The Mech Robots are Coming with Korea at the Forefront

If you’re like me, you grew up watching the ever-so-popular anime series Mobile Suit Gundam. Nothing was more captivating than seeing fictional mech robots fighting to the death. For me, I couldn’t help but find myself increasingly impatient to see these things in real life.

Thankfully it would appear that the mech robots are finally coming to life. Korean company Hankook Mirae and Hollywood SFX veteran Vitaly Bulgarov have recently unveiled their own personal Gundam as it takes its first baby steps.

Photo Credit: Hankook Mirae/Vitaly Bulgarov

For now, according to Bulgarov, the company is only aiming to develop a tethered robotic platform for industrial applications. However, seeing this mech take its first steps and begin flexing its muscles, per se, the general population will likely demand to see much more of this in terms of entertainment.

FUTURE IMPLICATIONS

Luckily for all of us, real-life mech battles are closer than you might think. Sometime later this year (hopefully) Japanese company Suidobashi Heavy Industry and U.S. company MegaBots, Inc. will be battling it out between each company’s own personal mechs. With Korea now jumping into the venue, could we see a brand new sport in the making? Sports of the early 21st century has already dramatically changed in many ways thanks to the incredible advancements in science and technology. Thus far we have:

• Drone racing;
• Drone hunting (using dirt bikes);
• Cybathlon (Cyborg Olympics);
• E-sports (competitive video gaming); and
• Robot fútbol.

As we continue progressing forward with more advancements in science and technology, how might we continue changing sports culture? What type of new sports do you see emerging in the next decade or two?