Back in July, Suidobashi Heavy Industries of Japan accepted MegaBots’ challenge for a real-life clash between their mecha-giants. This epic conflict will pit Suidobashi’s KURATAS robot in real life sport combat against the Mk. II in June of 2016.
Suidobashi’s only condition was to include hand-to-hand combat in the event.
First models of the Mk. II weren’t capable of meeting this requirement, since both arms are currently mounted with guns designed for long-range paintball combat. But with the proper upgrades to armor, power, speed and weapon systems, they’ll be ready.
A $500,000 investment from the American public through Kickstarter would guarantee that the Mk. II has the upgrades needed to not only compete with the KURATAS, but to take away its speed advantage.
Currently, Suidobashi’s robot is capable of travelling up to 6 mph (10 km/h). The Mk. II currently runs up to 2.5 mph (4km/h). Track upgrades from Howe and Howe Technologies, creators of the world’s fastest tracked vehicle, will have it moving at 12 mph (19 km/h).
Further funding will see additional upgrades from other engineering firms, government agencies and entertainment advisors.
IHMC Robotics, 2nd place winners of the DARPA Robotics Challenge for humanoid robots, will be providing a custom balance control system for the Mk. II. This system will keep the robot balanced and standing during the robot fist fight.
NASA engineers including Dave Lavery, program executive for Solar System Exploration at NASA, will be evaluating safety technology for potential use.
“I’ve worked on every robotics system to ever drive on the surface of Mars,” said Lavery. “We’re looking at how we might use NASA technologies to help keep these guys safe when they take a punch.”
To represent the USA with confidence, the Mk. II may be hitting the battlefield with a stars and stripes theme that will be hard to ignore.
Thanks to FonCo Creative Services, lead model makers for films like Star Wars, the all-American robot may sport a chainsaw, weaponized eagle-head shoulders and bull horns. Talk about swagger.
“We’ll use the concept art as a starting point for designing the robot,” Matt Oehrlein, co-founder of MegaBots, told ENGINEERING.com. “We’re going to try to keep the actual robot as close as possible to the look of the concept art, while still keeping in mind what is actually feasible to fabricate.”
Also joining the team to make all of this possible are a board of celebrity advisors with key sponsors:
- Autodesk, a multinational software corporation having supported MegaBots since its founding
- BattleBots founders, Greg Munson and Trey Roski
- Grant Imahara, famed MythBusters host and engineer
- Peter Diamandis, founder of the X-Prize, a non-profit organization that designs and manages competitions promoting technology that could benefit mankind.
MegaBots was founded on the idea of bringing the concept of robot combat to life as a safe and competitive sport.
Brinkley Warren, business developer and producer with MegaBots, hopes the event will encourage youth interested in the STEM fields, whether or not the Mk. II comes out on top in the fight with Suidobashi’s KURATAS.
“Sports unite humanity behind the ideals of fun, sportsmanship, camaraderie, competition, excellence, grace and glory,” Warren said. “If a kid grows up believing that engineering is just as cool as playing football or basketball — that’s a huge win for the future of humanity. MegaBots will accelerate robotic innovation, no doubt.”
For more information about MegaBots, visit their website here. To view their Kickstarter campaign, click here.
All images courtesy of MegaBots.