Man
vs. Machine matches specially trained human opponents
against real robot fighting machines called Robot
Gladiators® . In this competition, man competes
against his own creations on the most basic level;
physical combat.
This
highly structured competition is the fulfillment
of a concept that began nearly 200 years ago with
the story of Frankenstein.
Today, all of us have grown up knowing fantasy
robots like R2D2,
Robby,
the Lost
in Space robot and The
Terminator. But this is not a fantasy.
Man
vs. Machine® pits human innovation against human
strength in a combat arena.
Recent
advances in the fields of robotics,
sensor
technology and computer
intelligence make this type of competition
possible for the first time. In Man vs. Machine
, trained human fighters use all of their fighting
skills against cleverly designed robot fighting
machines. The human fighters rely on physical
strength, training, speed and intelligence. The
human's task is simply to disable the machine.
There
are NO restrictions for the human. There
is NO limit to the force and violence the human
uses to defeat the machine. There is NO
need for mercy. And the emotionless robot
opponent will show none in kind.
Visit
the Man
vs. Machine® website for current event information.
The
competition is based on demanding design restrictions
that limit the Robot Gladiator's structural strength
and destructive power. The sport will still be
quite challenging for human contenders, who are
free to fight each match using all the deadly
destructive force they can muster.
2.
Non-Lethal Weapons - To prevent fatalities,
the Robot Gladiators can only fight with electrical
shocks and bludgeoning power from padded striking
arms. The striking force is electronically
limited to that of humans. While serious
injuries could result, the chance of a fatality
is very low - probably even lower than in human
to human matches. And remember, the human fighters
are there voluntarily.
3.
Regulated Vulnerability - The Robot Gladiator's
"skin" is limited to plastic and aluminum
in regulated thicknesses as well as removable
panels that a skilled human can penetrate. Gaining
access to interior components is necessary to
deactivate the robot. Destroying internal
components is also a legitimate method of victory
for the human. Hopefully, the robots will never
win in this manner.
4.
Weight, size and mechanical limitations -
The robot is limited to 1,000 pounds in weight
with a footprint no larger than 42" X 52"
and a height of 108 inches. Striking mechanisms
are limited to a 48" reach, roughly twice
that of a human.
5.
Body armor options for the human Robot Fighter
- To give the human fighter additional protection,
some types of body armor are sanctioned for
use. These include a Kevlar helmet, weighted
gloves (i.e. brass knuckles), steel toe boots
and a shock proof vest or pants (only one is
permitted at present).
Siam
Inter Active Media, Ltd has been refining
the Robot Gladiators® since 1995. The mobile chassis
and original interactive systems are based on
licensed technologies from robots developed in
the United States.
The
robot displayed in the initial matches was primarily
built in Thailand
and shipped to the United States for it's final
trials. More details will be available in the
near future.
Our
priority was in developing high speed reactive
systems for a robot that could independently control
its movements in a combat situation. The cost
to create a functional combat robot that can walk
and balance on two legs was, frankly, far beyond
our budget and capability.
Development
of Honda's Asimo
robot began in 1986 and has consumed hundreds
of millions of dollars so far. Still, we confess
that we did get a lot of inspiration from the
P1
model they used from 1993-97. With his aggressive
good machine looks "he coulda been a contender."
While
Honda engineers created a machine that "was
capable of turning a switch on and off, gripping
the door knob, and even carrying something"
we were concentrating on building an intelligent
machine that would beat the snot out of anyone
foolish enough to get in the same ring with it.
Our
mobile chassis eliminates the need for balance
so power and logic capacity can be focused on
more spectacular abilities.
On-board
computer systems control the machines during the
matches using "A&A" or "Aggress
& Attack" programs. The robot programmers
develop these independently and closely guard
their processing and source codes making Man vs.
Machine a contest of brains against brawn. The
program is loaded into the robot by laptop computer
immediately before each bout.
One
of the most advanced robot pioneers, Dr.
Hans Moravec of Carnegie Mellon's robot lab,
estimates that today's Pentium Pro computer has
the intelligence of a small reptile. Presently,
humans are smarter and far faster, yet many reptiles
are capable of killing larger prey.
Many
scientists are already boldly stating that the
demise of humans is within view. Machines
are becoming more intelligent and more powerful
with each passing year.
