This robot hits you in real life when you get hit in VR

If you love the immersive experience of VR fighting games, but felt like it was lacking the actual physical harm component, this robot is for you. Robotics engineer and YouTube creator James Bruton has teamed up with University of Portsmouth students to create a robot that fights humans in real life while they’re playing in VR.

The robot wheels around on a wooden base, and has pneumatic punching arms made from 3D-printed parts and foot pumps. It’s powered by an Arduino Mega interface while Vive trackers in the room track the robot’s arms and the player’s headsets and baseball bat. The robot’s movements are synced to a custom-made VR game, and it wears boxing gloves to soften the blow so players don’t get murdered.

It’s a pretty funny concept, but totally seems like an idea hatched by people who grew up as only children. If you want to get hit in real life, may I suggest getting an older sibling?