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Japanese and US Piloted Robots To Brawl For National Pride

jfruh writes: Japan may have just lost the Women's World Cup to the U.S., but the country is hoping for a comeback in another competition: a battle between giant robots. Suidobashi Heavy Industry has agreed to a challenge from Boston-based MegaBots that would involve titanic armored robots developed by each startup, the first of its kind involving piloted machines that are roughly 4 meters tall. "We can't let another country win this," Kogoro Kurata, who is CEO of Suidobashi, said in a video posted to YouTube. "Giant robots are Japanese culture."

107 comments

  1. Is this just an origins story... by dark.nebulae · · Score: 2

    for the cheesy family movie "Real Steel"?

    1. Re:Is this just an origins story... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      you mean Robot jox from 1989 right?

    2. Re:Is this just an origins story... by I'm+New+Around+Here · · Score: 1

      Seen them both. Enjoyed them both. Neither originated the theme of fighting robots.

      --
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    3. Re:Is this just an origins story... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Competing robots certainly could be the basis for film, hopefully something with more depth than combat. Think of competition as being a form of iterative equation solving, a sort of test and select driven evolution.

      Building robots is expensive. Wouldn't it be more cost effective to "hire" unemployed masses for use with robotic controllers? Payment can take the form of tube-feeding and immersive VR. The VR can be so good that after some simulated sleep/wake cycles they won't know they're in it. Suspicion of being in VR may develop from things like seeing Republicans taking unexpected positions on environmental matters etc.

      By the way, early Japanese monster movies were inspired by a group of fishermen that came back with heavy radiation exposure during these era of South Pacific weapons tests. Why not have a colony of underwater robots experience mutations to their programming from a little power plant leakage after an earthquake? But make the mutations lead to something unexpectedly positive, not violence or destruction.

      A man was killed by a factory robot recently. SciFi could have a nearby robot taking on some of the personality of the lost man. Unfortunately most human-like behavior we see is programmed mimicry, without the awareness, instinct, or other thoughts behind actual human behavior.

    4. Re: Is this just an origins story... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      So how about this, Adam Sandler in a zanny comedy with a huge battle robot that turns out to be a bog softie?

    5. Re:Is this just an origins story... by BobSutan · · Score: 1

      More like Robot Jox. However, what I'm really hoping for is a BattleTech :)

      --
      "On a scale from 1 to 10, people are stupid"
    6. Re: Is this just an origins story... by cusco · · Score: 1

      Only if Adam Sandler dies horribly in the first few minutes of the film.

      --
      "Think about how stupid the average person is. Now, realise that half of them are dumber than that." - George Carlin
  2. One Must Fall 2097 by allquixotic · · Score: 1

    Did this immediately remind anyone else of One Must Fall 2097, the DOS video game that you loved growing up?

    Mechanic: "Humph. You think you're pretty good, don't you. Well, if I was younger, I'd show you a thing or two."

    1. Re: One Must Fall 2097 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Long live Johnny Sokko

    2. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      Actually, it reminded me of G Gundam.

    3. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by gstoddart · · Score: 2

      I have so many hazy geek neurons firing off thinking about this I can't stop giggling.

      From TV shows I barely remember (some space aircraft carrier with a huge cannon -- which Google shockingly dredged up Star Blazers ), to early mech comics and video games,, To Voltron or Gundam, to the modern screen adaptation of "Space Battleship Yamato" or even Pacific Rim.

      I know this won't come close, but hot damn if that doesn't sound cool.

      I for one welcome our new Meccha overlords.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    4. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Space aircraft carrier is Robotech, specifically the Super Dimension Fortress -1. People who are more into anime than I am refer to it as Macross.

    5. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Space aircraft carrier is Robotech, specifically the Super Dimension Fortress -1. People who are more into anime than I am refer to it as Macross.

      Thanks. Many many hazy childhood memories can be nicely described in this guide I found.

      Giant robots have been around a long time, and many of us remember the initial shows from when we were kids but can't quite dredge up the specifics.

      Might need to visit the local anime store sometime soon now that I have some fresh names to refer to and look for.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    6. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by powerlord · · Score: 1

      True enough, but its a short jump to think "Space Aircraft Carrier w/huge gun we don't see much" might mean "Space Battleship w/huge gun we see a lot more".