Unlike
us, they do not make the same mistake twice with
proper programming. Computers struggled
for decades to beat a human at chess and then,
suddenly, our reign was over. The
machine won. And would never lose consistently
again.
Just
like Deep Blue, the chess computer that finally
bested Gary Kasperov, the Robot Gladiators® are
able to "think" and even modify fighting
technique based on human input. These opponents
become more challenging with every match.
Man
vs. Machine® only sanctions "safe" attack
methods. These include bludgeoning and electrical
shock. Unpleasant and powerful forces but certainly
not deadly. In addition, engineers designed the
robot's safety system to include a timer that
automatically shuts the robot down at the end
of each round.
The
striking force of the bludgeoning arms is precisely
calibrated so they can not exceed human striking
force. The arms are driven by compressed nitrogen
or carbon dioxide activated by computer controlled
solenoids with sensor feedback. Mechanical safety
valves also regulate gas pressure so even if the
program called for lethal force the gas lines
could not deliver sufficient pressure.
The
robot's electrical shock devices are regulated
in the same way as police shock prods. The
force temporarily stupefies a human attacker.
The high voltage pulse rate disrupts the nerve
signal from the brain to the muscles, temporarily
paralyzing the opponent. Organizers will
allow human fighters to use one electrically protective
garment, either jacket or pants.
Man
vs. Machine® sanctions three types of stunning devices:
Static
Charge which uses an electrical watt
with static to disrupt localized muscles
groups.
Phase-Induction®
which uses an electrical watt with Phase-Induction
to better facilitate the delivery of a
static charge.
T-Wave®
which uses an electrical watt with
Electro-Muscular Disruption (EMD) technology.
An EMD signal affects the central nervous
system and its signal to the body.
Probably.
The engineering team is now looking to add an
emergency "kill switch", just like those
used on a jet ski or motor boat engine, that immediately
powers down the robot.
Rather
than a simple electrical solenoid, the "kill
switch" may actually put a surge of powerful
electricity through the robot's mother board,
actually frying the logic chips and instantly
immobilizing the machine.
Early
prototypes and models did show pincer-type gripping
hands on the torso arms. This action is presently
not sanctioned because organizers have not determined
a safe way to regulate strength.
The
range between gripping an opponent securely and
crushing internal bones and organs is, at present,
too subtle for our automated system. There
is, however, interesting
research on the topic and we are optimistic
that we will add this ability soon.
There
are no "special effects" in the show,
other than the usual lighting and music effects
that go with any competitive sporting event.
The unpredictability of the robot behavior makes
the sport thrilling for audiences. Robot
builders must make their best attempt at combat
design and programming before each match.
Once the match has begun, the robot is entirely
independent and will win or lose based on its
own actions.
The
organizer's attorneys are not aware of any legal
precedent for local, state or federal governments
to regulate this sport. Understand that
this is essentially a solo event between a man
and a machine, alone in the ring.
The
human challengers are there voluntarily.
There is no difference between this and the type
of solo motorcycle stunts that Evil Knieval is
famous for. Except that Man vs. Machine®
does not use machinery that is regulated by the
government.
Actually,
the opposite is true. Unlike wrestling and
other aggressive sports, the concept of Man vs.
Machine® and the expensive equipment used decreases
the likelihood of "copycat" violence.
Man
vs. Machine® satisfies our visceral curiosity
about violence and the desire of people to test
their limits both physically and mentally.
But the nature of the competition puts these challenges
far beyond the realm of everyday life.
It's
not possible to duplicate this spectacle outside
the Man vs Machine® arena - except for kids who
can afford their own 1,000 pound, independently
intelligent Robot Gladiators®!
Yes,
very soon. Organizers are now formalizing challenger
credential and training requirements. For more
information, please visit the Robot
Fighter™ website.
Yes.
As above, organizers are preparing engineering
regulations so they can begin to accept outside
competitors in their sanctioned events. A handful
of teams exist that have been developing their
designs, programs and robots over a period of
years. For more information, please visit the
Robot Gladiator website.
Yes.
We invite corporations to participate in funding
competing robot teams and robot fighters, similar
to NASCAR and other sporting events. Please
contact
us to liaison with our agents in the United
States.
