The future is now. Or at least, it's soon, and over $1
million dollars away for those interested, as Japanese company Suidobashi has
announced plans to build custom, actual, operational mechs.
Named the "KURATAS", the vehicles will come at
a standard price of USD$1.3 million, with additional accessories like shields
and weapons available for around $50-80,000 each. You even get to choose the
paint scheme.
While there's the whiff of a scam to the whole thing -
especially given the fact we never see one actually moving on a road (and no,
some bad CG of one rolling through Shibuya doesn't count) - there's at least
one operational model that you can see in a promotional video below (which also
gives a fairly comprehensive breakdown of how it actually "works").
Those expecting a futuristic level of driver comfort, be
warned: the creators state that each vehicle is an "art piece",
designed to make "your dream of becoming a robot pilot" come true. Or,
more bluntly, "it doesn't guarantee you safety and comfort".
Zeonic Dukedom Motorcycle - Circuit fan Festa No.24 (Japan)
Honda Racing Motocycle painted in Neo Zeon's Sazabi color with various decals. Wow, I love everything from the rider's zeonic outfit to the Char's red color theme motorcycle.
'Another step closer to building an actual
Gundam in the future'
A
Japanese electronics company has unveiled a 13ft super-robot which can be
controlled by an iPhone.
The company also released a video where very attractive
Anna gives step by step instructions of how to operate the Kuratas.
Rush hour: If you
have grown weary of a traditional commute Kuratas is fully functioning on the
road - but will not get you to work any faster as its top speed barely hits 7
mph
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.
The video reminds the viewer of the security instructions on an airplane with Anna taking on the role as futuristic airhostess.
Pilot Anna is set to enter the robot's cockpit and poses
with the two men behind it: Wataru Yoshizaki, left and Kogoro Kurata after whom
the robot has been named. She looks out the cockpit of Kuratas - with onlookers
breathing a sigh of relief at the stern look on her face as the trigger for the
heavy artillery is a smile