

"Tiberius very confident at the moment, you might say their attitude is "a little fly"!"
— Jonathan Pearce
Tiberius vs little fly vs sgt bash

Tiberius pins Little Fly against Sgt Bash

Shunt vs tiberius

Tiberius is axed by Shunt

Sirkillalot vs tiberius

Sir Killalot lifts Tiberius up

TiberiusWall

Tiberius rams Little Fly into the wall, but gets stuck

TiberiusPit

Tiberius goes down the pit

Tiberius followed it to the centre of the arena, and tried to get under it again, eventually doing so and pushing Little Fly down the arena towards Sgt. Bash. Tiberius let Little Fly go, and the two robots pushed against each other. Tiberius got under Little Fly again and pushed it across the arena, slamming it into the arena wall. However, it got stuck there after this, and Refbot freed Little Fly. It became apparent that Tiberius had lost drive to one side. Upon its immobilisation, Tiberius was promptly axed by Shunt and lifted up by Sir Killalot who put it on the edge of the pit. Shunt and Matilda then ended the team's Series 4 campaign when they nudged it in.

"Well, Tiberius will rule no longer! Little Fly spreads his wings once more. Let's hear it for Little Fly!"
Craig Charles

In the post-battle interview, the team admitted that as well as losing drive on one side early in the battle, the control for the spike weapon broke early on as well.

Series 5[]

"Knocked out in the heats of Series 4. Electric powered with two seven hundred and fifty watt motors and with a hydraulic ram producing four tonnes of force at the tip, this emperor, Tiberius plans to rule!"
— Jonathan Pearce introduces Tiberius 2
Monad Tiberius 2 1

Tiberius 2 is pressed into the CPZ

TiberiusMonad

Tiberius 2 pierces Monad

In Round 1 of Series 5, Tiberius 2 was drawn against newcomer Monad. Both robots charged at each other, but due to its high ground clearance, Monad rode up the side of Tiberius 2. Tiberius 2 pushed Monad back, and Monad turned itself off Tiberius 2. Tiberius 2 drove close to Sgt. Bash's CPZ, and Monad charged at it and pushed it in. Tiberius 2 quickly drove out, pushing Monad back. Monad reversed and turned away from its opponent, but Tiberius 2 was close behind it and grabbed it with the crusher, easily crushing through the top armour, which had come loose.

"Look at that, cleaving away, Tiberius has got inside, and at the moment is well on top. I wonder what damage it's causing in there, to the electronics of Monad."
— Jonathan Pearce
Tiberius 2 Monad 1

Tiberius 2 dislodges Monad's claws

Tiberius 2 vs Monad

Tiberius 2 pushes Monad towards the pit

As Tiberius 2 crushed into Monad and pushed it around, the pincers starting hanging loose on the front. Tiberius 2 pushed Monad over a flame jet and slammed it into the arena wall, before letting it go. Monad drove away, and as Tiberius 2 chased after it, it drove into the arena wall itself, getting stuck by an angle grinder. Monad pushed into it, and Tiberius 2 started moving freely, chasing after Monad. Monad drove down the arena, trying to open the pit, but drove into the wall by the pit release. Tiberius 2 was in close pursuit and tried to get it under the crusher, but Monad kept escaping. As Tiberius 2 drove away for another charge, Monad opened the pit. Tiberius 2 tried to get under Monad as its opponent, but Monad was too quick and kept dodging the crusher. However, Monad suddenly ground to a halt. Tiberius 2 then crushed into the top of Monad, pushed it to the pit and dropped it in.

"Tiberius, came, saw, and conquered."
— Jonathan Pearce

Tiberius 2 then fought former champion and number six seed Panic Attack in the second round. For this battle, an extra frame was added to the back of Tiberius 2.

TiberiusRound2

Tiberius 2 in Round 2. Note the extra frame.

