Video: Takeshi Maeda's OmniZero.9 robot transforms, carries creator, blows minds
Remember the cartoon Turbo Teen where a kid could turn himself into that most desirable of '80s cars, a red Firebird? That was pretty terrible, but we promise the video below of a robot turning itself into a red car is rather more compelling. It's OmniZero.9, the latest creation from Takeshi Maeda who earlier brought us the OmniZero.4. The ninth iteration is a humanoid looking bot with wheeled shoulders and knees that allows it to motor along the ground. Its head also flips back to create a seat just big enough for its creator, who jumps on for a short ride around the demonstration stage. The bot competed at ROBO-ONE in a few different categories and was captured on video doing its stuff solo and also shamelessly knocking an under-sized competitor out of the ring. Go ahead, click on through. You won't want to miss this.























This is amazing.
The second video reminds me of my childhood *shivers*
Awesome, but I want it to transform faster.
Robots . . . . . . in . . . disguise.
Damn those bully robots.
It's got some kind of bizarre dominance posture involving those flaps on its forearms...eeehhhhhhhh....
I for one welcome our new robot overlords!
Even God bows before the robot overlords... resistance is futile.
THAT... is.... AWESOME!!!!
what's with the Dutch national anthem in the background in the first video? :D
Nothing. That's "Auld Lang Syne".
usually played at closing time in the department stores and shopping malls.
It's also played at New Years Eve...
Not exactly the power riffs you'd usually associate with oriental robots (i.e. Gundam)
lol
Andre Hazes - wij houden van oranje, is not the dutch national anthem and he stole the music from an old irish song.
WIN
[insert tired 'submit to robot overlords' quote here]
That's incredible. I'm completely unfamiliar with this competition. What kind of autonomy do those the robots have? Omnizero.9 is clearly not being directly controlled by his creator during the actual competition. That seems like a lot of horsepower (both mechanical and computational) for a mobile platform.
Unfortunately, not too much autonomy in these. The robots are by and large remote-controlled using wireless game controllers (I'm certain Takeshi Maeda is being assisted by someone off-stage). Although a few of them do have IR sensors and touch sensors, which when activated cause the robots to do a preplanned action, most do not. A division of KAIST (Korean Advanced Institute of Science and Technology) is working with embedded SOCs with cameras and distance sensors for fully autonomous robot fighting matches (as well as tank-style robots) using hobby kits such as Bioloid Robotis and Hitech's Robonova. Hopefully more autonomy will be added in the coming years.
robots in disguise!
Autobots wage their battle to destroy the evil forces of the decepticons!
TRANSFORMERS!!!!
It wins on looks alone. Function is just icing on the cake!
You have it the other way around.
Unless you're a mac user.
best comment of the day right there.
Soon we will have real life Transformers!! Yes!
"Takeshi Maeda's OmniZero.9 robot transforms, enslaves creator, blows minds"
Yeah, in next years video he will be the one carrying the robot.
No, no, no they just edited out the part where the robot held him down by the groin and carried him off to the mines...
One day Japan is going to save our planet from alien attack.
lmao, that's so true
As if it weren't just all the RPGs and Strategy games preparing them for alternative strategy situations, the action games with five hundred joysticks would get them ready for the obvious Gundam situations.
The true test will be taking on a Godzilla-bot. Now THAT would be cool to see.
One step closer towards robot domination...That dancing frog robot didn't stand a chance in the second video. Don't they have weight classes?
What's with the Christmas music in the first video?
awesome! one day japan will rule all over the world kidding! :P
I expected him to stand on it like a skateboard when robot went down on its knees.
hoping is 200yrs or so this will be the new in thing. however I believe 1000yrs from now will hold the next jump fordward and no more of this faster, faster, faster computers and more super efficient processors in robots (and bettery battery techonlogy).
Really should have stopped with the first line on that one....
Transformers, overlords in disguise!
FAIL. Megazord could easily dispatch this thing. It doesn't even have Lighting Thunder Blast shoulders???
But would it win in a super robot fight?
http://uploadrobots.com/superrobot
:D
D:
:D
D:
MotoSlave! http://www.yamatotoysusa.com/page.cfm/497
this is just... stupid..
Yes, I agree, your comment was stupid. The robot on the other hand is pretty damn impressive. Not as impressive as all the stuff you invented I'm sure, but impressive non the less.
RUSH!
This Robot looks like the Racing Robot in Chrono Trigger called Johnny ! he had tires on his shoulders too. I think sony might send a cease and desist letter to them like they did chrono resurrection
Why would Sony send a cease-and-desist letter when Chrono Trigger is a Square-Enix property? FAIL.
Being serious, what is the Japanese obsession with robots? If there is some cultural reason do tell.
Robots have been a part of the mainstream culture in Japan since comics and animated tv shows like Astro Boy and Gigantor (Tetsujin 28) in the '60s, and going further back they made automatons which could be considered the predecessors of modern robots. Almost all kids grow up watching tv shows where robots are the main characters or heroes, such as Doraemon. This leads to the perception that robots are friendly and will one day be commonplace in society. The Japanese were also the first to invent bipedal robots at Waseda University in the 1970s, so it may be a point of national pride. This is quite a different view compared to the Western Terminators, Matrix, and so on.
oh they just HAD TO add these ridiculous spikes on his arms, right?
*slap* I'm still good, let me up *slap* that all you got *slap* *crouch* *slap* *slap* *clunk* Hey, no fair!
This is impressive. Amazing!
Transformers 3... Actually, the orange dude is awesome!