I really want the Japanese Kuratas robot to be real. After all, one of my favorite video games of all time is Mech Warriors of yore.
Seriousy, how cool would it be to climb into the chest cavity of the Kuratas, drive around and do with it whatever your geek heart desires? Unfortunately, I’m having a very difficult time believing this is a real product and not some sort of attempt at a viral video.
As you can see, at least two videos have turned up on YouTube, with one clip showing pilots how to navigate the ‘bot. An additional video depicts the robot in action with a disclaimer that it’s an art piece – which obviously doesn’t consider your comfort.
The Kuratas robot supposedly stands about 4,000 mm tall and about 3,000 mm wide with an overall length of 4,000 mm. The great metal beast claims to weigh in at 4500 kg, and can even be controlled remotely via an iPhone.
Some segments of the video clearly seem to be computer generated, specifically the scenes of the robot driving around town. The robot has a humanoid torso, head, and two arms. Rather than legs, the robot is equipped with four wheels affixed to movable stems of some sort. The ‘bot can be driven in high mode or low mode – placing its metal body closer or further from the ground.
The robot also boasts a full arsenal of weapons systems that appear to be geared towards crowd control with items such as a missile launcher that appears to shoot water bottles, along with a pair of Gatling guns that shoot BBs.
The company promises to custom make your very own Kuratas holding whatever weapons you want such as a squirt gun or other items. The price? Approximately $1.3 million.
