A battling robot that moves with the power of human movement? It’s not science-fiction, it’s science-fact.
Forget last year’s Real Steel starring Hugh Jackman (…okay, yeah, I didn’t see the movie either.) The future where hulking humanoid robots duke it out “mano-a-mano” in a boxing ring is already here thanks to the place where robots are worshiped like god-like beings. Probably to a worrying extent, but heck, when they’re making stuff like this – live and let live, as they say.
I’m talking about robot-loving Japan, of course. Where, since 2002, the country has hosted numerous competitions between people-form automatons called Robo One. The mechanical battles that take place during Robo One aren’t exactly like Real Steel, I grant you that – they’re more like obstacle challenges – but if robot-building pro Naoki Maru has his way, they might soon get there.
Using the ASUS Xtion Pro Live sensor, a Kinect-like motion-sensing device for the PC, Naoki Maru and his son have built Real King Kizer, a special robot that moves entirely by body gesturing. We’re talking matching body articulation between machine and man, and its amazing. Perhaps not one hundred percent perfect, but it has so much potential if Maru can work through the sluggish kinks.
Who knows? A couple of years down the road and they’ll be hitting more than just punching bags. Then they’ll get bigger and stronger, and soon every country on Earth will own one of these robots – all of them grossly stereotypical to their host country. After which, they’ll enter into an international competition with the entire rule of the planet for a year up for grabs!
What I basically want is a Gundam G, but for real. Which is totally possible once Gundanium alloy is found and atomic world war destroys society as we know it. Hey! It can happen! Maybe… Kind of… Oh, just watch the video already.
Looking for more robot news? Umm, is the Space Pope reptilian? Heck yeah, of course you are! And here on Walyou, we’ve got robots of the LEGO/Transformers variety and the memorable solid gold Star Wars kind.
