Giant robots from US, Japan to face off in battle for national pride

Digital Originals

Featured Video Play Icon

Two robotics companies from two sides of the world are scheduled to face-off in August 2017.

It’s a battle two years in the making when U.S. start-up MegaBots, founded by Gui Cavalcanti and Matt Oehrlein, released a YouTube video challenging Japan’s Suidobashi Heavy Industry and the company’s founder.

Suidobashi’s Founder, Kogoro Kurata, agreed to the duel.

“We can’t let another country win this. Giant robots are Japanese culture,” Kurata said in his response video.

He agreed, with the sole stipulation that the fight had to be hand-to-hand combat (or claw-to-claw), as both giant robots have their own ballistic weaponry.

MegaBots didn’t back down but it still needed more time for development. The company turned to KickStarter to raise half a million dollars to upgrade their machine to the Mark III. The U.S. firm also took to YouTube to chronicle the development of their machine.

The location of the fight remains a secret for now, but viewers and backers will be able to watch the main event on each company’s respective YouTube channel when all hell breaks out the fight takes place.