Japan vs US Robot Battle: Two Nations Will Go Head to Head in Giant Robot Fight [Watch]
The U.S. has challenged Japan to a battle between giant robots that will fight until they no longer can, CNN reports.
Late last month, the U.S. robotics company MegaBots issued a challenge to Japan's Suidobashi Heavy Industry. MegaBots had just finished their Mark 2 model, which is "America's first fully-functional, giant piloted robot."
The Mark 2 weighs in at six tons and is controlled by two pilots. It is able to fire three-pound paint cannonballs at speeds over 100 miles per hour. MegaBots wants to create a sports league for fighting robots.
MegaBots co-founders Matt Oehrlein and Gui Cavalcanti created a video showing off the Mark 2. They said in the video Suidobashi Heavy Industry beat them "to the punch" with the Kuratas fighting robot. The Kuratas robot is 9,000 pounds and has twin Gatling guns and a full heads-up display.
"Suidobashi, you have a giant robot, we have a giant robot. You know what needs to happen," the co-founders said.
"We challenge you to a duel! ... In one year we fight."
Japan responded Sunday when Suidobashi CEO Kogoro Kurata said, "I'll fight. Absolutely."
Suidobashi responded with a video of their own. Kurata appears in the video and glimpses of his robot are shown.
Kurata said he wants to "punch [the Mark 2] to scrap and knock them down to do it."
In their challenge, MegaBots is giving both teams up to one year to make the modifications to their robots to make them fight-ready.
Suidobashi offered up a little trash talking in their response to the challenge.
"It's interesting, I'll give them that," Kurata said. "But come on guys, make it interesting! Just building something huge and sticking guns on it, it's . . . super-American."
Kurata takes its robots seriously.
"We can't let another country win this," Kurata said. "Giant robots are Japanese culture."
Watch Japan's response:
Subscribe to Latin Post!
Sign up for our free newsletter for the Latest coverage!