Case Study: BattleBots' Team Witch Doctor improves robot performance and cuts weight with SOLIDWORKS

BattleBots - Customer Case Study

BattleBots’ Team Witch Doctor is a fan‑favorite competitor that builds robots to inspire future engineers, led by Andrea and Michael Gellatly. Faced with short development cycles, remote collaboration and the constant challenge of balancing strength, stiffness and weight, the team turned to SolidWorks and its SOLIDWORKS 3D CAD and Simulation tools to speed design, review and iteration.

SolidWorks enabled rapid, collaborative redesigns—Team Witch Doctor explored roughly 20 rib‑cage concepts using SOLIDWORKS multi‑body sheet‑metal tools and used SOLIDWORKS Simulation topology optimization to remove material smartly. The result: a five‑pound weight reduction while strengthening key areas, faster iteration cycles during remote work, and competitive success (Team Witch Doctor reached the 2019 BattleBots final), along with more polished, personality‑driven designs that help inspire new engineers.

BattleBots

Michael Gellatly

Team leaders