Robonova-1 vs Kondo

this is the army of R o b o nova-1 of Hi-tec which we took a photo of during our visit to the IREX 2005 at Tokyo. Now, while there is tons of information, movies, specification and stuff at the Hi-Tec Robonova-1 page, there are already a number of on-line stores which are selling this product. Apparently, this machine is supposed to be cheaper than the mighty Kondo, yet can be used to compete head to head during anyone of the Robo-One Tournament. (Incidentally, if you visit the Robo-One web site now, you can watch "lion dance" by robots!)
for consumers, this is exactly the scene we want to see - competitions! the more there is, the better the products and the more affordable they become.
When you look at this, and the Robosapien, you are talking about real machine vs toys, but of course, bearing in mind that there is a huge gap in the differenc in price.
On the other hand, one can't kept wondering what is the ultimate purpose of these machines...hobby, most definitely, like the radio controlled cars, but somehow i always feel that there might be a purpose far darker and more sinister.... the robots themselves are neutral, but it's the people who control them.