Silas Adekunle is the builder of the first gaming robot in the world. He’s described as the smartest robotics engineer in the world and is now the highest paid in the field after signing a new deal with, Apple Inc, The Guardian reports.
The Nigerian-British entrepreneur is the co-founder and CEO of Reach Robotics, innovating the future of entertainment technology by fusing gaming, robots, and augmented reality.
The UK-based company developed MekaMon, a smartphone-controlled robot using augmented reality to create battlefields. The initial launch of Mekamon sold 500 bots, generating $7.5 million, according to TechCrunch.
“We’ve created an entirely new video gaming platform,” said Adekunle in a press release. “MekaMon straddles both the real and virtual worlds while taking the gaming experience beyond a player’s screen and turning their sitting room into a limitless robotic battle zone.”
Apple began selling the products exclusively online and in stores last November in a push to promote hardware startups “that make particularly compelling use of its own technologies,” according to TechCrunch.
“Players can whip out their iPhone to battle their multi-functional, connected battle bots in the physical and virtual worlds at the same time,” the 26-year-old explained to Inverse.
Forbes reports that Apple was, “Impressed by the quality of his robots and their ability to show emotion with subtly-calibrated movements.” Apple priced the MekaMon at $300 and sells the “battle-bots” in almost all of its stores in the United States and Britain.
“The partnership with Apple has been fruitful,” Adekunle said in an interview with Forbes. He added that he’s looking to continue the relationship. “We have many more products to bring to market.”