      Especially if its an old memory.

      "Star Blazers" (which your friends who know Macross would probably call Space Battleship Yamato), predates Robotech by at least 5 years and for many was the first introduction to Anime in any form.

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    7. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Holi · · Score: 1

      Star Blazers is Space Battleship Yamato and it wasn't an aircraft carrier it was a battleship. I remember rushing home from school to catch it in all the fuzziness that was UHF.

      --
      Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
    8. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Yeah, I remember not only was it some of the first anime I ever saw, but it was the first animated show I ever saw which had a story arc.

      I didn't watch it on UHF, but it certainly was the first I'd seen of anime and not just cartoons.

      And I certainly do remember racing home from school to see it.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    9. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Penguinisto · · Score: 1

      FYI: Star Blazers and Space Battleship Yamato (both the original 1970's anime and recent live-action flick) are all the same thing; Star Blazers was the US adaptation of the original series/anime... none of which featured giant robots (though the live action movie did have one, it was a morphed version of the original sidekick robot - it's damned name escapes me at the moment.)

      Otherwise yes, I'm an incurable fanboy of the series, movie, etc.

      --
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    10. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Sowelu · · Score: 1

      Ah, fond memories of trying to break through the floors of the Fire and Ice arenas.

    11. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Chris+Mattern · · Score: 1

      If you're remember aircraft carriers in old dubbed anime, you're probably remembering Robotech; the Macross had two aircraft carriers attached to it as arms.

    12. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 1

      Ah-heh-hem. Excuse me. I have to do this.

      A-MIIIIIIIEEE-GAAAAAA

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    13. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by Samantha+Wright · · Score: 1

      ...oh, shit. It wasn't an Amiga game. My bad.

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    14. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by gstoddart · · Score: 1

      Cool ... Star Blazers is definitely the one. I've seen the modern live-action Space Battleship Yamato, and it dredged up some vague memories, but I never could get any more specific.

      I remember it being on TV before I became aware of Akira, and it was when animation was first be smart and complex.

      It's always been one of those dim memories like the TV series Quark ... nobody else seems to have seen it or knows WTF it is, and you can never dredge up enough to explain it, and people look at you like you're crazy. Even more than usual.

      *sigh* Such fleeting, yet important moments in a lifetime of geek.

      Definitely need to check out the anime store soon.

      --
      Lost at C:>. Found at C.
    15. Re:One Must Fall 2097 by dintech · · Score: 1

      Wake me up when we get to Robot Jox

  3. Civilian Robots? by mujadaddy · · Score: 0

    Civilian Robots

    *Yawn* Wake me when it's over.

    --
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    "Force shits upon Reason's back." - Poor Richard's Almanac
    1. Re:Civilian Robots? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Civilian Robots

      *Yawn* Wake me when it's over.

      Damn straight! Let's get some real American Robots that were brave enough to volunteer for duty, spent time in the Middle East, and are now skittish and jumpy with PTSD.

  4. I think you dropped a zero by xxxJonBoyxxx · · Score: 4, Insightful

    >> titanic armored robots...roughly 4 meters tall

    I think you dropped a trailing zero there. Godzilla-threatening, otherwise we're not interested.

    1. Re:I think you dropped a zero by Intrepid+imaginaut · · Score: 1

      Speak for yourself.

    2. Re:I think you dropped a zero by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Doesn't matter. Titanic armored robots will just sink in the ocean.

    3. Re:I think you dropped a zero by AmiMoJo · · Score: 1

      Godzilla is another order of magnitude taller than that. A 40m high robot would be a rodent to him.

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  5. I've seen this move by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Sylvester Stallone wins the truck right?

    1. Re:I've seen this move by Dareth · · Score: 1

      You comment was "Over the top"

      --

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  6. Aww yeah. by geminidomino · · Score: 1

    Fuck drones. Gundams are coming!

    1. Re:Aww yeah. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Why stop there? It is time to start developing metal gear. Would be fun to see how it affects MAD in anyway like Kojima fantasized.

    2. Re:Aww yeah. by drinkypoo · · Score: 1

      Fuck drones.

      I think that's a different competition.

      --
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    3. Re:Aww yeah. by Tablizer · · Score: 1
  7. Let's Go Voltron Force! by tekrat · · Score: 2

    Whichever country's version of "Go Lion" forms "Blazing Sword" first, wins! That's always the final part of every battle.

