If you want lots of mechanical power in short bursts, compressed air is a winner, because compressing air is a very good way to store lots of energy that you can release quickly, and it can be coupled into mechanical action without bulky coils.
Industrial tooling (you've heard air tools in your local auto shop, probably) and heavy robotics love the stuff.
The big downside is noise, which explains why you might not encounter compressed air in your day-to-day life, even though it is every bit as fundamental as, say, high voltage power transmission.
Air compressor was weird to me because most battle bots AFAIK use a hydraulic systems, Kraken is one of the few to use compressed air. Actually, to be precise they use SCUBA tanks used in ocean diving.
Also they got a cool logo and have their own font-face
If you want lots of mechanical power in short bursts, compressed air is a winner, because compressing air is a very good way to store lots of energy that you can release quickly, and it can be coupled into mechanical action without bulky coils.
Industrial tooling (you've heard air tools in your local auto shop, probably) and heavy robotics love the stuff.
The big downside is noise, which explains why you might not encounter compressed air in your day-to-day life, even though it is every bit as fundamental as, say, high voltage power transmission.