First the robots came for our jobs. Then they came for our chess tournaments. Now, theyre coming for our martial arts too. Meet MOTOMAN-MH24, a robot who, depending on where you stand on the spectrum of robotics, is either a piece of metallic awesomeness, or an absolute nightmare.
More of a robotic arm than a full robot, Motoman was given a samurai sword and the opportunity to analyze and learn the three-dimensional sword techniques of master swordsman Isao Machii, a modern day samurai and the holder of 5 Guinness World Records pertaining to cutting things.
To commemorate their 100-year anniversary, Yaskawa Electric, a Japanese electronics company, pitted Motoman and Machii together in a tournament of sword-wielding speed and technique. Referred to as the Yaskawa Bushido Project, the initiative was designed as a campaign to illustrate the possibilities of the companys human-assisting robots.
Watch the video below to see how Motoman-Mh24 does against Machii.