A new kind of show is packing out a converted church on Detroit’s 7 Mile Road, and the stars are nine-foot-tall robots that shoot exploding projectiles at each other.
The event is called Robowar, run by a group called the Interactive Combat League. Despite how it looks, there’s no actual AI running the show. Each “robot” is really a performer in a heavy metal suit, built to look like a cross between a Marvel superhero and an old-school mech. Founder Art Cartwright says he wanted fights that felt like comic books come to life, not just machines smashing into each other.
The show has been selling out its 572-seat auditorium since it launched last summer, and it’s now getting national attention. Cartwright says Detroit has more robotics activity than anywhere else in the country, which is part of why he built the show there. Alongside the human-piloted fighters, the event also features small robot dogs and dancing humanoid robots, bought from a Chinese robotics company, that face off against audience members. Tickets start around $50.
Cartwright’s plans don’t stop at live shows. He says he wants to eventually let people watch and influence fights online, with robots representing different cities across the country.
