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Real-Life Transformer Robot On Sale In Japan

Posted by samzenpus on from the roll-out dept.

Modellismo writes "Last May a Japanese hobbyist revealed a DIY, real-life Transformer Robot Car that received lots of feedback. Now Kenji Ishida is back with a new version that will be officially presented next weekend at the Maker Faire Tokyo 2012. This new 1/12 scale autobot is made using a custom 3D printer (build by Kenji himself), and finally Transformers fans around the world will be able to buy it. The official price has not been disclosed. For now the production is limited to 10 pieces. It's possible to choose the color of the robot that comes built and programmed, complete with a wireless controller in a numbered case."

12 of 54 comments (clear)

  1. The Japanese and robots by crazyjj · · Score: 5, Interesting

    I once asked a Japanese friend "What's with the obsession with robots?" He said it actually went back hundreds of years to the national art form of Karakuri ningy. So I guess it's not such a recent thing, after all.

    --
    What political party do you join when you don't like Bible-thumpers *or* hippies?
    1. Re:The Japanese and robots by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Insightful

      Well, it's not like the West didn't have its own fair share of humanoid automata, fictional or not... The Mechanical Turk (a fake, but a nice one), the contraptions of Jaquet-Droz...I'd even throw the Golem of Prague into the mix, although that's more like "magitech". :-)

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
    2. Re:The Japanese and robots by jpatters · · Score: 2

      It goes back at least as far as ancient Greece with Talos from the Jason and the Argonauts myth.

      --
      "Remember, there never were pineapple-almond cookies here."
  2. Ha! Cue a lawsuit... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 4, Funny

    ...Hasbro will not be pleased.

    --
    Ezekiel 23:20
    1. Re:Ha! Cue a lawsuit... by Q-Hack! · · Score: 2

      Never underestimate the tenacity of lawyers.

      --
      Some days I get the sinking feeling Orwell was an optimist.
    2. Re:Ha! Cue a lawsuit... by K.+S.+Kyosuke · · Score: 3, Funny

      Maybe it transforms into a lawyer?

      I'm pretty sure that this is supposed to be an Autobot, not a Decepticon.

      --
      Ezekiel 23:20
  3. Why not full size? by oodaloop · · Score: 2

    We can put a man on the moon, but I can't drive a giant advanced transforming evil alien robot? WTF?

    --
    Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.
    1. Re:Why not full size? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Insightful

      The 1960s can put a man on the Moon.

      We certainly can't.

      All of the profit! none of the risk!
      Shareholders! shareholders! rah rah rah!

    2. Re:Why not full size? by Baloroth · · Score: 2

      We certainly can't.

      Can't? No. Don't want to? Yes. Honestly, there isn't much point to it, and never was. Landing a man on the moon was mostly a dick-waving contest in the first place. Yeah sure it's cool, but it has very little scientific purpose beyond proving it can be done... which was already known anyways.

      --
      "None can love freedom heartily, but good men; the rest love not freedom, but license." --John Milton
    3. Re:Why not full size? by Dishevel · · Score: 2

      Yup. Landing a guy on the moon was pointless.
      Putting a bunch of people up there and some infrastructure so that we can build or at least fuel craft from the moon is not pointless.
      Moving launch vehicles out of a weak gravity well like that of the moon is a huge step toward cost effective utilization of the solar systems resources.
      This is something we really do need.

      --
      Why is it so hard to only have politicians for a few years, then have them go away?
  4. Obligatory /. question... by Razgorov+Prikazka · · Score: 4, Funny

    1 - Does it run linux?
    2 - is the HW RPi based?
    3 - Crowdfunded?
    4 - Frikkin lasers?
    5 - Does this guy accept bit coins?

    If the answers to those questions are yes, yes, yes, yes and yes than I want a whole beowulfcluster of them! :-)

    --
    rm -rf --no-preserve-root / ...and let /dev/null sort them out...
    1. Re:Obligatory /. question... by oodaloop · · Score: 2

      Geez, you got all those and didn't ask if it blends? You must be new here!

      --
      Tic-Tac-Toe, Global Thermonuclear War, and relationships all have the same winning move.