PAliftsShuntasitattacksTiberius

Panic Attack lifts Shunt as he attacks Tiberius 2

"...Panic Attack, very good drivers, and that's the thing, we've got to try and get underneath the back, there's no way at the side, we can't do the front because they've got their flipping arm, lifting arm, so we've got to get them at the back and get a pinch."
— Stuart Smith before the battle
Tiberius 2 vs panic attack

Panic Attack lifts Tiberius 2

At the start of the match, Panic Attack got straight under Tiberius 2 and lifted it up with the forks. As Panic Attack pushed Tiberius 2 back, it fell off the forks. Tiberius 2 reversed for another attack, and tried to get under the front, but Panic Attack's forks stopped it from getting in a position to crush the top. However, Tiberius 2 was still able to push Panic Attack back, as its forks were caught between the crusher, and Tiberius 2 crushed into the gap at the front of Panic Attack where its forks were. Panic Attack started to push back, but Tiberius 2 turned Panic Attack into the arena wall, pinning it against an angle grinder.

"Lost in the heat of Series 4, and they are here, back and improved. Goodness me, how they've improved!"
— Jonathan Pearce on Tiberius 2
Panic Attack Tiberius 2

Tiberius 2 brings its crushing arm into play

As Tiberius 2 pushed Panic Attack, its crusher slipped from the forks, and Panic Attack attempted to push past Tiberius 2. Tiberius 2 drove into the wall to block Panic Attack, then turned around and tried to attack Panic Attack's side. Panic Attack's skirts prevented it getting underneath, and Panic Attack escaped. Tiberius 2 followed it, pushing against its side, and tried to get under Panic Attack, but could not get under the sides, or the front, and Panic Attack moved away before it could get around the back. Tiberius 2 drove around Panic Attack, trying to get in a good position to get under Panic Attack, and drove at the front. However, this allowed Panic Attack to get under it with the forks and push it back onto the flame pit, lifting it up as it did so. Panic Attack held Tiberius 2 over the flames before pulling it away, then pushing it into the wall in the CPZ. Tiberius 2 was attacked by Shunt and Dead Metal, with Shunt axing it and lifting it with the scoop.

"Little bit a lack of experience maybe?"
— Jonathan Pearce as Tiberius is put on the backfoot and near the House Robots
Panic attack vs tiberius 2

Panic Attack carries Tiberius 2 over the flame pit

Tiberius 2 tried to get away, but the axe was caught on the crusher, preventing its escape. Panic Attack briefly lifted Shunt, but this did not help Tiberius 2 escape. Shunt eventually released its axe, but Panic Attack got straight under Tiberius 2 and lifted it up.

"...but Tiberius 2 is now fighting for survival, after starting this battle so well."
— Jonathan Pearce
Panic Attack vs Tiberius 2

Panic Attack drops Tiberius 2 into the pit

Panic Attack pulled Tiberius 2 back, then pushed it, eventually driving into the pit release button. With the pit open, Panic Attack steered Tiberius 2 into the pit, almost toppling in itself.

"He's such a brilliant driver, all credit."
— Sam Smith on Kim Davies after the battle

Series 6[]

"A five tonne hydraulic crusher with upgraded systems for faster operation and very maneuverable. But it's not the quickest to self-right."
— Jonathan Pearce
Tiberius III

Tiberius 3 with an extra layer of protection applied

Tiberius 3 had been drawn against Supernova, newcomer Short Circuit and Spawn Again, which was seeded 10th. Knowing the power of Supernova's flywheel, Tiberius 3 was equipped with thick, white plastic casing around its sides, offering an extra layer of protection.

"Twelve months of work and it could all go in the first round. No wonder they're wincing."
Philippa Forrester talking about Tiberius 3's Series 6 draw
Tiberius crushes Supernova

Tiberius 3 crushes Supernova

Tiberius 3 opened the battle by getting off quickly and attacking Supernova, which retaliated with its spinning disc. Tiberius 3 managed to pierce the Sri Lankan machine, holding it in the CPZ at the mercy of Sgt. Bash and Sir Killalot, and a small clash with the latter resulted in a buckled crushing jaw on Tiberius 3. Tiberius 3 tried to grip into Supernova, but it escaped. Meanwhile Short Circuit had been decimated by Supernova's flywheel. Tiberius 3 fled from the dangerous Supernova, but Supernova was faster, and struck the rear of Tiberius 3, sending it spiraling away, knocking out its safety link in the process, thus immobilising Tiberius 3. Spawn Again then flipped Tiberius 3 over, overturning itself in the process, and Tiberius 3 was counted out.

