Chinese mech Monkey King wants in on MegaBots fighting fray
Giant robots attack! A Chinese fighting robot wants to challenge US MegaBots Mk III and Japanese Kuratas to a robot duel to the death.
Is the world big enough for three giant fighting robots? A Chinese mega-mech named Monkey King has just entered the arena, hoping to compete with US and Japanese human-piloted robot gladiators.
First was Japan's 13-foot Kuratas, a giant mechanized robot suit that you can buy on Amazon Japan for just over $1 million (be warned: at least one forearm is a separate option). Then California company MegaBots created its Mk. III, a 16-foot (4.8 meter), 12-ton behemoth built to challenge Kuratas to a robot duel, with the ultimate aim to create a combat robot sports league. The match has finally been scheduled for this August, though the time and place have yet to be disclosed. One possible holdup: Making sure a giant robot fight won't kill the humans piloting them.
Now, Chinese builder Greatmetal has revealed Monkey King, which it showed off this weekend at an event in Beijing's "Bird's Nest" National Stadium. MegaBots is reportedly deciding whether Greatmetal can join the nascent fighting robot league, perhaps even battling the Mk. III after its August match with Kuratas.
While much is still unknown about the Chinese entrant, it can fight from both a standing, two-legged position and a more stable four-legged one. In Chinese legend, the Monkey King is a supernatural trickster with immense speed, strength and the ability to transform himself into all kinds of other beings, so who knows what other tricks Greatmetal's gladiator robot will have up its metal sleeves?