BattroBorg 20 set of two and the arena, individual bot on the right. (via TOMY co)
Japanese manufacturer, TOMY Company, Ltd. is set to bring their little BattroBorg 20 robots to United States for sale. Although the robots are very small, they can provide hours of fun for children and adults. They look similar to Rock'em Sock'em Robots, except these are controlled through wireless controllers. The bots themselves are small coming in at 9cm in height and weighing only 54 grams. The object of the game is to knock the other player out. In addition, the remotes look very similar to Wii remotes and function the same way using accelerometers to track motion.
To battle with these robots one must first provide power to the little guys. The controllers take 4 AA batteries and the robots themselves run off a charge. Charging the robots is done through the remote, which doubles as a docking station. According to TOMY, a 20 minute charge for each bot should provide up to 10 minutes of action packed fighting. The remotes communicate with the bots through a 2.4GHz link, which allows the movements to have virtually no lag. Furthermore, the bots automatically synchronize with the remotes when both the remote and bot are turned on.
To make things more interesting TOMY has also released a hexagonal arena called the “Hexaring” for the bots to battle on. Controlling the bots is as easy as it can get, which allows anyone to join in on the fun at any time. Swinging the remotes as if throwing jabs in a boxing match will result in the robots mimicking your exact moves. Additionally, moving the robots around the arena is accomplished through the same technique. For every jab thrown the robot will move its corresponding side of its body forward a little. So, in order to move straight ahead, multiple left-right combinations must be made.
In addition, three different styles of matches are available. Kids may play each other in battle mode, Onigokko mode, or sparring mode. Onigokko mode allows up to 20 players to join in in which the last man standing wins. Battle mode is the normal play in which five hits to the face will knock a robot out. The bots use a sensor on the visor to track hits and also use different color LEDs to indicate how many hits a bot has taken. Theses bots may become a big hit in the U.S. They are expected to come out around Christmas time this year. Two bots plus the arena are expected to go for around $80 while an individual bot will cost around $30. Frantic fun for five minutes or a new sport?
A huge battle of dozens of BattleBorg 20 bots looks like fun, I must admit.
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