Spawn Again flips Tiberius

Spawn Again flips Tiberius 3 and itself

Short Circuit was pitted and Tiberius 3 was flipped by the floor flipper and pitted by Sir Killalot. It was only after the battle that it was revealed Tiberius 3 had lost its safety link, strangely leaving Tiberius 3 in better working condition than the qualifying Spawn Again. The team revealed that when it was flipped, the link fell out completely.

"Don't go in after him Killalot, that's not in the script!"
Jonathan Pearce as Killalot almost followed Tiberius 3 into the pit

Extreme 2[]

"Very Razer-esque, they must be game and sporty too if they're from Loughborough!"
— Jonathan Pearce as Tiberius enters the arena
UniversityChallengeRound1.2

Tiberius 3 has Fluffy in its clutches on the flame pit

Tiberius III vs Fluffy

Tiberius 3 hoists Fluffy

Tiberius 3 singularly participated in the University Challenge tournament, representing Loughborough University, and faced Infinity and Fluffy in the first round. At the start, Infinity charged straight at it, bouncing off the wedge. Tiberius 3 reversed into Fluffy, its heavily armoured back protecting it from the spinning axe. It then turned around, got under Fluffy, pushed it into Infinity, and brought the crusher down. However, the crusher was in the wrong position, and failed to grab Fluffy, so Fluffy escaped. Infinity pushed against Tiberius 3, but Tiberius 3 pushed it backwards, before Infinity reversed away. Tiberius 3 pursued Fluffy, eventually catching up with it, getting under it and crushing into it. Infinity rammed into its side, but Tiberius 3 kept hold of Fluffy. Whilst Infinity was pushing Tiberius 3, Growler pushed Infinity, causing all the competitors to be pushed forwards, with Fluffy being pushed into an angle grinder. Still holding Fluffy, Tiberius 3 reversed against Infinity, before holding Fluffy over the flame pit. As Tiberius 3 lifted the crusher, Fluffy was still stuck on the end. Refbot reversed into the two, but they were still stuck together. Tiberius 3 tried lowering and raising the crusher, but Fluffy was still stuck. Refbot and Infinity both tried ramming into Fluffy to try and free it from Tiberius 3's crusher, to no avail.

"Tiberius 3 locked horns with Fluffy early on, and simply refused to let go, like a dog with a bone."
— Jonathan Pearce
UniversityChallengeRound1.2

The three robots edge closer to the pit

Tiberius vs Infinity vs Fluffy

Tiberius 3 falls into the pit with Fluffy but still wins

Growler opened the pit, and all three competitors were by the edge of the pit, with Infinity having one wheel stuck in the pit. Tiberius 3 continued raising and lowering the crusher to try and drop Fluffy in the pit, but it was still stuck. Refbot gave Tiberius 3 a push from behind, causing it to fall forwards in the pit with Fluffy, but because Fluffy went into the pit first, and had been immobilised by the claw of Tiberius 3, the machine from Loughborough went through along with Infinity.

In Round 2, Tiberius 3 met CV, representative of the Open University.

"...it's the same power as Series 6, so there's a fair old tonnage on it, and we've also upgraded our tip, we've got a hardened steel tip on there now, which has been ground nicely and that'll improve penetration for sure."
— Sam Smith on the crusher
UniversityChallengeRound2.2

CV finds a weak spot in Tiberius 3

Tiberius III vs CV

Tiberius 3 crushes CV

Tiberius 3 drove at CV, dodging an axe blow as it closed in, and pushed the Open University machine up the arena, trying to get the front wedge under CV, but couldn't get under its low ground clearance.

"The Refbot's light goes green for go, Tiberius 3, a push to and fro!"
— Jonathan Pearce's poetry
UniversityChallengeRound2.2

Tiberius 3 drives CV towards the pit

Tiberius 3 backed off for another charge, but still could not get under CV, whist CV continued swinging the axe, but its blows either missed or bounced off. Tiberius 3 turned away and drove around for another attack, pushing CV up the arena. Still unable to get under its opponent, Tiberius 3 turned away, then reversed into CV, which fired the axe, but the axe failed to penetrate, before missing another blow. Tiberius 3 pushed against the front of CV, and started to get underneath, but CV fell off as Tiberius 3 turned, and CV landed an axe blow on Tiberius 3's top, which punctured it this time. This allowed Tiberius 3 to push it back, and Tiberius 3 closed the crusher on CV's top, but because the wedge was not under CV, Tiberius 3 was lifted up as well. CV swung the axe back, and Tiberius 3 pushed CV down the arena. C.V reversed into the pit release button, and Tiberius 3 pinned it against the button, which allowed Tiberius 3 to get the wedge under CV and crush, grabbing it by the wheels, pulling it back, before turning it to the pit and pushing it in.

