The DreadZone test bots are minor characters in Deadlocked. They are humanoid robots that work for Gleeman Vox in running Vox Industries and the DreadZone combat spot. The bots seem to have a variety of roles, including but not limited to being used as test subjects.
The test bots were first seen when Vox demonstrated the deadlock collar to Ratchet. During the demonstration, the collar was electrocuted on the first test bot, and detonated on the second, to prove what would happen to non-compliant contestants.[1] The test bots were later seen in discussions with Vox. In one, a test bot was seen discussing the disappointing sales figures for Ace Hardlight merchandise, and ordered to set up a focus test before reporting to B-level for disintegration.[2] Later, a test bot was called by Vox to prepare the Ghost Station challenges, which the bot reluctantly agreed to after warning the gauntlet was mathematically proven to be unbeatable.[3]
After the events of Deadlocked, the test bots left the Shadow Sector and took up work in a spaceport, but were exiled after a accidentally smashing a wrecking ball into a vessel. They eventually started a small home business that sold explosive and volatile merchandise. Although the business started slow, the test bots became wealthy when they began receiving constant orders from a new holo-vision reality show (implied to be Juanita and Dallas). This put them at the top of the "People Who Have Way More Money than You" list from the gossip magazine Questionable Data, which they were removed after it was discovered they were not "people".[4]