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Drone soldiers capable of fighting on their own might be several years away, but if you’re a robot enthusiast who just can't wait, you can now help chip in to build pint-sized mech warriors that can battle one another.

 

A new project on the crowd-funding site Kickstarter is requesting $6,000 to build a "real-world video game" that involves remote-controlled walking robots ― weaponized with nerf balls, micro-rockets, bb rifles, and even flame throwers ― duking it out in a miniature city.

 

The project was started by a group of hobbyists, robotics engineers, and students who have conducted "mech warfare" in simple tents made of PVC pipe and canvas for the past several years.

 

 

"While the internal environment looks very professional and well done, the canvas & PVC tent takes away from the immersion and overall aesthetic of the competition quite a bit, and we'd like to remedy this," the team writes.

 

"We need Kickstarter's help because our robots are growing a bit too large and powerful to be hosted in a canvas tent." [Robo-Mule Hauls Military Gear & Follows Like a Dog]

 

The Kickstarter project has already attracted more than $2,000 in funding. People who pledge $25 or more will receive a custom illustrated Mech Warfare 11x17-inch full color poster.

 

The team members say that if they manage to raise more than their $6,000 goal, they will use the money to live-stream the robo-battles over the Internet.

 

Unlike many Kickstarter projects, a sellable product is not the end goal, the team says.

 

"There is no profitable market product to create," the team writes. "We are inventors and tinkerers simply doing this because we love technology and learning. And robots. Because robots are awesome."

 

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