The Invasion, it has begun!

No one knows where they come from, or what they want from us, but it seems a new breed of four-legged robots has invaded the streets of Japan, leaving nothing but death and destruction in its wake. Er, well, at least there was one of these things around Harajuku station in Tokyo the other day, and its passenger wasn't very talkative. Harajuku is a well known area for cosplay craziness, but this bot really takes the cake. Apparently the unit is agile enough to get up and down curbs easily, and has been seen navigating the crowds and traffic of Harajuku with two different operators. We're sure these invaders merely want peace. Either that, or our eternal servitude and unlimited access to our natural resources.

[CharlieX @ Oct 31st 2006 3:56PM]

Do you realize what would happen in the USA if you waddled around with a radiation symbole on your robot? Yeah - you'd get homeland securitied up on yo thang.

[J. Evans Turner @ Oct 31st 2006 6:52PM]

How do you KNOW that it's NOT radioactive? ;)

[Rene Davila @ Oct 31st 2006 4:00PM]

I for all welcome our red four legged ivaders overlords

[Wonderboy @ Oct 31st 2006 4:02PM]

That's not an operator... its a robot who decapitated a victim, then placed the head inside the dome to make it look like it was just a man-controlled bot instead of an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it bot.

Or something.

[GorgeousGeorge @ Oct 31st 2006 4:04PM]

I, for one, welcome our new quadruped, pod-shaped robotic overlords.

[GorgeousGeorge @ Oct 31st 2006 4:06PM]

Damn it. Beaten to the punch. Thanks, painfully slow registration e-mail!

[Zoundguy @ Oct 31st 2006 4:25PM]

yes Turner, we DO in fact understand that it is not radioactive, but that still does not change the fact that CharlieX is sadly right.

[S-car-go @ Oct 31st 2006 5:02PM]

How do you know it is "not" radio active? Not being the operative word.

[ChrisWray @ Oct 31st 2006 4:27PM]

Y'know Engadget, it's taken 20-something 'robots are going to dominate the world' posts to really freak me out.
Now I'm going to research bomb shelters and stockpile every piece of valuable electronics I can, hoping to someday make that Frankenstein EMP gadget capable of bringing down an immediate onslaught of robotic domineers.

Really, I'm going to have nightmares about this, hope you know.

[Alex @ Oct 31st 2006 4:31PM]

"That's not an operator... its a robot who decapitated a victim, then placed the head inside the dome to make it look like it was just a man-controlled bot instead of an end-of-the-world-as-we-know-it bot.

Or something."

LMAO

[Warhorse @ Oct 31st 2006 4:33PM]

Yummmmm, EMP.

[Marshall @ Oct 31st 2006 4:44PM]

People, it's the beginning of the end.. run for your lives:

http://www.arcaner.com/my-engadget-photo-contest-entry

(this is my engadget photo contest entry, so a little bit of shameless self promotion, but i thought it was pretty relevant ;)

[PDubNYC @ Oct 31st 2006 4:54PM]

Dr. Robotnik's (sp?) early experiements. The mustache and laser weapons come later.

[doyouflip @ Oct 31st 2006 5:07PM]

"Either that, or our eternal servitude and unlimited access to our natural resources."

You mean like Rove does?


Oh yeah, I went there. Let the flaming begin.

[StreetStealth @ Oct 31st 2006 5:14PM]

Whoa, guys, settle down.

This isn't a robot; it's a Mobile Suit.

It's what the human soldiers will be WEARING (with, um, attached guns) when they fight the robots.

[JS @ Oct 31st 2006 5:20PM]

.........why doesnt he just walk?

Looks sorta cramped in there and I highly doubt my 6'4" frame would fit in that little bubble thing. Also I say we take them out now but putting marbles and bananna peels in its path!

[mark @ Oct 31st 2006 5:21PM]

Actually that's one of the new port-o-poddies. Designed for those who gotta go on the go.

[srw @ Nov 1st 2006 1:56AM]

I think mark has it right, we all know how the Japanese love their fancy toilettes.. only problem was it used to be you couldn't take them with you.. problem solved!

[Nigel @ Oct 31st 2006 5:23PM]

Paul, very funny post!

[Dan @ Oct 31st 2006 5:29PM]

Yup, it's cute all right...but it does look cramped...and I'll bet the ride would be pretty darn unpleasant. Can you imagine getting thrown around in that thing for a half hour? Maybe airbags will take on a whole new area of servitude, 'non-accident concussion avoidance' maybe? Oh...Endgadget Rules!

[Jim @ Oct 31st 2006 5:48PM]

"I give you the next president of Earth!"

"Nixon's back!"

[Rick @ Oct 31st 2006 6:02PM]

Why is it the Japanese ALWAYS cutify everything tech? Just put a Hello Kitty symbol on the thing and its a hit with them...

[Rand @ Oct 31st 2006 6:13PM]

We're all doomed!!!!! A Cuisinart Robot that runs off the juice of PEOPLE! IT JUICES PEOPLE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[DarkFader @ Oct 31st 2006 6:25PM]

Meh... I want tachikoma's! Oh well.. I can will until 2029.

[Dave Pevsner @ Oct 31st 2006 6:46PM]

yet another reason to visit harajuku. anyone have any spare airline miles they'd like to lend me?

[David Gomez @ Oct 31st 2006 4:51PM]

The Logo is yellow and black, it is not the color for the Radioactive material logo. The actual logo is yellow and magenta. In the USA by law if you have a yellow and magenta nuclear logo sticker lets see in your car, the car will be confiscate.

[Rat Bastard @ Oct 31st 2006 6:56PM]

If you put in 50 cents and turn the handle, you can either get a jawbreaker, some Runts candy, or a Japanese salaryman.

[CloaxaMaxima @ Oct 31st 2006 7:59PM]

Proof that the invasion is underway!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8eCptdJ7nMM

[Nizam Rahman @ Oct 31st 2006 8:28PM]

In any case, I'd want one. Just like a cute, huggable Tachikoma.

[Greg @ Oct 31st 2006 9:37PM]

look a Japanese person sitting Indian-style...



nothing?

[darkstar @ Oct 31st 2006 9:38PM]

I work at Design Festa at Harajuku where this shot was taken, every year we have 2 giant events at the Tokyo Big Dome and Twice a year he comes up with that thing, I've interviewed him a couple of times, that this is like 3 years old.

[_man1c_ @ Oct 31st 2006 11:00PM]

hmm. could you biggy size that thing? for half of america would nvr fit in it..

[Mike D @ Nov 1st 2006 2:33AM]

yeah but can it do the robot?

[dave @ Nov 1st 2006 2:49AM]

http://www.1st-ave-machine.com/video/1stavepro.mov

[wes @ Nov 1st 2006 7:21AM]

that pose looks mighty uncomfortable, i bet thats only a head connected via the celebral cortex directly to the cpu of that bubblebot *g*

[iptydafu @ Nov 1st 2006 9:47AM]

Good grief, the Invid have fallen to the obesity epidemic.

[Aakash @ Nov 1st 2006 4:42PM]

Sugoi!

[number40one @ Nov 2nd 2006 4:33PM]

It looks like the oversized prototype of a Disney MP3 player.