Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots goes motion-controlled for TI design challenge
By Donald Melanson 
posted August 8th 2010 7:12AM
posted August 8th 2010 7:12AM
Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots have already seen some new life in an augmented reality demo, and they've now gotten yet another taste of the future -- Zachery Shivers and Anne Flinchbaugh have created a motion-controlled version of the game as part of Texas Instruments' Co-op Design Challenge. As you can probably imagine, that requires plenty of servos and circuit boards underneath the ring, but the key ingredient is TI's accelerometer-equipped Chronos watch, which lets you translate your actual punches into rock 'em sock 'em punches. Check it out in action in the video after the break, and hit up the source link below for the complete details on building your own.
falcon puuunch!!
@avadyn Yo Momma........
@avadyn
...the way to do abortions right!
Lame.
@1337Badger
Wow, those people look like the life of the party!
@1337Badger
I want my two minutes back.
I'd hit it...
@GoodToGo
Hit what the girl or the robot?
@TheCake
The robot, duh
@GoodToGo : Anne Flinchbaugh is quite a fetching geek girl.
Too bad he can never have her.
yay!.. if this is the future of bar room fights I'll be answering "yes" next time anyone says "are you talking to me?"
Now, move the people a little closer, and you get both a nerd fight and a robot fight!
SUCCESS
You know...technology isn't really intended to make something that was easy to do manually MORE difficult. That's just dumb.
@Tes
i'd like to disagree with you and say this is about exploring possibilities.
but i can't, they did exactly what you said.
worse they've taken a technology thats been implemented better and more complex in other areas thus leaving us to wonder they bothered at all.
@Killing Time
...for fun?
@Eli Haj Clever!
Woah...That's my couch...
punches like a girl
So now you can beat your wife without actually beating her :D
Cue the "omg a girl" posts.
I want to see bitch-slaps.
"Officer, we were playing motion controlled Rock 'em Sock 'em Robots, and I accidentally jabbed too far across the table. I swear I didn't mean to really hit her. I swear."
They look a bit boring....sorry :-(
You know what would be cool, rock em sock em robots for the for kinect on the xbox.
Worst intro ever.
http://dsc.discovery.com/videos/prototype-this-boxing-robots-bout.html
If I can't feel it when I get "socked" on the jaw, I'm not interested.
Kinect Sports Boxing has better graphics.
What is with this obvious lack of photoshop skills?! Someone needs their head up on a ratchet neck.
I want Rock 'em, Sock 'em "The Shore" Edition. Give us a Snooki robot and interchangeable opponents.
It would be better as a video game thou, with
B-slapping, hair pulling, and beer throwing action. "Now with Mega Bounce action!" Earn tanning credits.
doesn't it look like she's playing the game while he's fixating only on her and probably letting her win? ahh. that's what happens when you work for an engineering company where the guy to girl ratio is like 99:1.
Lol, he totally wants to hit that. Talk about getting a good lab partner. Thats probably the closest he has ever been to a girl.
Is it just me or were more than half of the workers in the beginning "rock em sock em robots" montage Indian? I love Indians, they make good food. Tandoori Chicken...yummmmmmmm
Welcome, my friends, to the FUTURE.
Qualcomm's Visual Augmented Reality Platform demonstrated by Mattel
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pm6jExcWr9s&
there you go!
Awesome project! Really neat use of the Chronos watch. I'm sure punching is much more satisfying than button smashing. Nice work!