April 20, 2009

Japanese Man Builds Giant Robotic Beetle

Why? I don't know why. Why do people build any kind of robot? Exactly, because they're stupid idiots.

Designed and built by an Ibaraki man in his garage over the course of eleven years, the "Kabutom MX-03â€³ looks like a prop from a Power Rangers spin-off but is an actual working vehicle.

Shaped like a kabuto-mushi (rhinocerous beetle, a favorite design of Japanese toymakers and, uh, candymakers), it can be remote controlled or piloted from the cockpit (visible on the left side), and is capable of carrying passengers inside its shell.

First of all, eleven years? Some poor bastard pissed away more than a decade building what I'm going to destroy in an alcohol-fueled afternoon? That's almost enough to bring a tear to my eye. Almost, but not really because 1. we don't grieve for robot sympathizers and 2. I don't cry anyways (aliens stole my tear ducts). Also, who the hell is gonna crawl into a giant robotic beetle's shell? That's like asking someone to jump into a volcano, but far less like a giant hot tub.

Also, I apologize to anyone who watched the whole video. I meant to tell you to just skip around earlier.

Youtube
via
Giant Japanese beetle robot [japanprobe]

Thanks to Ross, Shelley, NuffSaid, bum master and Matt, all of whom would crush that thing like a bug. You know, if they were 50-feet tall. But they're not, so we're going with napalm.