In Japan it seems that the crane machine is both an art and a science and it never ceases to amaze me as to what companies cook up for cranes there. I am a big fan of integrating robotics into the arcade scene and this latest “crane” machine does just that. Called Robo Catcher, the player controls a robot inside of the booth and they attempt to grab the prizes at the bottom using the robots arms. It’s a pretty cool concept and to do the idea justice, here is a video of Robo Catcher in action.
[Via Hobbymedia.it]
Looks like it’s going to be too easy to get a prize.
But then – it starts falling over for no reason – so you “lose”.
Hmmm.. I can see some unhappy customers.
(But then.. I’m *not* a “redemption” fan, so I probably have no idea
how people who DO like ’em will react.)
Here’s an idea: instead of using a robotic arm, it would be fun to have multiple moving robots controlled by a remote/joystick and people must race their robot to capture a prize before the other person.