"They've got great team sports, but they've also got great really good mech engine department, so we're glad to be representing them."
— Sam Smith on Loughborough University after the battle

In the Final, Tiberius 3 fought Infinity again, pitting Loughborough University against the University of Wales to take the title.

"I think their weakness is probably in the wheels, or if we can grab between the wheels and the bodywork, they'll probably break."
— Sam Smith admits his tactic to Philippa Forrester
Tiberius III vs Infinity

Infinity shoves Tiberius 3 back

Tiberius 3 started the battle by pushing Infinity towards Sgt. Bash, but Infinity escaped. Tiberius 3 then grabbed Infinity with the crusher, but failed to puncture the armour. Infinity responded by shoving Tiberius 3 down the arena and into the angle grinder. Tiberius 3 let go, and Infinity reversed away, but Tiberius 3 chased after it and soon got under it again and tried to grab Infinity with its claw, but the faster Infinity spun away. Tiberius 3 tried to get under Infinity, but Infinity kept turning away, so Tiberius 3 could not use the crusher. Tiberius 3 pushed Infinity into the wall, but as it turned to try and get under Infinity, Infinity got off the wedge. Tiberius 3 pushed Infinity up the arena, and as it did so, got Infinity up on the wedge and lowered the crusher.

"That's good driving by Sam Smith, in pursuit of Infinity"
— Jonathan Pearce
UniversityChallengeFinal

The jaw of Tiberius 3 closes on Infinity

Tiberius 3 still could not puncture the top of Infinity, so Tiberius 3 pushed it into an angle grinder. Tiberius 3 tried to turn Infinity onto the flame pit, but this allowed Infinity to escape. Infinity's pincers were now closed together. Tiberius 3 tried to get under Infinity again, but Infinity drove at the side of Tiberius 3. Tiberius 3 drove up the arena, and Infinity followed, and Tiberius 3 turned around and pushed Infinity onto the flame pit. This did not appear to damage Infinity, which charged at Tiberius 3, but Tiberius 3 grabbed it with the crusher, getting the crusher in the gap between the wheel and the body.

UniversityChallengeFinal

Tiberius 3 attempts to puncture the wheel of Infinity

Tiberius 3 reversed, separating the two, and Infinity tried pushing at the sides of Tiberius 3, but failed to move its opponent. Tiberius got Infinity on the wedge and pushed it into the arena wall. Tiberius 3 closed the crusher on Infinity, but Infinity pushed back. Tiberius 3 drove up the arena to avoid Sgt. Bash, and the two competitors clashed in the centre of the arena. Tiberius 3 pushed Infinity into a CPZ at the top of the arena. Shunt charged in and hit Infinity with its axe, but failed to puncture. Tiberius 3 closed the crusher, and pushed Infinity down the arena, being axed by Shunt as it did so.

"This is a very tense and tight affair for the honour of brainiest boffins of Robot Wars!"
— Jonathan Pearce

Tiberius 3 raised the crusher, allowing Infinity to escape. Infinity pushed at Tiberius, but only pushed it back slightly, and Tiberius reversed away in the last few seconds. The judges went for Tiberius 3, meaning it had won the tournament.

"The judges have made their decision. Style, control, damage, aggression. On aggression, they've gone for you [Tiberius]. On style, they've gone for you...they've just gone for you! The winners are Tiberius!"
— Craig Charles announces the winner

Series 7[]

Tiberius 3 fought in Heat A, where it was drawn against newcomer M2, Shell Shock, successor of Fat Boy Tin, and returning Heat Finalist Vader.

