Megabots not only want to win against their opponent, they want to create a new spectator sport. This guy looks like a real life Transformer (Photo from Yaraon)
Remember that show Robot Wars? Teams built robots outfitted with different weapons and fought each other to the death. Similar shows have popped up in recent years and the topic of robots fighting was the basis for the movie Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman. Last year, the MegaBots company decided to bring their own robot wars to life. They launched a Kickstarter and successfully funded their fight with Japan’s Kuratas robot.
Megabots co-founders, Oehrlein and Gui Cavalcanti, posted a video on Youtube where they challenged the Japanese company to a robot match. The clip also showed off their Mark II robot, equipped with paint-cannonball throwing mechanisms and stands 15 feet tall. Over the past year both teams have been working to perfect their war machines. Oehrlien and Gui have since updated their bot and introduced the new model: Mark III. Some of the new features of this updated bot are arms designed to be ripped off midfight, a new chainsaw arm, and advanced code that makes the robot appear as if its catching its breath.
It’s almost time for these two giants to fight and it will all be captured on television next year. But the televised fight isn’t just about winning for MegaBots, it’s about starting a new sporting empire. The company hopes to launch a new spectator sport yielding its own merchandise, movies, and competitions. They want to have basic kits available for companies to buy and create their own robotic warriors.
The opponent!
Thanks to their campaign last year, Megabots raised $550,000 and received $3.85 million from investors. To build their bot and make it stand out from the competition, both men use their mechanical engineering knowledge along with their hydraulic power know how. They actually use hydraulic actuators for their bots. This allows them to create power through pressurized pipes giving the robots the ability to stomp and punch with no mercy.
Will these robotic wars become a new sport? Seeing the popularity of the idea and the rise of new technology based sports it’s a possibility. Did anyone seriously think gaming would become an e-sport? Now there are competitions held all around the world with huge prizes at stake. Also, the spectator sport is ideal with those who don’t find interest in traditional sports like football and baseball. So the future looks good for MegaBots’ potential entertainment empire. Will it last? Who knows. It could be another fad that will fade out and come back for a number of years. But if you want to see giant robots attack each other, make sure to check out the competition next year.
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