Scottish roboticists printed a fighting robot for the new season of the resurrected Robot Wars, the legendary television show of the late 1990s.
Robot Wars was broadcast on Friday nights after programmes such as The Simpsons and the Top of the Pops in the late 1990's. Since The Simpsons was an American import, and the latter just a music chart, Robot Wars is remembered almost as a part of British national heritage in the UK.
The futuristic show featured remote-controlled machines that fought against one other for "life or death" like gladiators with hydraulic lifts, circular saws and other mechanical weapons to tear each other to bits and pieces, while always careful enough to avoid traps, fires, and the notorious "house robots", the "heavyweight" destruction machines that made the "life" of battling parties difficult.
The show that was cultic for several years was discontinued by BBC in 2003. Viewing figures seemed poor. Rival Channel5 took over the show for a year, but they were not satisfied with the figures either, and that put an end to the series in 2004.
To the delight of many people prone to nostalgia, the BBC announced earlier this year that after 12 years of discontinuation Robot Wars would be re-launched with a six-part season. And the show must include 3D printed robots.