    --
    If telephones are outlawed, then only outlaws will have telephones.
    1. Re:Let's Go Voltron Force! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      That's why I always preferred the vehicle version. They could actually achieve their goal without fumbling around for 20 minutes before they finally "form blazing sword" and finish off the robeast.

      Why, oh why, didn't Zarkon or Lotor figure out how to deprogram Blazing Sword? They'd beat the crap out of Voltron/Go Lion within one episode!

  8. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by bradrum · · Score: 1

    FIFA let the US win....right....right. Watch out for them black helicopters and trucks buddy, cause you know they ARE chasing you.

  9. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by bws111 · · Score: 3, Informative

    Uh, yeah. World Cup champions 91, 99, 2015. Olympic Gold 96, 04, 08, 12. Olympic Silver 2000. World Cup 2nd 2011. World Cup 3rd 95, 03, 07.

    'Finally let won' indeed.

  10. Giant robots? by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

    At only four metres tall, I wouldn't call them giant.

    1. Re:Giant robots? by ITRambo · · Score: 1

      This looks a lot like a publicity stunt and not at all for a brawl for "national pride".

    2. Re:Giant robots? by PolygamousRanchKid+ · · Score: 1

      When I was a lad, living in a paper bag at the side of the road, this was the real deal concerning Giant Robots: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

      . . . in the US, this was aired on UHF TV stations as: Johnny Sokko and His Flying Robot.

      --
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    3. Re:Giant robots? by tsotha · · Score: 1

      Well, yes, of course. The whole thing reminds one of some kind of WWE event.

      On the other hand, if it becomes a regular thing with sponsors and leagues and what not it may push the field forward a bit.

  11. titanic armored? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We all know how that turned out.

  12. giant machines are US culture, and world culture by mr_mischief · · Score: 3, Interesting

    In the US we love big machines. The Queen Mary, the Spruce Goose, the continuous asphalt pavers, the Liebherr T 282 B giant dump truck (although Liebherr is a Swiss company), the Boeing 747-400 and Lockheed L-1011 wide-body passenger jets, the massive Abrams tank, the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, the 280mm towed howitzer M65 "Atomic Annie", and such are examples.

    See how I slipped a Swiss-built monster in there? Well, the US and Japan aren't the only ones. Germany has a 31 million pound excavator. The largest plane is made in Russia by Antonov. South Korea builds some of the biggest cargo ships.

    So while, yes, giant robots are a big thing in Japanese art the urge to build huge machines is all over the industrialized world. The US and Germany have never been afraid of large engineering feats. The US has a whole industry of using remotely piloted craft for actual combat.

    I don't think Japan needs to focus so much pride on this one little competition as a cultural identity issue. It's not like a US firm is going to enter a contest designing and building a robot with the intent of a face-saving loss or an honorable tie.

  13. Re: "Giant robots are Japanese culture."? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    what do you think the research into robotic seahorse tails was really about?

  14. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Coren22 · · Score: 1

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...
    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/...

    It seems the US and Japan have a long history of working together to develop the idea of giant fighting robots.

    --
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  15. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Dude, it's all competitive banter, and no more real than what you hear on ESPN and the equivalent.

  16. FUND IT by ArylAkamov · · Score: 1

    I'm really hoping this goes somewhere good, it would be an interesting match and the potential birth of a new sport.

    The American bot seems more durable from the thickness of steel used (Might be because you can't get a terribly good look at the cross section of the Japanese one) but the Japanese bot seems to have more advanced controls (Looks to be more of an armslave setup).

    I'd love to ask the American team why they chose such a small output gasoline engine over a diesel.

    I'm just curious how they would fight exactly. And since the Japanese team wants melee, what that would entail. As cool as a giant induction blade or plasma cutter would be I don't either one has an adequate power supply. That just leaves hydraulic jaws or pneumatic/combustion rams, but I can't see any of this being used due to the danger to the pilot.

    I'd love to see more technical specifications.

    1. Re:FUND IT by powerlord · · Score: 1

      ... I'm just curious how they would fight exactly. ...

      Fisticuffs?
      https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/... ?

