WIRED nearly wet themselves when the mid-Games surprise guest arrived. Is that -- can it -- yes! It was Jamie Hyneman from Mythbusters, with pal Carlo Bertocchini and their Roboboxers! Robot combat, made a little more personal. Each robot has sensors on its chest and head, and when a punch is landed a light on the head indicates contact.
The world's first-ever bout of robot boxing went a little slower than most were expecting; the bots are large -- about four feet tall -- and Bertocchini pointed out that neither he nor Hyneman had more than a few minutes of practice. The bots are capable of a whole lot more, said Bertocchini. Still, it was pretty exciting, especially when the gloves were removed for a bare-knuckle bout.
Photograph by Lane Hartwell.
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