one small step for optimus prime, one giant leap for transformer kind

with all these new advancements in the robotics field, aren’t you curious about the status of transformers — you know, the giant robot/cars you see in the micheal bay movies? well interestingly enough, japanese firm brave robotics — with the combined efforts of kenji ishida, wataru yoshizaki and kunio okawara — has presented its newest creation: the J-deite RIDE. it’s a real transformer that stands four meters tall when in bipedal robot mode. it may take a few steps here and there, perhaps do a little dance or stretch out its massive hands, and then unannounced it shrinks down into an average sized car when it begins to feel bored. the coolest part is that you can actually drive it, it has a electric battery and room for a driver and one passenger.
all images and video courtesy pf brave robotics

autobots, decepticons… that’s all becoming a reality, but perhaps not developing as quickly as their CGI counterparts. the japanese engineers have released some footage of their groundbreaking work on transformer technology. what you see here is the very cutting edge brought to you by brave robotics. you can visualize the car/robots change back and forth, all while the relaxed test pilots wave their hands at the camera. the actual transformation takes about a minute — which, for those of you who don’t know, is slow in the fantasy transformers world where robots change into cars in seconds. but that’s okay because it’s pretty much the most exciting thing the car can do, and it’s fascinating to watch.

the robot car takes two for the ride, so bring a friend

just to clarify, while it supposedly can walk and drive, the video only ever shows the robot moving a inch or so at a time. its ability to save the world is not too convincing. frankly, it’s unclear whether rolling a few inches even qualifies it as a car; and it’d be great to see this thing at top speed, or at-least on the street. to be perfectly honest, this transformer wouldn’t stand a chance against the movie versions, unless perhaps we’re talking about a dance off. still it’s a whole lot better than anything else out there in the world of transformer repros, so hats off to brave robotics.

hey! we’re transforming here