Meet the Kuratas mech

[Morbius Sire]

A Japanese electronics company has unveiled a 13ft super-robot which can be controlled by an iPhone.

But be careful with the jokes if you are on the phone to the pilot as the robot, made by Suidobashi Heavy Industry in Tokyo, brings a whole new meaning to ‘trigger-happy’.

'Kuratas' is fitted with a futuristic weapons system, including a gatling gun capable of shooting 6,000 BB bullets a minute, which fires when the pilot smiles.


Kuratas, made by Suidobashi Heavy Industry, can be controlled either through the one-man cockpit or from the outside using any smartphone connected to the 3G network.

The robot, which is set will go on sale for £900,000, has around 30 hydraulic joints which the pilot moves using motion control.

As it is made to order the style conscious buyer will not have to worry about sticking to the grey exterior - it comes in 16 colours, including black and pink, and for an extra £60 they will sort you out with a cup holder.


Engineers Wataru Yoshizaki and Kogoro Kurata were saluted in front of Kuratas together with their pilot Anna when they showcased the robot at the Wonder Festival in Chiba, suburban Tokyo earlier today.

The team have been working on the robot since 2010.

The company also released a video where very attractive Anna gives step by step instructions of how to operate the Kuratas.


The video reminds the viewer of the security instructions on an airplane with Anna taking on the role as futuristic airhostess.

If you are not the piloting kind of millionaire, Kuratas can be operated using what Suidobashi calls the ‘Master-Slave system’ where you control the robot’s movements from outside using any device with a 3G network such as an iPhone.

‘Automatic alignment allows you to lock on your enemy target. Kuratas will not allow any targets to escape.

'With the alignment set appropriately the system will fire BBs when the pilot smiles.’


Realising that there may be a flaw with this system of opening fire, the video warns the pilot against smiling too much whilst operating the Kuratas weaponry.

Kurayas is 13ft tall and weighs four tons – not including the pilot.

The four wheeled legs ensures that it is easy to transport and the pilot will be able to drive it at a top speed of just under 6.5 mph.

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Spoiler for Picture: 

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All I can say, is this is amazing. I am simply amazed and ecstatic.
Oh boy, the possibilities, for this tech, are just amazing.

[6644kp]

Seems kind of unreal but apparently legit. This thing with the leg mechanics of big dog and actual weapons installed could make quite a weapon system.

Although it sort of is one right now 6000BB shots would kill someone I bet. And Anna is definitely partly Caucasian.

It makes the timeline of the movie Real Steel seems possible.

[Heinz Guderian]

grrrr. please put down your weapon. you have 20 seconds to comply

[Aanker]

It's an art piece, so probably not what a military would be going for.

Lots of big, mechanical parts that move making for a horrid maintenance experience (and some of those parts are vulnerable to fire, obviously), a high profile making for perfect target practice and a rather lacking potential for movement in rough terrain.

If this is going to be of military use (note: the intimidation caused by the vehicle may make it useful in some aspects of warfare), it will need a lot of development. Better invest those funds into exoskeleton and bioengineering research.

[Sphere]

The most astonishing thing?

"It is gasoline fueled and runs on a diesel engine."

[alexanderswift]

Can someone lend me 900,000 euros?


Edit: Seriously though, it's a neat art project and pretty damn cool but useless for any actual combat applications. Though I highly doubt they were intending it to be anything other than really cool, either way as someone who's enjoyed a great deal of sci-fi I'm just really happy.

[GrnEyedDvl]

Might be good for crowd control. Like when the idiots at the local kids soccer game decide they want to punch out the 16 yr old ref.

[alexanderswift]

Might be good for crowd control. Like when the idiots at the local kids soccer game decide they want to punch out the 16 yr old ref.

That might actually be a decent application for it, since it's got the right loud out if you just changed those bottle rockets to tear gas and the BBs to rubber bullets.

Still has a long way to go however, it seems pretty fragile.

[visser300]

Riot control is actually suitable for this mech.

No one wants to mess with a big moving steal that is 13 ft. high. I doubt that rioters have anti-tank missile or armour-piecing bullets.

[Phier]

Wake me when it can actually run and walk.

[alexanderswift]

Wake me when it can actually run and walk.

Since it has wheels and can drive at 10km there's no reason for it to ever do either.

[Aanker]

Rioters climb stairs or move onto somewhat trampled and uneven grass turf.

Robotic sadface ensues.

[The Despondent Mind]

Rioters climb stairs or move onto somewhat trampled and uneven grass turf.

Robotic sadface ensues.

That's when the police kicks in .

[alexanderswift]

That's when the police kicks in .

Exactly, it's not going to take down the entire riot single handed but a mech shooting tear gas is going to disperse a crowd pretty quickly. I'm curious how it would fair on stairs though, either way the shock value would be its most important feature.

[Morbius Sire]

Rioters climb stairs or move onto somewhat trampled and uneven grass turf.

Robotic sadface ensues.

No reason for a sad face, really.
There's a modification to circumvent terrain issues: the use of built-in drones. Drones small enough to be used on these robots.

For example, this design can work well as long as you add some riot control measures:

Spoiler Alert, click show to read: 

[alexanderswift]

That might be just a bit much really, it's not like they're enemy combatants. If you've got the rioters running for high ground in a panic going any further is unneeded.

[Phier]

You know what else has wheels, good firepower, and can't go up stairs, plus doesn't have 30 heavy hydraulics to break?

[alexanderswift]

You know what else has wheels, good firepower, and can't go up stairs, plus doesn't have 30 heavy hydraulics to break?

That isn't nearly as cool.

[Krieglord]

It looks cool and all but quite frankly any army in the world (apart from salvation army) could easily take it down.

That said are we getting closer to Atlas mechs or what?

[The Despondent Mind]

It looks cool and all but quite frankly any army in the world (apart from salvation army) could easily take it down.

Nobody said it will gonna be used in the army .