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Japanese student invents real transformer robot [video]

By | May 10, 2012, 10:22 AM PDT

In moments, a generic radio-controlled car shifts, turns and becomes an upright mini fighting-machine — able to deliver the twists and punches familiar to those of us who watched the movie Transformers.

The toy was built by Kenji Ishida and JS Robotics — and in the world of household robotic inventions would probably be at the top of many a child’s Christmas list.

This is the 29-year-old modeler’s eighth generation attempt at putting together an RC Autobot — and he seems to have lived up to the challenge.

The robot is comprised of 22 servo motors which allow it to change from car to robot at the touch of a button, wiggle its hips and waddle on two legs before turning back into its familiar radio-controlled car shape.

What makes this innovative toy more astonishing is that Ishida reportedly built the prototype in his living room, and was intended to be a device entered in a competition against other household robot developers.

Version 9 is currently in development, and flying may be the next thing on Ishida’s list to accomplish.. although parents may not be so enthralled at the idea if it hits the stores.

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Charlie Osborne

About Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne is a contributing editor for SmartPlanet.

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne

Contributing Editor

Charlie Osborne is a freelance journalist and graphic designer based in London. In addition to SmartPlanet, she also writes the iGeneration column for business technology website ZDNet. She holds degrees in medical anthropology from the University of Kent.

Follow her on Twitter.

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne

Charlie Osborne does not have financial holdings that would influence how or what she covers.

She writes for SmartPlanet and is not an employee of CBS.

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