"ROBO-ONE in the Space" promises low-orbit robot battles
Besides the promised army of nanobots that will fulfill our every want and need, there hasn't been too much about the "future" to get really jazzed up about -- until, that is, we found out about a little event happening on October 10, 2010 called "ROBO-ONE in the Space" (actual title, not a machine translation). From the same enthusiastic folks who bring us the fascinating terrestrial robot battles and posedowns in Tokyo every year, ROBO-ONE in the Space is an ambitious project that was announced at this year's competition, in which the organizers plan to launch a 125,000-cubic centimeter "piggyback satellite" into polar orbit in conjunction with a larger payload-- all for the purpose of robot grudge matches in zero gravity. Although the 10/10/10 date of the premier competition is purely tentative (pending certain non-trivial steps as international approval for the launch and use of certain radio frequencies), the rules already seem to be set in stone: to simulate the sumo-style ring (or sphere, as it were) of play, the four bots sent up as cargo will each be attached to 5-meter long tethers, which will signal that the competitor has been tossed when they become fully taut .Since our brief write-up can in no way do this topic justice, you should definitely check out this animated "artist's conception" of what the battles will look like; we don't use the phrase lightly, but it really is the greatest thing ever.
[Via Pink Tentacle]
