I’ve never heard of the “Mech Warfare” competition at RoboGames, but it looks like a blast. Small robots stalk the streets of a model cityscape armed with automatic airsoft weapons, which fire plastic BBs. Each mini-mech is equipped with a small camera and a sensor that measures how many times it’s been hit. Operators control their robots remotely, using the camera to hunt down their opponents.
The humanoid robot featured in the above video, complete with its Cylon-like “eye,” is a really impressive piece of hobby robotics. I could absolutely see this competition growing in popularity even among non-geeky types. It’s like taking “Battlebots” to the next level.