Japan engineers create robot that transforms into car with men on-board

A SoftBank Group Corp. subsidiary and two other firms have developed a prototype of a two-seater humanoid robot that can transform into a car for use in amusement parks, the companies said Thursday.Looking just like the heroes of the American film “Transformers,” the experimental model of “J-deite RIDE” is able to change to-and-from humanoid-mode into vehicle-mode in about one minute.

The 3.7-meter tall, 1.6-ton robot walks on two legs at a speed of 100 meters per hour, while it can go 60 kilometers per hour in vehicle mode and the electric car can be driven both by manually and by remote control, according to a release by the three companies.

The robot was developed by Softbank’s software subsidiary Asratec Corp., Tokyo-based start-up Brave Robotics Inc. and Sansei Technologies Inc., an Osaka-based major gaming machine maker. Sansei is in charge of commercializing the robot for go-carts and parades at amusement parks.

The companies plan to show the robot at an event at Twin Ring Motegi, a race circuit in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, on May 5, followed by an appearance at the exhibition of “IAAPA Attractions Expo 2018” in Florida in November.

A new transforming robot called “J-deite RIDE” that transforms itself into a passenger vehicle, developed by Brave Robotics Inc, Asratec Corp and Sansei Technologies Inc, is unveiled at a factory near Tokyo, Japan, April 25, 2018. Picture taken April 25, 2018. REUTERS/Toru Hanai[/caption]

Japan’s robot creators Wataru Yoshizaki (R) of Asratec and Kenji Ishida of Brave Robotics display the transformable robot “J-Deite quarter”, which can change its shape of a robot to a vehicle at the annual Digital Contens Expo in Tokyo on October 23, 2014. The 1.3m-tall J-Deite quarter can walk on two legs at a speed of 1kph while it can move on its wheels with a speed of 10kph. AFP PHOTO / Yoshikazu TSUNOYOSHIKAZU TSUNO/AFP/Getty Images[/caption]