Japanese engineers have unveiled a robot that transforms into a car that can actually carry people on board, in what developers claim is a world-first.
The 3.7-metre (12.1-feet)-tall two seater robot ‘J-deite RIDE’ can transform into a sports car in a process that takes about a minute.
It can walk at 100 metres per hour (0.06 mph) or run on its four wheels but developers say they’ve never really tested it outside the factory cargo bay area.
As a car, it measures 4 metres (13 feet) long and 1.4 metres (4.6 feet) high.
During the transformation the car seats and hood lift up and the robot’s head appears, writes Asahi.
Two people, including a driver, can fit into the ‘cockpit’ but the machine can also be controlled wirelessly.
In the video they are seen waving at the camera as the transformation takes place.
Tokyo-based CEO of Brave Robotics, Kenji Ishida, said he was motivated by his childhood transformer heroes in anime movies.
‘The robots I’ve seen in animation movies since childhood all had this kind of look and they transform into or combined with each other to become something else with people on board,’ Mr Ishida said.
‘So I grew up believing that robots had to be capable of such things, which became my motivation to develop this robot.’
He initiated the project with Asratec, an affiliate of the Japanese mobile phone giant SoftBank, and a roller coaster manufacturer Sansei Technologies.
While admitting that it may seem like an expensive toy, Mr Ishida said the robot is an attempt to inspire others and broaden the human imagination.
Developers said they will begin with utilising the technology in entertainment industry, such as amusement park and street parades.
The company has spent three years developing the machine. Mr Ishida built the first version back in 2015.
At the time, developers said they hoped it would be ready last year.
The first prototype, which weighed 77lbs (35kg), was unveiled at the annual Digital Content Expo in Tokyo on 23 October 2014.
It is powered by something called ‘V-Sido OS’, software designed by creator Wataru Yoshizaki to allow anyone to control humanoid robots.
