Prepare to have your mind blown because a Japanese company has just unveiled the technology of our dreams. And no, it’s not something as mundane as a warp drive or a new way to purify seawater. It’s something far more exciting: a robot that can actually transform into a car!
Introducing Archax, the incredible creation by Tsubame Industries. This groundbreaking robot is now available for pre-order, with a price tag of 400 million yen ($2.6 million). Unlike the fictional Transformers we know and love, Archax requires a human driver to operate it from the inside, just like a real-life Gundam robot. Equipped with two joysticks, two pedals, and a touch panel, the pilot can control this 3.5-ton marvel while observing the outside world through multiple cameras and screens.
The team at Tsubame Industries aimed to turn science fiction into reality with the creation of this 4.5-meter (14.8-foot) robot/car. Their goal was to bring the fantastical world of transforming robots to life, and they have certainly succeeded.
Now, before you start envisioning epic battles against the Decepticons, it’s important to note that Archax has its limitations. While it’s undeniably impressive to witness a car morph into a robot with movable arms and fists, or a robot shrink down into a car-like form, this incredible machine is not capable of walking. It relies on wheels attached to its limbs and has a top speed of 10 kilometers per hour (6.2 miles per hour), which is on the slower side compared to walking speed. But let’s be honest, when you’re piloting a real-life transforming robot, who cares about speed?
