Lightsaber duels are up there among the most awesome moments on film and robots are among the coolest things that exist in real life, so here’s what you get when you combine the two. No, sadly, you don’t get something on the level of General Grievous, but robots have to start somewhere before they become lightning-fast, Jedi-killing machines. These two robots are actually industrial robots called Motoman, produced by the company Yasakawa. I’m assuming their industrial uses don’t actually include lightsaber use, but I’ll let it slide because more industries should involve the use of lightsabers. Instead, this is just a promotion for the robot arms, with one wielding a blue lightsaber and the other brandishing a double-bladed, red lightsaber.
It doesn’t start off too exciting, with the blades pressed together as the robots move around, but the action soon picks up and the blades begin to swing. Again, you can’t quite expect human quickness, but the motions are still very fluid. Watching the left robot duck beneath and then block a blow is very cool to see, although the presentation could absolutely be aided by some of the classic lightsaber sound effects. While these robots are designed for more practical uses, it will be interesting to see how robot design evolves within the entertainment field.
Witnessing a lightsaber battle or even a normal sword fight between two advanced robots capable of moving much faster than a human will be a remarkable sight. For those of you that remember the “BattleBots” phenomenon from around 1999-2002, just imagine how much more intense those battles could get with humanoid robots rather than what generally amount to miniature RC tanks. Then again, creating something along the lines of Star Wars’ IG-88 or HK-47 might end up being an overall bad idea, no matter how good it sounds at the time. For more potentially dangerous robots, check out our articles on the Flame-throwing Robot and Ham-carving Robot.
Via: Akihabara News
