Apple Stores in the United States and United Kingdom have begun the sale of gaming robots, MekaMons, built by a Nigerian of British national, Silas Ad
Apple Stores in the United States and United Kingdom have begun the sale of gaming robots, MekaMons, built by a Nigerian of British national, Silas Adekunle. Adekunle’s company, Reach Robotics struck the deal with Apple recently. The robotic products with a price tag of $299.95 which went on sale from 16 November in the shops and online can be operated with an iPhone and other smartphones.
Silas Adekunle, who was born in Nigeria moved to the UK when he was 11 years old. He is an engineer who graduated with First Class Honours from the University of the West of England in Bristol, with a Bachelor of Science in robotics technology. He previously worked at GE Aviation and Infineon. His company founded in 2013 is based at the Bristol Robotics Laboratory (BRL) Technology Incubator.
Reach Robotics, an augmented reality gaming company creates robots for both fun and STEM education.
“We’ve created an entirely new video gaming platform. MekaMon straddles both the real and virtual worlds while taking the gaming experience beyond a player’s screen and turning their sitting room into a limitless robotic battle zone. MekaMon represents a quantum leap forward in the leveraging of augmented reality. Players can whip out their iPhone to battle their multi-functional, connected battlebots in the physical and virtual worlds at the same time,” said Silas Adekunle in a press release.
MekaMons are four-legged robots that players can control via a smartphone using a companion app for augemented reality gameplay. Multiple players can have their MekaMons battle each another. Each robot weighs a little over two pounds with dimensions of 11.8 by 11.8 by 5.9 inches. MekaMons can connect to each other via infrared signals and Bluetooth, allowing for co-op gaming. The robots are powered by a rechargeable battery that provides up to an hour of gameplay. They are compatible with the iPhone, using the smartphone’s camera and infrared tracking capability for precise navigation.
