Suidobashi Heavy Industries, a company which sounds straight out of Metal Gear Solid, has revealed the Kuratas: A giant robot that weighs over four tons, measures in at a height of 13 feet, and includes BB Gatling guns that fire 6,000 rounds a minute. The trigger mechanism for those beasts? The pilot’s smile. It’ll only set you back about $1,350,000.
The team behind the robot consists of a mere two men: Wataru Yoshizaki, a researcher, and Kogoro Kurata, an artist. The list of features makes one wonder what the two were looking to accomplish with a diesel-powered killing machine. Any sort of wildlife wouldn’t exactly stand a chance as long as they were on even ground where the Kuratas could roll around. There’s nothing quite like watching the series of videos featuring the mech that have cropped up:
The monstrosity being unveiled at the Wonder Festival 2012 makes us think this isn’t a publicity stunt, but a grossly expensive toy.
Yet, what seems like a product demonstration video, raises all sorts of questions. What, precisely, kind of market are they looking to tap here? Evil genius? Diabolical anime fan? The fact that this thing exists means someone is going to buy it, but thinking there’s a lucrative demographic out there for them to milk is probably pure fantasy. It’s still a comforting thought to know that the prototype they’ve unveiled has yet to be made mobile.
(Wired Japan via The Verge, image credit via Yamashita Yohei)
- The robot cheats at Rock-Paper-Scissors to win 100% of the time
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