Disputes can now be resolved in a safe yet competitive manner. Moreover, the once fictional robot battles in games or movies are becoming a reality thanks to the Kinect. Remotely controlling robots for competitive purposes, the Kinect Battlebots brings to the community, a dynamic new form of action entertainment. Since the Kinect can detect the actions and movements of a user, this gives developers the platform they need to create a motion-controlled robotic fighter. Using their hand movements to control the punches and the body inclination to move the robots, users can then engage in a mech battle with each other. Previously, it was using remotes or joysticks that propelled the robots. But with such limited actions, the robot fights had to settle for simple smashing or ramming movements. The Kinect’s motion capture technology though, allows developers and engineers to finally create humanoid robots for these competitions without fearing the lack of an effective user interface.
In this video release by Youtube User jamesricepdx, the users were able to control the movement and the action of the boxer battlebots using their body movements. It is quite an interesting development as most of the Kinect hacks we’ve seen control the robot’s movements. By actually pitting 2 of these robots and putting a sense of competition, developers would be inspired and pushed to accelerate the Kinect and robot innovations.
For more information about the Kinect Battlebot, visit the project’s Youtube Page.
