Could this be a big seller this Christmas? … I love to have one 🙂
Between the success of shows like BattleBots and the amount of interest in last month’s MegaBots debacle, it’s pretty obvious that people really want to watch robots fight. But while watching two mechanical titans grapple can be satisfying, few things have captured the feel of the robot battles in video games and anime. Reach Robotics’ $300 MekaMon, which launches today in the Apple Store, might be the closest we’ve seen to capturing that cyber-future ambience. Its bots can run and climb around the physical world while also using AR to add virtual weaponry for the full Japanese mech experience.
Each MekaMon is a 2.2-pound spider-like device with a round torso that can fit in your hand. The plastic shells have a futuristic military style, reminiscent of Ghost in the Shell’s Tachikoma. But while those anime bots roll and hop around the streets of Tokyo, the MekaMon have four long legs that allow them to stroll around and traverse small steps. Leave one idle long enough and it’ll even do a set of pushups to keep itself occupied.
The robots are controlled via the iOS or Android app, which is loaded with lots of options for piloting your MekaMon. It doesn’t just let you control the robot’s direction with a joystick. You can also choose the kind of gait the robot walks with, from a scuttle to a lumber. You can also have your MekaMon hunker down low to hide behind objects. There are even a few programmed actions thrown in for fun, like lifting its leg as if it’s peeing on a hydrant and playing dead with a dramatic flair that puts Aibo to shame.
Source: Engadget
