We’re still not close to having Pacific Rim quality giant mech fighters, but engineers have at least started us down the path to making our robot fight dreams come true. But what about mech pacifists (mechafists?) who don’t want to see marvels of technology immediately ripping each other to shreds? Well don’t worry, because one company is hoping to tone down the violence without sacrificing any of the awesomeness, with a mech robot racing league.

At this year’s CES, Furrion showed off their Prosthesis mech racer, which according to The Verge is an exoskeleton that stands 15 feet tall, weighs 8,000 pounds, can run up to 20 mph, climb its way over obstacles, and run up to an hour on its battery. But this display wasn’t just about showing off the cool new machine, which is piloted entirely by an operator inside its cockpit controlling its every movement, it was about announcing their intention to start the X1 Mech Racing League.

We would never scoff at a giant robot, especially because Prosthesis is clearly already incredible in many ways, but this video also indicates how far away they are from producing mechs who can run in an exciting race. And considering the giant mech robot fights were…ahem, underwhelming, we know this is a baby step rather than a full fledged sprint out of the gates.

But that’s fine, because the mech racers are just getting started, and when they are ready to go, we’ll so be there to watch.

Would you rather see a mech fight or race? Tell us why in the comments below.

Featured Image: Furrion

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