America and Japan Are Going to Have a Giant Robot Duel
[youtube id="XVJTGLL2SnI"]
When I was a kid, I used to love the Gundam anime series (G Gundam, for life). Giant robots punching each with laser light fists just spoke to me. Humanity's been chasing that impossible dream for years, but now it's just a wee bit closer. Last week, American company Megabot showed off footage of a real working mecha (that shot paintballs of course) with the intention of fitting someone inside for giant robot battles a la Pacific Rim or Robot Jox. Footage of their robot came with a challenge to Japanese robotics company Suidobashi Heavy Industry for their robots to fight in 2016.
This week, Suidobashi replied with their own video. Draped in a Japanese flag, CEO Korgoro Kugata had some awesome trash talk claiming the American machine could have been cooler (and has too many guns because America). All the while accepting the challenge to fight their robot, Kuratas, against the American Megabot. Unfortunately we don't have any details of the big "fight," and the whole thing screams publicity stunt. Perhaps it's to draw attention to Megabot's once failed Kickstarter campaign to start an entire league of mecha fights. Whether or not it's a coordinated stunt, why has it taken this long for us to get to this point? Something like this should've happened a long time ago. When will our lives go full anime?
Hilariously enough, this was all around the time of a notable World Cup match between America and Japan where Japan was decimated as USA scored four goals in under sixteen minutes (three of those belonging to superwoman Carli Lloyd). To top if off, Independence Day was last weekend so everyone's far more patriotic than usual. I'm sure the American robot will win just because I don't see any other outcome being possible. It's running on bald eagle power right now.
[youtube id="7u8mheM2Hrg"]
[via Popular Science]
Never Answer Your Front Door Again With DoorBot
You never really know who's knocking at your door; sometimes you're expecting someone, and other times you're not. Sometimes you're busy doing things around the house that make it difficult to get to the door and not able to sign for a package you've been waiting for. With the DoorBot, you can change all that. At $200 a piece you're able to connect it to your smartphone or tablet via WiFi and know who's at your door at all times. Whether you're inside the house, in the backyard, office, or on vacation you'll be able to talk to anyone that comes to your door. So check out the Doorbot if you're in need of a gadget of this sorts by heading over to DoorBot for more here.
[Via Doorbot]
[Trailer 3] Pacific Rim + Gallery
http://youtu.be/_ssjFfDi6mc
This latest trailer for Guillermo del Toro's mecha epic, Pacific Rim, downplays the action found in the last trailer. Instead, Idris Elba's (Thor) character, the commanding officer Stacker Pentecost, delivers a speech to his team that serves as a framing device for the trailer. We've all seen it in a multitude of trailers: an optimistic, uplifting voiceover is played over a mix of both action-packed and dramatic sequences, building up a crescendo before some final, lasting image. Been there, done that, right? At least with Pacific Rim, there are huge monsters and robots.
Seriously, I can't get over how excited I am for the film, and from what I've seen around the internet and with fellow film critics/writers, it appears I'm not the only one. del Toro definitely deserves all of the acclaim Pacific Rim will, I'm assuming, receive from both critics and audiences. Included in this post are a few new stills from the film. You can find the full gallery of almost 60 new Pacific Rim images over at Collider.
