It might resemble the giant exoskeleton as seen in the James Cameron film Avatar, but this terrifying-looking machine of the future is set to become a reality.
A team of Canadian engineers and innovators are working on creating a giant human-controlled walking ‘anti-robot’ called Prosthesis, which is being built ‘by humans, for humans’.
Its performance will be completely dependent on the person strapped into its vast cockpit of the massive metal exoskeleton, who will control it with their body.
When it is built, the anti-robot will be a ‘hi-tech racing machine’ but piloting the machine will be difficult for the human inside it and there will be no automated controls.
In effect the creation, which will stand 16ft tall, is like a hefty mechanical suit and has already began being built in a laboratory in Vancouver, Canada.
The volunteers involved in the project said the machine will be the beginning of the ‘anti-robot revolution’, will weigh a massive 7,500 lbs (3,400kg) and have a top speed of 19mph (30 kmph).
Jonathan Tippett, the leader of the project, who has previously created a large robotic spider, said: ‘Prosthesis is neither a weapon, nor a tool. It is a sports machine, and the pilot is the athlete. It’s Formula One, meets the future.’
To operate the machine, a pilot will climb into the cockpit of the mechanical quadruped and will be strapped in, GizMag reported.
The pilot will be able to operate the machine using their arms and legs so that they can become ‘at one’ with it, which is essential as they will not be able to see the exoskeleton’s feet.
Mr Tippet said Prosthesis will ‘directly follow the movements of the pilots limbs’ so that their arms work the outside legs of the anti-robot and their legs control the machine’s inside legs.
He said: ‘The machine will lope along like a gorilla’ and each huge leg has two joints to move backwards and forwards.
Controlling all of the machine’s leg joints requires the pilot to use their entire body and the force of each mechanical foot will be transmitted directly to the pilot’s arms and legs so they can ‘feel’ every step the machine makes.
‘Not violently or ever in a way that could hurt the pilot, but the pilot will know by feel, just exactly how much weight is on each foot at all times,’ Mr Tippet explained.
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