A start-up creates an international league for fighting giant robots

California startup MegaBots Inc. received funding of $ 2.4 million to create an international league in which giant mech robots will fight each other. This league will be the realization of the dreams of the founders of the startup, which was born first, as a passion for two engineers.

Law firm Latham Watkins, whose partner, Christopher D. Brearton, represents the Olympic Committee will assist the organization of the league for enthusiasts. He has already participated in the creation of leagues and governing organizations of associations such as the National Basketball Association, Major League Baseball, National Football League and others.

For the first time, organizers of MegaBots Inc, Andrew Stroup (aerospace engineer), Guy Cavalcanti (engineer) and Matt Oyhrlein [Andrew Stroup, Gui Cavalcanti, Matt Oehrlein] appeared on media radar for 2014 . Even then, the creators dreamed not only of individual performances of their robots, but of creating a real sports league that would allow people of the whole world to enjoy the spectacle of fighting robots.
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Strup and Kavalkanti met in 2012 on the TV show "The Big Brain Theory: Pure Genius". They found that they share a passion for robotics and futuristic battles, such as those portrayed in MechWarrior and StarCraft. For a whole year, they planned their enterprise, then hired another talented engineer with a specialization in management theory, Ouhrlein, and left their main jobs to organize MegaBots Inc.



Inside the robot weighing more than 7 tons is a team of two people (although, according to the organizers, they are protected quite well, the rejection of remote control increases the degree of adrenaline). Six-inch guns shoot balls with paint and cannonballs, flying at a speed of 190 km / h - something like a paintball hybrid with airsoft. A good shot can shoot the enemy's robot limb or jam the hinge.

So far, the team has tried to get tangible funding for organizing fights, and ideally - to create a whole league. The Kickstarter campaign, launched in 2014, was not successful - out of the requested $ 1.8 million, only $ 65,319 was raised. Then in the summer of 2015, in the hope of attracting an investor, MegaBots Inc challenged the Japanese company Suidobashi to manufacture similar 4-meter Kuratas robots to a duel.

The Japanese accepted the challenge under certain conditions, and at the moment, preparations are under way for a MegaBots robot battle, called Mark II, which should take place this summer. To prepare for this event, MegaBots launched a second crowdfunding company , which came out successful and raised a little more than half a million dollars.

As a result of successful PR, enthusiasts have found an investor, and have taken another step towards their dream - it looks like a league of giant combat robots does exist.