Piloting a giant humanoid robot has only been something you could watch on your television screen… until now.
A team of hobbyists, skilled engineers and robot-lovers in Japan created an honest-to-goodness mech you can actually drive.
A group called the Suidobashi Heavy Industry created the Kuratas, a human-controlled robot. Standing more than 12 feet tall and weighing 9,920 pounds, the Kuratas made its debut this weekend at Wonder Fest 2012, an annual hobby convention in Tokyo, Japan. Unsurprisingly, it was the hit of the show.
The Kuratas features a humanoid upper body and four insect-like legs with wheels. It’s designed to seat one person in its “chest,” which pivots above a waist and has one fully-articulated arm on either side. Pressing a button on the front of the robot opens the driver compartment canopy, allowing you to climb inside its cramped interior. Once inside, the canopy closes and you’re presented with a large LCD display and an array of lighted indicators.
Controlling the robot is handheld through a custom control stick that’s part steering wheel, part puppetry rig. It can be turned to pivot the bot’s waist and steer it when moving — the Kuratas has a top speed of six miles per hour — while a pair of joysticks operates the arms.
Twisting and bending these sticks allows you to control the arms similar to how puppeteers move the elaborate animatronics used in movies. Users can also control the robot’s movements with an app installed on an iPhone.
In addition to its literal pair of arms, the Kuratas is armed with a multi-rocket launcher and two Gattling cannons. The former fires plastic rockets filled with compressed water, while the latter can shoot a terrifying 6,000 plastic BBs per minute when you smile.
The robot is fitted with a Xbox Kinect sensor in order to pick up your gestures and facial expressions, including the one needed to unleash what its creators have dubbed the “smile shot.”
The price of owning the Kuratas starts at a whopping $1.35 million. Suidobashi Heavy Industry set up a web page where you can customize your own Kuratas prior to purchase, including paint schemes, upholstery options and other options. No word on how much shipping will cost.