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    2. Re:FUND IT by Megane · · Score: 2

      I think a fight would be pretty pointless, possibly even boring, and when it was over, you would just end up with two broken robots. What I would like to see is some kind of athletic competition for piloted robots, sort of like the one DARPA just had, only with a little less pratfalls. You know, run an obstacle course, do a long jump, fire at targets, etc.

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    3. Re:FUND IT by ArcadeMan · · Score: 1

      That just leaves hydraulic jaws or pneumatic/combustion rams, but I can't see any of this being used due to the danger to the pilot.

      http://www.amazon.com/35TH-Ann...

  17. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Holi · · Score: 2

    Uh, the Queen Mary may be moored here but she is a British ship.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  18. We all know how this will end by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Giant monster attacks during the battle and the robots must team up to defeat them. Duh.

  19. Wanted: Pilots for 40m tall fighting robots... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Too bad I'm old (44) because frankly, I think we should follow the pattern of BattleTech. Get rid of the mass slaughter, and bring back the honorable fighting/killing that was the feudal system of knights.

    But put them in 40m tall fusion powered 100 ton monsters packed full of highly explosive munitions and energy weapons. Yes please.

    Just imagine all the technology offshoots this would create. Fusion power, myomer muscles, compact energy weapons, swarm targeting, not to mention true brain/computer interfaces and fucking GIANT robots.

    The US military complex should jump on this and dump all those passe fighter plans and aircraft carriers. Combat using actual soldiers is so 1992.

    1. Re:Wanted: Pilots for 40m tall fighting robots... by Sowelu · · Score: 1

      Honorable warfare between distant clans is all well and good until someone decides to retake the Inner Sphere.

    2. Re:Wanted: Pilots for 40m tall fighting robots... by Falos · · Score: 1

      Unfortunately 100 tons crushing down on a small knee makes walking impossible, let alone combat maneuvering. Shoot a $50 shell at the leg and the billion-dollar mecha can't stand. Then sustained fuel is pretty impossible; whenever Evangelion highlighted tethers it was just being honest. But more than energy, we'd need materials research.

      You can scale better in space, where thrust/load bearing can be distributed away from legs. But space combat is still pretty fiction anyway.

    3. Re:Wanted: Pilots for 40m tall fighting robots... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Then sustained fuel is pretty impossible; whenever Evangelion highlighted tethers it was just being honest.

      Errr... Did you watch _Evangelion_ all the way through? I think it's old enough now that I can throw out a few spoilers. The Evangelions didn't seem to need electrical power to actually move around. It seemed like the power was required for pilot control, but an out-of-control Evangelion didn't need battery or external power. Of course they weren't actually giant robots, but were instead something deeply disturbing.

  20. Zentradi by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We've got to get good at piloting these things before the Zentradi show up to reclaim their protoculture

  21. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    If you think the US, which has won 3 of the last 7 World Cups, and 4 of the last 5 Olympic Golds, could not have won without involvment from FIFA, you must be a Dumbfuckian.

  22. Giant Lizards by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Hopefully this logic concerning culture and giant robots will not be applied to lizards.

  23. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Speak for yourself. I never see giant robots outside of the Learning Channel and Discovery's mega construction programs, even if we have unrevered/faceless giant cranes doing grunt work. They're INVISIBLE, and that's the point. Ingrained in american culture is the opposite of being 'niche'.

    "Giant machines used for X task by Y [US|German] company" != "obligatory giant robot depictions outside every geeky store in Japan"
    The US is more of a comics place, judging by all the Marvel and DC superhero canon here. And in those, you don't often see giant robots.
    In manga and anime they waste no time making in-jokes or depicting mechs / mech pilots. Godzilla, not so much, actually.
    In the US equivalent of depicting electronic tools, the most you'll see is a fetish for fancy computers (and product placement for MS, Apple, cellphone makers...) and stories of an AI-gone-rogue. Re-reading this, and to further this point, I posit that our eyes are more set on non-giant robots called Androids (no coincidence that the worldwide OS cashes in on this) as seen by iRobot, some newer movie debuting a month ago, the never-ending interest in the Terminators. In Japan, this fetish is more skewed toward the FEMALE robot side, because sex sells a lot. Over here, things are different.
    If giant robot culture in the US were as visible as those Guy Fawkes masks (and stenciled graffity) have become in the past decade, I might have a different opinion.

