Move over Mayweather-Pacquiao fans, this is the real deal. We are not talking about robot rap wars (although that would have been cool too), but giant pacific rim style robots engaging in a duel till destruction. Woah! Now that is something! Although we have doubts about the credibility of the American machine to challenge the much superior Japanese technology. This is a battle of technological egos, and the sight of the Megabots team losing to the Asians won’t be pretty.
Rest assured, we know that it is going to be a route if the Japanese team accepts the invitation through the ancient laws of combat. How do we know that? For starters, the Japanese machine looks more like a robot than the American one. It has a hyper advanced control system and a fully mounted heads up display for smooth handling. The American machine, on the other hand, lacks on the technological front, but it is big enough to crash the other robot it gets the hold of it.
MegaRobots has been trying hard to get sponsorship to kickstart a giant robot warfare culture internationally. The Kickstarter campaign they initiated a while ago ended up mostly unsuccessful with only a percentage of the funding achieved. After failing in the crowdfunding front, the company has now turned to a high-profile exhibition match and some cynical patriotic touch to boost their claims. The very sight of them walking smugly with the national flags draped over their bare chests makes us want to puke. But, then again, we do want them to be successful, otherwise no giant bot-fighting for us!
There is some real danger involved in these fights as the operators are supposed to be sitting down in the cabins during the fights. Safety regulations may force the fighters to shift to a remote controlled or motion controlled alternative. The final scene of Real Steel comes in my mind whenever I think of this in which Hugh Jackman controls the robot with his movement. So what are the Japanese waiting for? If your robot is that great, come and have a few rounds with us!
P.S. The Japanese Suidobashi Heavy Industry CEO Kogoro Kurata has accepted the American challenge and posted a counter video blow just now. Things just got INTERESTING! He also gave a scathing blow by comparing Americans to brutes who just build something big and stick guns on it for good measure. He wants them to make it cooler. According to him, giant robots are Japanese culture and he will knock the American one to scrap in melee combat! Bring it on!
“Challenge Accepted” from Suidobashi! Here is the video:
Now we just need to dig a giant grave in the junkyard for the poor robot!