I am not interested in destruction. In fact, I have a thorough distaste for violence in general. Which makes our continual coverage of MegaBots and its giant fighting machines an odd fit.
I am, however, extremely interested in creativity, in gumption, and innovation. And that — even with the destruction and violence — is exactly what Megabots is offering.
We started covering MegaBots in 2015, with the Mk. II back in October 2016. At the time, that project felt like the pinnacle achievement of the maker movement: two dudes with some skills, a small team, and financial backing built a legit giant fighting robot. Sure, it was rough; the mechanics were a little crude, and the whole project seemed a bit DIY. And that was great. That's exactly what the maker movement is all about, right?
It's a project I often highlighted in my talks about makers and innovation. A giant killer robot created ex nihilo by a couple of guys with a good idea.
Traditionally, that's where the story should have ended. But it did not.
Here we are again a year later with a whole new robot, a whole system that doesn't seem DIY at all. It's a 16-ft-tall real giant fighting robot backed by a giant team, a giant pile of resources, and some of the very best equipment and knowhow in the industry.
So what happened?
Collaboration happened.
To read more from Travis Hessman, check out our sister publication New Equipment Digest.
