Climb into the Cockpit of This 13-Foot Robot for Only $1.28 Million

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Get ready to fulfill all of your Robotech-related fantasies — provided you have $1.28 million on hand. That’s how much it will cost you to buy Kuratas, the 13-foot tall humanoid robot on wheels unveiled at Tokyo’s World Festival on Monday by Suidobashi Heavy Industry, according to the Guardian.

We haven’t had the chance to try it out (hint, hint Suidobashi Heavy Industry) but the instructional video above makes it look like every 12-year-old’s dream come true. Actually, if it wasn’t for this video of the same pilot “Anna” climbing into the robot during a live demonstration, I would think it was too good to be true.

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, Kuratas is equipped with a Gatling gun that can shoot 100 ball bearings a second. The controls inside the cockpit move the 4.5-metric ton robot’s 30 hydraulic joints, although it can also be operated remotely via a smartphone with a 3G connection.

It’s not exactly the fastest robot; in the video of the live demonstration, it seemed to pivot around at a glacial pace, and its top cruising speed is supposedly only 6 miles per hour. Still, a Gatling gun!

Apparently they’re made-to-order and are available in 16 different colors, with an optional cup-holder available for $90, just in case you feel like splurging a bit more. It was designed by artist Kogoro Kurata, who has created similar mech models before.

Will people actually be able to order working versions of Kuratas? Is this all an elaborate hoax? If not, I say 1.28 million of us should team up to buy one right away.

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