MekaMon – a multi-functional, connected battlebot with augmented reality capabilities – is Bristol-based Reach Robotics‘ latest project, something that is “easy to play, but hard to master.”
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The most exciting thing about MekaMon is that it involves real life robots that can battle each other and not just in the physical world, but in the virtual world too!
“The movement of the MekaMon was inspired by how wild animals move and interact with each other”
Reach Robotics has created a new branch of gaming, one that makes the player’s experience that bit more immersive. MekaMon is available online now, so you can grab yourself one and join the epic battleground adventure today.
Combining interests
We caught up with Lexi Sage from Reach Robotics to find out a bit more about MekaMon. She tells us, “MekaMon was inspired by a love of nature, engineering and gaming.”
It seems the team at Reach Robotics wanted to create a robot that is nimble and moves realistically. Lexi says Silas Adekunle, the Co-founder of Reach Robotics, creatively implemented influences from his upbringing whilst working on the project, “The movement of the MekaMon was inspired by how wild animals move and interact with each other.”
She adds, “He spent a lot of time learning and interacting with animals [in Nigeria]. As he grew up, he fell in love with engineering. He combined the two loves when he chose to study Robotics Engineering in at UWE.”
“People can expect a gaming experience like nothing they’ve ever seen before”
MekaMon goes beyond a mere gaming experience. Silas began a program to help encourage children to get involved in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and within this, he utilised gaming to extend and maintain the interest of kids. Lexi explains, “What [he] quickly learned was that while kids love creating robots, there is no long term ‘stickiness’ that keeps them involved. He discovered that when he added game mechanics to the lessons the kids got more excited and stuck with it.”
Battling in two worlds
Reach Robotics promises a unique journey, “People can expect a gaming experience like nothing they’ve ever seen before.”
MekaMon: Battle alone in augmented reality or
against your friends in the physical world
MekaMon allows you to play in either single-player mode or against your friends in multi-player mode. In both, your smartphone or tablet becomes a control panel to customise and instruct your real life robot, as well as providing an entrance into an augmented reality.
“We imagine a world where things come to life in front of you”
When playing in single-player, this alternative universe goes a step further: You can embark on extreme and vast adventures where you “learn how to strike, evade, and master the robot’s controls”. MekaMon’s clever tracking technology is what enables the robot to transcend the physical world and come to life digitally.
If you fancy some bot-to-bot combat action, then the multi-player mode will be perfect for you! This allows you to battle it out against your friends, building your robot’s strength and abilities as you go. Digital items can also be earned to help boost health or recovery time, allowing you to develop your own strategy, which adds yet another dimension to the game.
Silas explains his vision for MekaMon: “At the root of everything we build is the premise that gaming is an experience that goes beyond a screen. We imagine a world where things come to life in front of you.”
Benefits of Bristol
Bristol is a big player in the games industry, with Bristol Games Hub and conferences such as VR World Congress being hosted by the city. Pioneering robotics research also takes place here, and since Reach Robotics are combining the two, Lexi says how beneficial it is to be based her: “Being based in Bristol is one of the best things for our company.
“In 2015, we spent 4 months in San Diego and we discussed relocating to the USA, but ultimately, Bristol is a very supportive community, and full of top technical talent. It’s large enough to be a draw for recruiting but small enough that we can keep our heads down and focused on developing a great experience for our community.”
MekaMon is available for purchase now. To keep up with the latest news, check out Reach Robotic’s website and join the forums to be a part of the MekaMon community. You can also follow them on Twitter: @ReachRobotics
