There is a special breed of Robots called Battlebots -- these are built specifically for competition with other Battlebots in a demolition derby sort of match.
Meet The Finalizer -- this is the first Battlebot running software based on Microsoft .NET technology.
IT professionals and developers attending a keynote session at Tech�Ed 2005 today got a surprise guest appearance by The Finalizer � a high-end, smart BattleBot built with Microsoft .NET technologies by ASPSOFT Inc., a Florida-based software consulting company, certified Microsoft solution developer and Microsoft Regional Director.It will be interesting to see how this unit fares against real Battlebots. The Finalizer tries to add autonomous behavior to its actions -- this may actually be a disadvantage when playing with robots that are under full control by their operator watching the event. It will be fun to see what happens. It would be nice if "The Finalizer" website was better -- there is lots of flash (flaming logos personified) but very little content. This is a very visual subject and they need to get lots of images up there to capture people's interest...
BattleBots, best known for their to-the-death duels on cable TV, have been billed a hit sport among geeks. Tough, remote-controlled robots armed with lethal saws, pulverizers or spears, they are built with one purpose in mind: to destroy an opposing BattleBot. At Microsoft�s biggest annual technology-education conference, The Finalizer made three appearances during a keynote address by Paul Flessner, Microsoft senior vice president for the Windows Server System Division. It even participated in two of the demos.
In addition to getting some laughs, The Finalizer showcased the power of .NET and other Microsoft technologies that make it a formidable opponent in the BattleBot ring � and a useful prototype for scenarios outside the ring. The .NET platform is one of four key investment areas highlighted Monday in the Tech�Ed keynote of Microsoft CEO Steve Ballmer.
Of course they could enter it in a few small US events, but unless they plan to take The Finalizer "across the pond" to RobotWars, I'm not quite sure why they built it? It's an interesting idea and all, but Battlebots has been gone for years now. The winners of Season 5 are on the home page of battlebots.com, and that was 2002.