  24. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    >I don't think Japan needs to focus so much pride on this one little competition as a cultural identity issue.

    Who is behind framing this as a cultural identity issue? Is it really the people involved in the competition, or is it others??

    Sometimes reporting, or history, distorts the focus or some aspect of an event. For instance most of us were led to believe that Sputnik was an effort of a cold-war space-race instead of being part of an international geophysical year. (analysis of how the U.S. and others perceived it and what response followed is another matter)

    Don't let others force thinking into politicized black or white choices. Do you need food, or do you need air to survive? Make up your mind.

    It wasn't until studying the Owens Valley Indian War of 1864 in the context of solar cycle 10, and climate/food-supply variations, that I realized that what I had learned as the "senseless killing of bison" of the 1800's was never that at all. It was part of a deliberate strategy to cut off the food supply.

  25. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by Holi · · Score: 1

    Yeah, because the previous World Cup champion knows nothing about football. Moron.

    --
    Sorry, teleporters just kill you and then make a copy. A perfect, soul-less copy.
  26. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by HornWumpus · · Score: 1

    We know what 'girls football' is.

    --
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  27. Ride it by koan · · Score: 1
    --
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  28. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Made by the Scotts, owned by the Americans.

  29. Robots are for cows. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    You are all cows. Cows say moo. MOOOOOOOOO! MOOOOOOOO! Moooo cows MOOOOOOO! Moo say the cows. YOU COWS!!

  30. Maybe Not by JimSadler · · Score: 1

    Drones are saving large numbers of our soldiers as well as keeping innocents safe in conflicts. No longer need we bomb an entire city to kill one or two bad guys. That drone may have a human operator or be on auto pilot. But my point is that smaller robots may well be of more vital importance than huge robots. We do not need to stomp down cities like Godzilla. But a small drone with a small grenade flying through a bedroom window can kill an enemy without killing thousands of innocents. I do see that very large robots could get the public more aware and more eager to see high function robots and that might lead to better funding and training of engineers which is great. But in the end the tiny robot is what we really need the most. A self driving car may well have the "robotics" built into the dash board and look like any other car. The robot is essentially invisible. And the robot can actually be spread about in various nooks and crannies of a machine. We need not fixate on a robot that we can see as an entity in itself. Imagine a very simple robot such that each leg of a table adjusts so that the table is level and does not rock on its legs. The robotics could be concealed within the table legs and no one would suspect unless the table was moved and the legs needed to adjust themselves to the new place on the floor.

    1. Re:Maybe Not by kwiecmmm · · Score: 1

      Drones are saving large numbers of our soldiers as well as keeping innocents safe in conflicts. No longer need we bomb an entire city to kill one or two bad guys. That drone may have a human operator or be on auto pilot.
                            But my point is that smaller robots may well be of more vital importance than huge robots. We do not need to stomp down cities like Godzilla. But a small drone with a small grenade flying through a bedroom window can kill an enemy without killing thousands of innocents.
                            I do see that very large robots could get the public more aware and more eager to see high function robots and that might lead to better funding and training of engineers which is great. But in the end the tiny robot is what we really need the most. A self driving car may well have the "robotics" built into the dash board and look like any other car. The robot is essentially invisible. And the robot can actually be spread about in various nooks and crannies of a machine. We need not fixate on a robot that we can see as an entity in itself. Imagine a very simple robot such that each leg of a table adjusts so that the table is level and does not rock on its legs. The robotics could be concealed within the table legs and no one would suspect unless the table was moved and the legs needed to adjust themselves to the new place on the floor.

      This is an interesting argument for more robots...

      Now we just need you to prove that you aren't Skynet.

    2. Re:Maybe Not by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Drones keeping innocents safe? How about drones prolonging needless civilian casualties? How about drones killing unidentified targets of opportunity without oversight or accountability? I mean, sure we "no longer" need to bomb a whole city to kill one target, BUT WE NEVER HAD TO DO THAT BEFORE EITHER!

  31. This is the fight I want to see by Karmashock · · Score: 1

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    VS

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?...

    Japanese robots are very cute... a little too cute.

    I mean... look at this:
    https://youtu.be/_luhn7TLfWU?t...

    Just some 'merican smack talk to inspire the japanese to try harder.

    We're over here building skynet... so your work should be cut out for you.

