Megabots, Inc. has launched its Kickstarter campaign to raise half a million dollars to upgrade its existing Mk.II, a 12,000 pound, 15-foot-tall combat robot that fires cannonball-sized paintballs at a speed of 120 MPH.

The fearsome robot’s one arm is a missile launcher and the other a cannon. Its inventors, Gui Cavalcanti and Matt Oehrlein, have already signed it up for a historic duel. According to them, they have to spend some time in transforming their creation into a more nimble fighting machine in order to win the battle.

Cavalcanti and Oehrlein, 29-year-old co-founders of Berkeley-based MegaBots Inc., are hoping to fulfill another human desire i.e. ferocious, gladiator-style entertainment.

Cavalcanti said, “There's an entire group of gamers who've been waiting for this their entire lives. People like combat, and people really like high technology. This is a perfect blend. We want to make an entertainment spectacle”.

3D printing technology is constantly becoming more popular as days pass by, and this Kickstarter campaign is no exception. Name of those donors, who give at least $5, will be listed on the website of Megabots, Inc. Those, who pay double the amount, can get a Megabot sticker and their name on the website. Moving on, one can get rights to play the digital robotics game Robocraft, allowing steering the Mk. II yourself.

One could also receive a Mk. II poster, t-shirts, and stickers for $50 or more. But things get really interesting when at the $150 mark; one will get a 3D printed mini version of the Mk.II.