Burrobot

The Burrobot is a mole-based Badnik enemy which appears in the Sonic the Hedgehog franchise. They first appear in Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis. Burrobots are equipped with nose-based drills that enable them to burrow through the ground. A Burrobot can launch a surprise attack from below by emerging in front of their opponents from underground.

Sonic the Hedgehog (16-bit)
In Sonic the Hedgehog, Sonic encounters Burrobots in Labyrinth Zone and Scrap Brain Zone Act 3.

In gameplay, Burrobots appear either alone or in groups, usually hiding beneath the floor and waiting to pop out to attack Sonic when he gets close to them. Their noses can be seen poking out of the ground so it is easy to spot where they will pop out of to attack the player. Otherwise, they roll slowly along the ground and can climb up higher ledges almost instantaneously. As they jump out of the ground, the player can use a well-timed Spin Jump to defeat them, when they roll along the floor, they can be taken out with a Spin Attack. Defeating a Burrowbot releases an Animal and rewards the player with 100 points.

Sonic the Hedgehog (8-bit)
In Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Game Gear, Burrobots return as enemies, but only in Labyrinth Zone. Otherwise, they have the same attack pattern as their 16-bit counterparts; they jump out of the floor when Sonic approaches, roll slowly along the ground, and can climb higher ledges in an instant. However, Burrobots, along with the other Badniks in the game, do not have Animals inside of them. Regardless, upon their destruction, they reward the player with 100 points.

Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I
In Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I, Burrobots return as enemies, where they received a more modernized design. They are only encountered in Lost Labyrinth Zone.

In gameplay, the Burrobots behave much like they did in the original Sonic the Hedgehog: they pop out of the ground when the playable character approaches, and when on the ground, they move along it slowly. They can also climb up onto higher ledges in a near instant. Regardless, they are destroyed when hit once by any of the playable characters' attacks. Also, upon their destruction, they release an Animal and reward the player with 100 points.

Sonic Lost World
In the Wii U version and PC version of Sonic Lost World, Burrobots have their original design. During the game, it turns out that the Badniks, including the Burrobots, were hijacked by the Deadly Six.

In this game, Burrobots appear in the wide-spaced sections of Frozen Factory Zone 1, waiting for Sonic to approach. When they pop out of the ground to attack the player, they often end up getting stuck in the ground with their drill nose. The Burrobots also appear in the underground section of Silent Forest Zone 4 where they will chase the player while they are using the Yellow Drill. However again, this Badnik can get stuck on floating stone circles should it collide with it. The player can defeat it by ramming into its non-drill spots with the Yellow Drill.

Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games
In the Nintendo 3DS version of Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, Burrobots make a cameo appearance as walls during the Golf Plus event on Hole 9, where they use their sprite appearance from the original Sonic the Hedgehog. If the playable character's golf ball hits a Burrobot wall here, it will disappear and the golf ball itself will land safely on the lawn without falling onto unfavorable terrain.

Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog
In the Adventures of Sonic the Hedgehog television series, the Burrobots sport radically different designs, being colored mostly green and having more spider-like appearances. They were used on one occasion to distract Sonic the Hedgehog.

Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic
A Burrobot appears briefly in Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic manga. At the beginning of the Sonic the Hedgehog Story Comic Volume 3 story, Sonic Rampage!!, a Burrobot and Moto Bug were sent by Dr. Eggman to beat down Sonic, but despite the their fierce nature, they got easily defeated.

Sonic the Comic
In the Sonic the Comic series and its spin-offs published by Fleetway Editions, the Burrobots appear as the first generation of Badniks in Dr. Robotnik's army. Because of the different artists, the Burrobots would have different looks between the stories. However, as Robotnik would design new Badnik models for digging, the Burrobots would be replaced by newer robot models. One time, Shorty the Squirrel's friend Hopper was even turned into a Burrobot until he was freed by Shorty when he turned against Robotnik. Also, Tails disguised himself as a Burrobot on one occasion.

Archie Comics
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by Archie Comics, Burrobot made many early appearances as members of Dr. Robotnik's Badnik Horde. During the Sonic Quest miniseries, Dr. Robotnik even released a pair of giant Burrobots on Angel Island which were eventually destroyed by Knuckles and the other Chaotix.

Sonic X (comics)
In the Sonic X comic series published by Archie Comics, Burrobots appeared in a virtual reality version of the Labyrinth Zone to ambush Sonic and his crew. The group, however, managed to get pass them.

IDW Publishing
In the Sonic the Hedgehog comic series and its spin-offs published by IDW Publishing, the Burrobots are a Badnik line created by Dr. Eggman in another dimension set in the recent past.

Merchandise
Tomy made a Burrobot figurine as part of a Sonic & Knuckles set, which included twenty other figurines of characters and Badniks.

Physical appearance
Burrobots are seemingly loosely based on the. They have a blue body consisting of a round torso and a large head with round black eyes, gray disks for ear pieces and a large gray cone-shaped drill bit for a nose. On their head they wear a yellow hard hat. Their chest is gray, their shoulders are yellow and round, and their two arms are gray with three sharp fingers on each hand. As legs, they have tracked wheels on each side, which runs between two wheels; one is small and one is bigger.

Burrobots in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I are more detailed. The ear pieces have red bottom placed screws and their tracked feet have a elastic bands between their wheels. In Sonic Lost World, they wear yellow goggles while digging.

Profiles

 * Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I website: "This Badnik prefers underground areas which are well suited for his unique talents. Be on the lookout as Burrobots have a habit of jumping out of the ground!"

Trivia

 * In both the 16-bit Sonic the Hedgehog and 8-bit Sonic the Hedgehog, some of the Burrobot's exterior armor appears red instead of yellow like in the artwork, this being due to palette issues. The upgraded appearance of the Burrobots in Sonic the Hedgehog 4: Episode I uses artwork colors with detailed mechanic parts being colored red.
 * A Burrobot-like Badnik was considered to be enemy for the scrapped stage, R2, in Sonic the Hedgehog CD.
 * The Burrobots' attack pattern in Silent Forest is a reference to a from Sonic the Hedgehog for the Sega Genesis.
 * Likewise, their method of attack, diving into Sonic drill nose first from the underground in Frozen Factory, is from an unused sprite from their debut game.