I just saw this story because a friend of a friend is one of the founders of this organization that you've probably heard of. They're squaring off a giant robot against another giant robot from Japan. Seems pretty neat to me, at least.
First thing that came to mind while reading this: You dig giant robots!
I dig giant robots!
We dig giant robots!
Chicks dig giant robots!
Nice! (Seriously though, I'm hyped. Get that robot walking and one of my dream's true. SO EXCITED)
I wish they would require these to use some sort of renewable alt energy source from the ground up. I'm tired of watching people burn fluorocarbons so that others may watch the ads that others are gambling to support. Seems a fucked up use of resources without it pushing alt energy as an agenda.
To be fair, doing what they're doing requires a lot of energy - I'm not sure an electricity-powered mech could operate without an umbilical providing power (and that brings a lot of problems and risks). Right now, whether we like it or not, every form of chemomechanical energy source (whether it be gunpowder, wood, sugar or gasoline) has a much higher (2x in the worst cases, a magnitude or more in the more potent sources) energy density per kilogram than even our best electric storages can provide, and at a much faster rate. What they're doing is not proving the viability of a new energy source. What they're proving is that pseudo-military game shows featuring gigantic battle machines smashing one another is fun to watch. It has nothing to do with energy - though the tech they develop (especially for the walking - I'm hoping they will take one of the approaches I think they might take for legged locomotion) could be used elsewhere where, eventually, it might just help with alt energies. But don't compare apples to oranges. Unless you've got a suggestion of a renewable alt energy resource they COULD have used to supply that power? I mean - unless you mean they shoulda strapped a small nuclear reactor on there, but that wouldn't go over well when it breaks. Unless you've got a solution, this is all they could do. If you're tired of watching it, go watch something else, because you're not the target audience. Or if you can get over these things and let the fact that we're going to have giant, large mechanical units, that may possibly walk, punch and shoot the hell out of one another in real life sink in, then come with me and be excited about this feat of robotics.