Everyone dreams of living long enough to see giant robots duel each other for sport and glory, and those days may soon be upon us. The American made Megabot Mk II has issued a challenge to the Japanese Kuratas to determine who has the more badass giant robot.
Megabot is the product of Megabots Inc, a robotics company that is trying to turn giant robot fighting into a sport. The company has recently completed the prototype of its Megabot Mk II, a 4.5-metre tall gasoline powered machine that weighs an impressive 5.4-metric tons. Armed with a paint-ball cannon that fires rounds weighing up to 3lbs, the Megabot Mk II has two pilots and looks like it stepped out from a Mechwarrior game.
On the other hand, the Japanese giant mecha was first introduced in 2012; where the company behind it – Suidobashi Heavy Industry – is commercially selling the machine. Kuratas is a svelt 2.7-metric tons, although its wheels also make it road capable. Sporting a pair of paint-ball shooting mini-guns, Kuratas is also armed with a six-pack waterbottle rocket launcher, a battle claw, a pair of piledrivers, and a combat shield.
The creators of Megabot has proposed that the battle take place one year from now, to give both combatants time to modify their machines for the battle. Megabot is also allowing Kuratas to decide the location of the duel, as per traditional dueling customs.
Kuratas has not yet responded to the challenge, but we certainly hope that this duel happens. If only to begin a long rivalry between the two countries that leads to even more mecha duels with increasingly absurd stakes.
Update: Suidobashi Heavy Industry has accepted the challenge from the Americans. Suidobashi CEO Kogoro Kurata could not help but take a slight dig at the American Megabot; saying that they should have made cooler, instead of just building a big machine with guns. Kogoro has also raised the stakes by introducing the stipulation of melee combat. According to the CEO, Japan will win the duel by punching its opponent to the ground.
[via: the Daily Dot]
