US startup challenges Japan to giant robot battle

OAKLAND, California (AP) — They’ve been popularized in movies, television and video games, but giant fighting robots still haven’t left the realm of science fiction. That will soon change.
Megabots Inc., an Oakland, California-based startup, has built a 15-foot (4.5-meter) mechanical gladiator called the Mark II and challenged a Japanese firm to an international battle for robot supremacy.
Tokyo-based Suidobashi Heavy Industries, maker of the 13-foot (4-meter) Kuratas, accepted