To become a champion fencer takes years of practice, tournaments, and discipline, but what if I told you that it may be possible to speed up the process 3-fold? That is to say that someone in great shape and dedicated to becoming the best they can be in the sport of fencing could reach a championship level in 2-3 years instead of 6-10 years of dedicated practice? Indeed, it might just be possible. Let me explain.
There is a very interesting YouTube video floating around titled; “Robot Lightsaber Duel” which shows two robots dueling it out with lightsabers for the crowds. Yes, robotic engineers often like to do fun things, but this technology in fact has great possibilities for the sport of Fencing, and since this technology already exists perhaps it is time to use this application to help train the top fencers of the world. The other day, I was considering all this while preparing a paper on the Future of Sports, but for this innovation, well, it’s not in the future, it’s happening right now.
This means the US Olympic Fencing Team can train, warm-up, and prepare using robotic fencing machines. Last year, I was discussing the invention of a robotic boxing machine with the inventor out in the Great State of Texas and he’d already made contact with several professional boxers and boxing gyms to help boxers hone their skills, and the boxers are making great progress in increasing their abilities and talents using the device he’d created.
Whereas, the Japanese robotic engineers have created several toy versions of fencing robots to entertain themselves, it seems they should be ready to take it to the next step. Yes, there have been many versions of manikins, dummies, and stationary, even semi-positional moving human-like formed objects able to help simulate sparing partners previously, but nothing very notable, or real-life-like. All of that is now about to change as these newest robotic fencing devices change the sport forever.
Practicing with a Robotic Android Fencing Sparing Partner would allow non-stop practice, increase endurance, speed, and help the fencer hone their tactics and skills. The robot could also have settings to increase speed for various levels, constantly pushing the fencer to their limits, thus making them more competitive, stronger, wiser, and able to take on the best of the best. Indeed, it might just take fencing to a whole new level, which is my reasoning for being so intrigued by the concept. Please consider all this and think on it.