Proving once again that the Japanese will almost certainly be the engineers of humanity’s future enslavement by robots, a Japanese company has created a functional mech robot.
The device, called Kuratas, runs on diesel fuel and opens to reveal a seat where a pilot can enter the cockpit. Using one-for-one controls, the pilot will then be able to use motion-control to move the giant robot’s arms. It can also fire bb ammunition at 6,000 rounds per minute and has a “lohas launcher” that fires filled bottles of water.
A version of the mech is was shown off at a Maker Fair in Tokyo this weekend.
The Kuratas’ creators are artists who insist that the invention is simply an art piece that can make Gundam and Mechwarrior fantasies come true. However, the device has predictably gained the attention of people (and governments, no doubt) across the world. With systems already in place to control and fire a gatling gun and water bottle launcher, it won’t be hard for skilled engineers to mount real, deadly weapons on the mech.
A custom Kuratas only costs a bit over $2 million. The custom order comes with a choice of launcher, gatling gun, organic rifle, pile bunker, and a hand gun designed for the Kuratas to use. It can be painted to taste, and an iPhone or drink holder can be added to the cockpit.
The mech suit doesn’t, in fact, actually need a pilot operating it from the inside. Using 3G the Kuratas can be controlled externally, turning it into a wireless tank. The software inside the device includes auto-targeting and a feature called “The Smile Shot,” which will fire the gatling guns when the pilot smiles.
This is all demonstrated with a disturbingly deadpan sense of humor in the how-to video below.