Jayne Middlemiss: "So it makes it faster, harder, stronger?"
Sam Smith: "Yep!"
— Pre-battle interview, having discussed the improvements made to Tiberius 3
M2 vs Vader

M2 launches Vader into the air as Tiberius 3 comes in

Tiberius vs Shell Shock

Tiberius 3 backs Shell Shock onto a flame jet

It started by driving at Shell Shock, but turned away as Shell Shock drove into M2 and Vader. It slowly moved in, trying to get its claw in a position to crush, but struggled due to Shell Shock's shape, and Shell Shock moved away, trying to avoid Vader. Tiberius 3 then drove at Vader, but Vader attacked Shell Shock, keeping its distance from Tiberius 3, so Tiberius 3 backed away. Shell Shock also moved near the wall where Tiberius 3 was, but Tiberius 3 instead went for Vader, driving at its side, but M2 flipped Vader before Tiberius 3 could crush, so Tiberius 3 backed away.

"This' already an intriguing Robot Wars tactical battle between flippers and spinners and crushing beaks."
— Jonathan Pearce

After Shell Shock was flipped onto its side by M2, Tiberius 3 pushed it a little, then pushed Vader, which had broken down, pushed Shell Shock a little more, before driving away as M2 flipped Shell Shock to the fence and out of the arena, before flipping Vader over the fence as well. Tiberius 3 was through along with M2.

Tiberius 3 had qualified for the second round, where it fought New Blood heat finalist, Roobarb.

"We looked at it, and it sees that there's nothing really anywhere that we won't go through if we get a nip on, so it's just a question of finding somewhere to sort of nip them before they can flip us, really!"
— Sam Smith on Roobarb
Roobarb vs Tiberius 3

Tiberius 3 lifts Roobarb

Roobarb immediately tried to flip Tiberius 3, which had made the mistake of exposing its side to Roobarb, but Tiberius 3 turned before Roobarb could flip, so Roobarb missed its flip. Tiberius 3 tried to get Roobarb in the crusher, but Roobarb escaped a couple of times, before Tiberius 3 got a hold of the top of Roobarb, and easily crushed through it. Tiberius 3 then lifted Roobarb up with the crusher.

"Roobarb, at the moment, being hoisted, and I don't think he'll be dumping Roobarb into a bowl of custard. It'll be down into the pit of doom and gloom or out of the arena any moment now."
— Jonathan Pearce as Tiberius 3 hoists Roobarb
RoobarbPitted

Tiberius 3, having pitted Roobarb

Tiberius 3 lifted Roobarb up and down, and turned around, but the two seemed to be stuck together. Refbot nudged the two, then Sir Killalot pushed into Roobarb's front, which allowed Tiberius 3 to drop it after lowering its crusher. However, Roobarb failed to move away, and Tiberius 3 pushed it down the arena beside the pit. Tiberius 3 let go of Roobarb, and it became fully clear that Roobarb was immobile. Tiberius 3 opened the pit, before reversing Roobarb into the pit.

"Tiberius 3, turns Roobarb into custard!"
— Craig Charles after the battle

In the Heat Final, it fought M2 again, having not actually attacked it in the first round.

"...it's quite a manoeuvrable robot, very fast, we have to see how it goes."
— Craig Lawson on M2
Tiberius and M2

Tiberius 3 holds M2 in the CPZ

M2 vs Tiberius III Crush

Tiberius 3 bites into M2

It pierced M2's armour, carrying M2 towards the pit. However, M2 was putting up a struggle and Tiberius 3 was unable to direct it towards the pit. Instead, both robots ended up in the CPZ and were attacked by Growler, who tried to pull M2 away but Tiberius 3 was still hanging onto its opponent.

"And Tiberius 3 has got to grips with M2! Oh, look at that! It's almost as if it's melting it away. That is vicious!"
— Jonathan Pearce after Tiberius 3's first bite
GrowlerbitesM2

Tiberius 3 has M2 in Growler's CPZ

M2 vs Tiberius III

Tiberius 3 is thrown over by M2

M2 pits Tiberius III

Tiberius 3 is flipped into the pit

After sustaining ramming attacks from Growler, M2 was able to escape the claw of Tiberius 3 and quickly drove away from the CPZ. Tiberius 3 tried to chase after its opponent, but M2 turned and flipped Tiberius 3 over. M2 then threw Tiberius 3 against the arena wall and tried to flip it out of the arena, but only succeeded in flipping it back onto its wheels. However, M2 quickly flipped Tiberius 3 back over and then threw it into the pit of oblivion. This eliminated Tiberius 3 from the wars.

