Honda's transforming Rose Parade float in action

With all of yesterday's excitement over the availability of TV converter box coupons, we totally spaced on the annual Rose Parade, featuring that crazy ASIMO-piloted, transforming Ridgeline float from Honda. Well luckily a member of the YouTube nation was able to (rather shakily) capture a full transformation sequence on home video, which you can catch in three parts after the break. Our take? Pretty impressive for a parade float, but pit this achingly-slow changer against any one of the Decepticons in a ROBO-One-style deathmatch, and Honda would have a lot of truck-plane pieces to sweep up after the carnage.

[4honor @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:41AM]

That's is neat!

[4honor @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:41AM]

oops, duplicate "is"

[Chuckles McGee @ Jan 2nd 2008 2:06PM]

From the picture, it looks like a crop-dusting spaceship... in the desert.

[Flashpoint @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:43AM]

"Pretty impressive for a parade float, but pit this achingly-slow changer against any one of the Decepticons in a RoboOne-style deathmatch, and Honda would have a lot of truck-plane pieces to sweep up after the carnage."



Don't you mean, the Honda would be in lots of little pieces?
...if it is "achingly slow"?

[something @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:11AM]

Isn't that what he said?

"Honda would have a lot of truck-plane pieces to sweep up after the carnage."

The Honda is a TRUCK that turns in to a PLANE therefore being the pieces he is referring to.

[abadtooth @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:43AM]

ASIMO PAWNZ ALL!

[Gregory Kimball @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:46AM]

It's about time somebody built a vehicle powered by Pink Floyd and smoke machines.

[dreampc @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:50AM]

but alas it was just hydraulics and 4+ humans to make it all happen.

[NHAnimator @ Jan 2nd 2008 10:59AM]

Yeah. My car has flames coming out of its butt like that too. Just not intentionally.

[Rynth @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:01AM]

Mine does: Yay for anti-lag ^^,

[Eddy Alvarez @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:02AM]

this is what i commented over at autoblog:
cool factor: marginal (too slow, but cool that Asimo was the pilot)
but i sure as heck hope they get the crapioca pudding sued out of them for using the sacred TRANSFORMERS transformation sound.

[Neoprimal @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:07AM]

Yeah, only GMC can use that...

[Allan @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:06AM]

Ya, like I said over on AB, it's just wayyy too slow. It's cool, but just SLOW.

[izzy @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:27AM]

It's made out of flowers, what do you expect?

[Shane @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:08AM]

I actually saw this during the parade on HD Net.

Wish I had set my DVR to capture it so I could share the video in high-def glory...

Shaky YouTube videos: FAIL.

[Chad @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:07PM]

rewind and then hit record... most PVRs allow that. The good ones will let you just hit record and it'll save everything it has for that channel so far.

[Shane @ Jan 2nd 2008 5:13PM]

I know that...The DVR in my cable box essentially records whatever you are watching and will save it if you punch the record button before the show is over.

Unfortunately I didn't think to hit the record button while the parade was on.

[Neoprimal @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:11AM]

To give credit where credit is due, I thought it was pretty awesome....and I thought the speed was fine, when it comes to foam and glue you can't expect things to move at a fast pace.

[bcollinstex @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:25AM]

Shaky McSpasms on the camera.

[Yevon @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:56AM]

Yeah, I second that. They could use one of these:

http://littlegreatideas.com/steadycam/

Were there no professional shots on YouTube?

[james @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:29AM]

I don't get it. That's all they could come up with? I think it's pretty weak.

[Sean @ Jan 2nd 2008 11:41AM]

All I can say is that, even though it was slow, it's pretty impressive being made out of flowers.

[Shadowfax @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:07PM]

I saw it Live on HGTV... though a bit slow, it was pretty cool... surprised nobody here's ripped & uploaded it already. :P

[zax @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:53PM]

I was at the parade and saw this thing. As it rolled past me, the front part folded out, with an Asimo pilot sitting there. But that was it. The rest of the transformation never happened (at least along my stretch of the parade route). And I must say it looked pretty stupid. Everyone was like, "That's it? What the heck is that thing?" I think it must have been malfunctioning, because we saw lots of smoke coming from it when it was further up the street, and again after it past us. Also, that Ridgeline truck is just hideous looking IMO.

[Jonathan Bergeron @ Jan 2nd 2008 12:35PM]

that is so cool. if all the floats in the Rose Bowl parade were that cool, I'd actually think about watching it.

[Earnest @ Jan 2nd 2008 1:48PM]

I wish Honda would crash a Boston parade. All we ever get are Duck Boats. They don't even decorate them.

[ken przywara @ Jan 2nd 2008 2:03PM]

here is the broadcast coverage: http://tinyurl.com/2w3qzc

[Jon Doe @ Jan 2nd 2008 2:26PM]

If a transformer took that long to change the episode would be over. :xP I guess those crazy machine aliens have technology that cuts the transforming process in a 10th.

[nth256 @ Jan 2nd 2008 2:44PM]

"Passport to the Future" is kinda odd name for the float, considering the Passport is a discontinued Honda SUV, and the Ridgeline used for the design is a current model.

But I guess "Ridgeline to the Future" doesn't make much sense...

[Daniel @ Jan 2nd 2008 2:53PM]

i was wondering if anyone else noticed this! I checked to see if my iTunes was open, but it was not.

[engineer @ Jan 2nd 2008 5:41PM]

wtf that's something for disneyland maybe, but where is the REAL flying robot now, Honda??! We all have a limited lifespan, now do something!

[Dull @ Jan 2nd 2008 8:25PM]

Kinda a neat advertisement for ASIMO, HondaJet & a car.

[Nick @ Jan 4th 2008 5:15PM]

Oooh, aaah, not really, go watch Transformers.

[RAD Moose @ Jan 3rd 2008 12:36AM]

It was kinda neat, but the Honda roller coaster a few years ago was much cooler!

[abu @ Jan 4th 2008 1:58PM]

ROFL that thing sucks beyond any reasonable limit