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    1. Re:This is the fight I want to see by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Yeah, you can't really compare a companion android with amateur lethal drone. Look at the actual fighting robots the respective teams are capable of. I think the Yanks have bitten off more than they can chew here.

    2. Re:This is the fight I want to see by Karmashock · · Score: 1

      This particular match up is clearly more of a publicity stunt than anything.

      No one is fielding a proper war bot.

      If you don't put machine guns or hell fire missiles or something on either of these things then you're not being serious.

      War or combat requires a certain amount of practical viciousness. The intent to kill and destroy. Absent that... yawn.

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    3. Re:This is the fight I want to see by DigiShaman · · Score: 1

      I'd prefer a Furby talking death-match. It's when they get aggravated, and starting spitting fire, is when the fun truly begins!

      --
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  32. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    I'm Spanish. My national (male) football team went from winning an Euro Cup, the World Cup, and another Euro Cup in a row (something that nobody had done before), to losing in the next World Cup group stage with unbelievable bad results. So yes, it can happen without FIFA brivery.

  33. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think you may be missing the point. A giant robot fight simply promises to be an awesome spectacle generating fantastic publicity for both companies and the industry in general. Pre-game trash talk is just part of the publicity game.

    As far as Suidobashi and MegaBots the companies are concerned this is a win-win, regardless of which robot actually wins or loses.

  34. Nobody beats this Japanese robot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Nobody can beat Johnny Sokko and his Flying Robot. Mach 19, or so they say in one of the episodes. But when Johnny and What's-his-name are flying in Giant Robot's hand, their hair doesn't even move! Talk about slick!

  35. These are not robots. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    "A robot is a mechanical or virtual artificial agent, usually an electro-mechanical machine that is guided by a computer program or electronic circuitry. "

    These machines or vehicles piloted by humans are not robots.

  36. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by swillden · · Score: 1

    Sometimes reporting, or history, distorts the focus or some aspect of an event. For instance most of us were led to believe that Sputnik was an effort of a cold-war space-race instead of being part of an international geophysical year. (analysis of how the U.S. and others perceived it and what response followed is another matter)

    Hehe, bad choice of examples. Yes, Sputnik was launched during an IGY year of "cooperation"... but that doesn't mean it wasn't a cold war space race from the beginning. The USSR announced their intention to launch an artificial satellite nine days after the US announced the same intention. Then the USSR went forward with designing the satellite, only to discover that their original planned machine was going to take too long. Afraid that the US might beat them to it, they stepped back and focused on a simpler design so they could get it into space faster, and beat the US. As soon as their launch vehicle was good to go, they launched, pushing back some planned military test launches to do it.

    --
    Note to ACs: I usually delete AC replies without reading them. If you want to talk to me, log in.
  37. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    +1 "Made me laugh out loud, loud enough people looked ..."

  38. Mod points by waspleg · · Score: 1

    I don't have any ;/

    Yes I remember, and had completely forgotten until you reminded me.

  39. Sigh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And when the American's lose, hoards of retarded 14-year-olds will take to the Twittersphere spouting bullshit about Japan deserving that nuke in the war.

    You know, like they were there.

    1. Re:Sigh... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Hear hear. Too much pride, and pride cometh before a fall.

  40. Re: Yes, the US's "win" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I think any Brazilian can tell you it is possible.

  41. BAH - Merkins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Will Just fatten up an allready Obese Redneck and put him in a monster truck.

    1. Re:BAH - Merkins by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      And I still don't see the problem with this.

  42. Gundam was about exoskeletons (Battle suits) by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    The original Gundam (79), not the later ones with the exception of one movie, was not about "Giant Robots", which was the trend of the time in Japan. Going in the opposite direction, the Gundam series was trying to bring exoskeletons, directly inspired from the Starship Troopers novel, which are just about twice the size of normal person (and yes, there was also a tactical nuke wielding model).

    The (Earth) federation was supposed to have grayish squarish exoskeletons, but the studio painted them bright white. And the main protagonist was supposed to die in the middle of the series, only to be replaced by his arch-rival. But that was also scrapped. The author was trying to convey the horrors of war and if you watch this show you will notice a LOT of deaths (except without gore like a modern show such as Attack on Titans).

    You can also notice O'neil tubes and some other serious sci-fi concepts in the show, which happens to be contemporary with Yamato.