"And they're out, Tiberius 3! What an amazing heat final! They were absolutely in control, but from masterful control to mayhem, and defeat by M2."
— Jonathan Pearce as Tiberius 3 is pitted

This would be Tiberius' final appearance, although Sam Smith would appear in the rebooted series as part of Team Carbide.

Results[]

TIBERIUS - RESULTS
Series 4
The Fourth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 2
Heat K, Eliminator vs. Evil Weevil 2 (12), MouseTrap Qualified
Heat K, Semi-Final vs. Little Fly Lost
TIBERIUS 2 - RESULTS
Series 5
The Fifth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 2
Heat J, Eliminator vs. Monad Won
Heat J, Semi-Final vs. Panic Attack (6) Lost
TIBERIUS 3 - RESULTS
Series 6
The Sixth Wars - UK Championship
Heat, Round 1
Heat H, Round 1 vs. Short Circuit, Spawn Again (10), Supernova Eliminated
Extreme Series 2
University Challenge
Champion
Round 1 vs. Infinity, Fluffy Qualified
Round 2 vs. CV Won
Final vs. Infinity Won
Series 7
The Seventh Wars - UK Championship
Heat Final
Heat A, Round 1 vs. M2, Shell Shock, Vader Qualified
Heat A, Round 2 vs. Roobarb Won
Heat A, Final vs. M2 Lost

Wins/Losses[]

  • Wins: 7
  • Losses: 4

Series Record[]

S6 qualifiers pits stag

Tiberius 3 next to TX-108 in the pits at the Series 6 qualifiers

Main Series Tiberius Series Record
The First Wars Did not enter
The Second Wars Did not enter
The Third Wars Did not enter
The Fourth Wars Heat, Round 2
The Fifth Wars Heat, Round 2
The Sixth Wars Heat, Round 1
The Seventh Wars Heat Final
Series 8 Entered with Carbide
Series 9 Entered with Carbide
Series 10 Entered with Carbide
Robot Wars Extreme Appearances
Series 1 Did not enter
Series 2 University Challenge Champion

NOTE: Following the formation of Team Carbide, Dave Moulds also competed in Battle of the Stars as mentor for Episode 1 champion Arena Cleaner.

Outside Robot Wars[]

Tiberius 2 made a number of appearances at British live events in 2000 and 2001, fighting the likes of Dantomkia and Dominator 2. Most notably, it travelled to the Netherlands to compete in the UK bracket at the Dutch Robot Games 2001. Tiberius 2 had a successful run, beating Stinger on a Judges' decision despite bending its claw out of shape[3], and defeated Storm in the semi-final. In the three-way final against Tornado and Wolverine, Tiberius 2 lost the fight to Wolverine, but it still won a non-competition melee over M2 and Stinger.

Tiberiustoday

Tiberius 4, the final appearance of Tiberius before becoming Photon Storm

While Robot Wars was off-air, Tiberius was rebuilt with a larger claw and renamed Tiberius 4, though it was mostly only known as Tiberius. It fought in many tournaments throughout the country since Robot Wars' end, achieving great success, being the most feared crusher on the circuit. At the 2006 UK Championships, Tiberius defeated Steel Sandwich, and pitted Tough as Nails, but eventually lost the battle when Tough as Nails escaped the pit and put Tiberius in the same position[4].

The robot, now in its sixth incarnation, was bought by Ed Hoppitt of Team Storm in January 2013, later using it to compete in the Robot Wars World Championship in 2015 (see below). In April 2016, Team Storm unveiled a revised version of Tiberius, now named Photon Storm, as their BattleBots 2016 entry. Photon Storm had a new "feathery" appearance, giving it a bird motif, and received a number of improvements - including a more powerful self-righting mechanism, 10mm ARMOX armour plating, a stronger crushing ram, and better batteries and motors - for the competition. It was entered by Ed Hoppitt, along with Andrew Marchant and Alan Young. Photon Storm lost its first battle against Brazilian robot Minotaur despite starting the battle strongly. Meanwhile for the same competition, Tiberius team captain Sam Smith formed Team Carbide with Dave Moulds and fought with Cobalt.

