KURATAS | from US$1,353,500.00 | suidobashijuko.jp
Not content with just virtual mech machines in a game of MechWarrior? I knew you wouldn’t cos’ we aren’t too. Since the beginning of time, many folks who grew up watching Japanese animations such as Robotech or played MechWarrior have dreamt of piloting robots or Mechs. It was a dream that may seem a little far-fetched until now or so it seems thanks to an idea proposed by a Japanese firm, Suidobashi
Heavy Industry to create a real-life working mech has our hearts racing with excitement. For a hefty price tag of $1,353,500, this supposed mech named KURATAS could be yours, with an option for buyers to include add-ons such as carbon shields and non-lethal weapons for around $50k to $80k a pop.
However, do not expect yourself to be stomping away in your KURATAS like MechWarriors do as this mech rolls on wheels instead of a pair of periodically hissing legs and it relies on a diesel engine to propel its 4.5 tons of mass at a leisurely pace of just 10 km/h (6.2 mph).
It does, however, have the ability to vary its height (from low to high and vice versa), plus a few other tricks such as remote control with your smartphone via the 3G network, a computing targeting system, and functional but non-lethal (though, painful) weapon system that comprises of ‘LOHAS launcher’ that launches water bottles and a pair of Gatling guns that is capable of unleashing 6,000 BB bullets a minute.
Speaking of which, this is where the odd part of things starts – the Gatling guns are triggered by a smile (dubbed as SmileShots) where you can let loose those BBs at your enemies with just a smile (???). Nonetheless, as a fan of Mecha, I will keep believing but perhaps not the smile-activated feature. You see, I like to smile (a lot) and I am not fond of an angry, BB-bruised mob.
Hit the jump for two videos: a product intro video and a ‘How to ride KURATAS’ video. the latter sounds suspiciously like an airline safety video at some point. I am saying…
Suidobashi via Geek via Kotaku