    You should watch this show and please don't mind the low framerate which was common in the late 70ies early 80ies due to production costs.

  43. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Demonoid-Penguin · · Score: 1

    I think you may be missing the point. A giant robot fight simply promises to be an awesome spectacle generating fantastic publicity for both companies and the industry in general. Pre-game trash talk is just part of the publicity game.

    No, no - it's about national pride. Really.

  44. Re: Yes, the US's "win" by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

    Lol. Do you have any idea what a retarded conspiracy kook you sound like, you daft cunt?

  45. I am excited by GoonDuIO · · Score: 1

    I know the fight will be boring and all but my inner-child is fidgeting restlessly. I hope Japan paint their robot red because for all we know, it will go three times faster.

  46. Re:giant machines are US culture, and world cultur by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    In the US we love big machines. The Queen Mary, the Spruce Goose, the continuous asphalt pavers, the Liebherr T 282 B giant dump truck (although Liebherr is a Swiss company), the Boeing 747-400 and Lockheed L-1011 wide-body passenger jets, the massive Abrams tank, the Nimitz-class aircraft carriers, the 280mm towed howitzer M65 "Atomic Annie", and such are examples.

    See how I slipped a Swiss-built monster in there? Well, the US and Japan aren't the only ones. Germany has a 31 million pound excavator. The largest plane is made in Russia by Antonov. South Korea builds some of the biggest cargo ships.

    So while, yes, giant robots are a big thing in Japanese art the urge to build huge machines is all over the industrialized world. The US and Germany have never been afraid of large engineering feats. The US has a whole industry of using remotely piloted craft for actual combat.

    I don't think Japan needs to focus so much pride on this one little competition as a cultural identity issue. It's not like a US firm is going to enter a contest designing and building a robot with the intent of a face-saving loss or an honorable tie.

    And aliens love big projects as well. Don't forget the giant pyramids at Giza.

  47. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by tsotha · · Score: 1

    Maybe that's why we think soccer is a game for little girls. It's too easy.

  48. "Boston-Based" Megabots? Not anymore AFAIK by The_Laughing_God · · Score: 1

    I know Gui Cavalcanti and the merry band at MegaBots, and while I never asked directly about the specifics of their their business plan, it seemed like their relocation from Somerville, MA [Artisan's Asylum makerspace] to the SF area earlier this year was permanent "for the foreseeable future"

  49. Watched the full video for the Japanese robot? by arthurh3535 · · Score: 1

    I'll be quite truthful, a lot of it looked like a mockup and didn't actually move functionally. It was a good mock up, but I don't think it is really "real".

    --
    No! It's a *SIG*. Keep the Special Interest Groups away! (Con joke!)
  50. Putin arrives riding Titanium Man-Bear-Pig robot! by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    I don't think american Iron Man cowboys and Mecha-nized japanese schoolgirls stand much of a chance versus the Kremlin's amazing Titanium Men and Women troops.

    I predict Oarai High, St. Gloriana, Saunders and Anzio will all be curb-stomped by Pravda. Maybe Black Forest would have a chance, but germans are more into saucer tech than walkers.

  51. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by Maritz · · Score: 1

    A game where you have an opponent - too easy? You realise that's a weird thing to say don't you? Is chess too easy? Depends who you're up against, I would have thought most people with a functioning mind would say. Perhaps you should pop over to Europe and show Messi how easy it is.

    --
    I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  52. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by Maritz · · Score: 1

    You know, because that's a thing that usually happens in football matches.

    You thought you were being sarcastic, but nope, it happens. Maybe not usually, but often enough for it to be perfectly believable without dark conspiracies.

    Perhaps someone paid to lose a game might go about it in a slightly subtler manner?

    --
    I do not want your cheap brainburning drugs. They are useless for work. And I am a working man today.
  53. Re:Tell us about "AlmostAllAdsBlocked+" Coren22 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Why did you put 'cry in your cereal' in scare quotes? Do you know what quote marks are actually for? You're making it sound like cry in your cereal is a phrase that you are merely borrowing, or that you don't intend to mean what the original phrase means. Why? Is it because you're a lunatic?

  54. Re:Yes, the US's "win" by tsotha · · Score: 1

    I guess I should qualify and say "Too easy to beat the Europeans".