In October 2016, Photon Storm fought at a Robots Live! event in Stevenage. It firstly competed in the FRA UK Heavyweight Championship, reaching the second round before losing to Dystopia and Nuts after getting flipped out of the arena by the former. Photon Storm later fought in a few whiteboard battles, competing against Behemoth, Apollo, Bigger Brother and Nuts at various points.

In 2017, Photon Storm made its most recent combat appearance at Mechatrons in Dublin. It initially lost to Stinger, but participated in a rematch later into the event, also battling ThunderChild and Iron-Awe 7. The robot made a further appearance alongside Storm 2, Storm Vortex and the original Storm at RoboNerd on 4 September 2021, before being placed into storage in Team Storm's workshop. As of August 2023, Photon Storm remains in Team Storm's ownership.[5]

For more information on Sam Smith's excursions outside of Robot Wars, including his featherweight robots NST and Shard, see Team Carbide.

Robot Wars Live Events[]

Tiberius now

Tiberius under the sponsorship of Team Robo Challenge

Tiberius 4 made its only appearance at the Robot Wars live events when it competed in the Robot Wars World Championships 2015, allowing Team Storm an opportunity to defend their world title. It did well in the heats of the competition, surviving the end of its first battle against Thor, Iron-Awe 5 & Tanto and came second on the judges decision. This allowed Tiberius to qualify to the second round of the competition where it fought Gravity and Kan-Opener. Kan-Opener broke down within the first few seconds, leaving Tiberius to fight Gravity alone. However, despite managing to pierce Gravity's tyre at one point and surviving until the end, the judges' decision went against it, putting it in the Play-offs. Here it was immobilised immediately by Eruption, which flipped it against the arena wall where it was left immobile for 30 seconds. Despite being immobile, Tiberius eventually decided the outcome of the battle after it was freed from the wall, by pushing Eruption into the pit, before it too was pushed into the pit by Tough as Nails, leaving the latter as the winner of the battle.

Trivia[]

Tiberius III S7

Official Series 7 photo

  • Other than Razer, Tiberius is the only robot armed with a vertical crusher to reach a Heat Final.
  • All of Tiberius' losses saw it pitted.
  • In Series 5, Stuart McDonald introduced the robot as "Tiberus 2", rather than Tiberius 2.
  • Tiberius is mentioned on the new Robot Wars website, on Carbide's Series 8 page. However, it is misspelt as "Tiberious". This spelling error also appears in the Series 5 results section in Robot Wars: The Ultimate Guide.
  • Throughout the series that it appeared in, Tiberius never shared the arena with Mr. Psycho or Cassius Chrome.
    • Mr. Psycho was the only House Robot not to appear in an episode that Tiberius featured in.
  • Little Fly and Supernova were the only robots to beat Tiberius that did not win a heat.
  • In both series where Tiberius had two team members (Series 5-6, the series that featured a Losers' Melee in the semi-finals), it was defeated in its heat by the seeded robot who then went on to win the heat (Panic Attack and Spawn Again).
  • Three of Tiberius' battles were against a team that the similarly designed R.O.C.S. fought against (Panic Attack, Spawn Again and Team Monad).
  • Each of the seeds that Tiberius faced in the main competition were semi-finalists from the previous series. Panic Attack was the only one not to fight Tiberius in the first round of the heats, with them meeting in the second round of their heat in Series 5.
    • In addition, each of those seeds were even-numbered with Tiberius only beating one of the three (Evil Weevil).
  • In Tiberius' first and last appearances, the robots that beat it then lost their next battle (Little Fly losing to MouseTrap in Series 4 and M2 losing to Atomic in Series 7) and the winners of those battles lost their next battle to the eventual grand finalist (MouseTrap losing to Stinger in Series 4 and Atomic losing to Typhoon 2 in Series 7).
  • Tiberius is the only robot (or team) to fight both Evil Weevil and Panic Attack.
  • During testing, the original Tiberius crashed into Stuart Smith's garage door.
"We didn't expect it to very powerful, and it just broke through some bottom panels."
— Sam Smith

Honours[]


References[]

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