What do you get when you combine augmented reality and real-life robotics? Kick-ass fighting robots ready to do battle in both the real and virtual world, that’s what! Available from today via the Apple website and in select Apple stores (including those in Bath and Bristol), the Mekamon is a strong contender for what the future of gaming will look like.
“MekaMon represents a quantum leap forward in the leveraging of augmented reality”
Silas Adekunle, CEO of Reach Robotics (pictured left), explains, “MekaMon straddles both the real and virtual worlds while taking the gaming experience beyond a player’s screen and turning their sitting room into a limitless robotic battle zone.
“MekaMon represents a quantum leap forward in the leveraging of augmented reality. Players can whip out their smartphone to battle their multi-functional, connected battlebots in the physical and virtual worlds at the same time.”
You can see the features of the Mekamon in the video below:
We’ve featured these customisable and upgradable four-legged robots on TechSPARK a few times before, but now, with Apple’s help, you can get your hands on one and actually take it home.
And once there, you can convert your living room into a battleground, as it uses augmented reality that uses features of your room to work intelligently with and around obstacles like chairs, sofas and tables.
All of this is controlled by simply downloading an app for your iOS or Android smart device, so you can go head to head with another robot in real life or take on an intelligent AI-powered augmented reality version in single player battle mode, all via your mobile or tablet.
Programmable special moves
The robots are scarily realistic as creatures in their own right. As Silas told us previously, “The movement of the MekaMon was inspired by how wild animals move and interact with each other,” consequently they are very good at appearing to taunt other players and look menacing during gameplay.
Because MekaMon is fully compatible with Apple’s Swift Playgrounds coding app, users can learn to control Mekamon’s startup, shutdown and movement capabilities, custom reactionary animations and more. This not only gives users the chance to learn how to put together more complex coding commands but allows each person to define completely unique behaviours in their MekaMon.
We’ve had a play with these guys and, believe us, you want to nudge Santa to get you one (Apple clearly thinks so too, as the Mekamon will be making an appearance on its Christmas gift guide). As Silas says, “By fusing robotics, reality-bending technology and competitive play, we’re offering players a new twist on hardware and video games – a premium robotics product that’s easy to play but very difficult to master.”
MekaMon is available for purchase from the Apple website 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
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