Will Battlebots Usher in Robotic Warfare or Enhance Entertainment?

[Zephyr007]

So... Today I watched a video on YouTube and I found Battlebots where engineers make robots designed to fight other robots. Just like in a clip showed in Big Hero 6. Will these robots create the new era of "robotic warfare", or bring peace and enjoyment to others? Please comment your thoughts... thanks.

Here's a video:

 

[Greg Bernhardt]

I remember this show but I never watched much. Still I think it's a great idea and would make for some great fun in high school or college.

 

[nuuskur]

We had a toned down version of battle bots at the end of our robotics course in gymnasium. Heavily toned down :D
It's lots of fun to watch and see how different solutions work against a certain type of design.

 

[Ygggdrasil]

A US company is trying to start a giant fighting robot league and has raised half a million dollars to build a robot for an exhibition match against a Japanese robot: http://gizmodo.com/this-company-wants-to-start-a-new-sports-league-with-gi-1731339815

The US already uses unmanned drones for targeted killings, so the age of robotic warfare is already here. The next stage would be fully automated drones (without remote pilots), though there is considerable debate about the ethics of such weapons.

 

[wirenut]

They just finished the first season of the new battlebots.
The show was hosted by Kenny Florian, Chris Rose, Molly McGrath, Alison Haislip, and Faruq Tauheed.
The started with 24 teams, with 12 being eliminated in the first few weeks, after which 4 got a second chance.
Every week they eliminated a couple more teams. The whole season was, I think, 6 or 7 weeks long.
It was very reminiscent of the original battlebots.