84 years early, OMF:2097 is really happening. Real fights with robot avatars

> Real fights with robot avatars ...

They aren't robots, unless the scoop on a bulldozer is a robot. They're mechanical telepresence devices, completely controlled by their human operators, with no independent actions or thoughts.

Robot: http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/robot

Quote: "a device that automatically performs complicated often repetitive tasks"

But "avatar" is about right -- if it's taken to mean a mechanical representation of human thoughts and actions.