Modern-day Gladiators

CULTURE San Francisco, CA, Nov. 11, 2000 / Znews.com / -- The noise gets deafening with the screaming of metal on metal and the roar of the crowd, as modern-day gladiators battle to the death for prestige and prizes in the annual BattleBots.

Billed as a "competitive mechanical sporting event" the BattleBots competition, scheduled for November 16 - 19 at the All American SportsPark Pavillion in Las Vegas, has inspired several dozen vicarious warriors to build all sorts of menacing mechanical gladiators. Past events have featured some awesome offensive spectacles, including one robot with a spinning circular saw blade, and another with a hydraulic hammer to pound opponents into submission.

Even the list of no-no's stimulates the imagination: No corrosives, explosives or pyrotechnics; no untethered projectiles; no radio-jamming; no flying robots; no sighting lasers above 5mw; and no electronic weaponry-- stun guns, Telsa coils, heat irons, and the like.

A new element to this year's event that's sure to galvanize the crowd is the introduction of bouts between Legged Robots, which can weigh in at up to 200 pounds.

Call it crazy. Call it sick. Call it the future. But don't miss it.

For more info, check out the BattleBots site.