The Robot Rhinoceros We All Want To Ride Immediately
Yes, a robot rhino exists and we’d like to book a ride. Futurism reports that this year at the Japan Mobility Show, formerly known as the Japan Motor Show, there was a wide range of robots, mobility scooters, aircraft, wheelchairs, and other technological marvels and inventions on display. Numerous tech companies participate in the annual event, which has been broadened in recent years to include future possibilities for personal mobility.
Sansei Technologies Created This Robot Rhino
Among those on display this year was something that can only be described as a robot rhinoceros. Similar in size to a minivan, the quadrupedal walking robot carries as many as four passengers at a time. The unusual walking vehicle is a prototype from Sansei Technologies, a Japanese manufacturing company.
The Robot Was Created For An Amusement Park
Dubbed SR-02, the robot rhino is intended to be somewhat whimsical as it was initially designed as an amusement park ride. Sansei Technologies claims the robot is the first of its kind, saying in February of this year when the contraption made its debut that it is the world’s first ride consisting of a four-legged walking robot. The idea is in part to offer the experience of quadrupedal walking motion for riders who might not be interested in sitting atop a real elephant or rhinoceros.
The Rhino Is Remotely Controlled
The prototype of the robot rhino measures roughly 11 feet long and barely more than five feet wide, giving it an amply spacious compartment for its passengers. The movement of the mechanical beast can be controlled either by passengers themselves or remotely by an external operator. And yes, we absolutely had flashbacks to the AT-AT from Star Wars while watching this thing go.
The Design Resembles Star Wars’ AT-ATs
After all, a robot rhino certainly seems at home in a science fiction universe like Star Wars. But, like many things that once seemed to be science fiction, the SR-02 is a real thing that exists in our world, however potentially impractical it may seem. Of course, it was not necessarily built with practicality in mind, though there could actually be situations in which a four-legged mode of transportation would be advantageous.
There’s Only One Robot Rhino Prototype In Existence…For Now
Still, if a robot rhinoceros replaces a hippopotamus on our wish list this Christmas, we’re sure Santa will understand. Of course, there’s the small matter of only the prototype existing at the moment, but we figure some inventive and fast-working elves could get on the job pretty quickly—right?
One way or another, we hope these vehicles are available for public use soon, preferably in an amusement park, though it would be interesting to see them traversing public streets, maybe in some kind of weird quadrupedal bike lane.
But it wasn’t all robot rhinos at the Japan Mobility Show, where tech companies had all sorts of gadgets, gizmos, and doohickeys on display, including delivery robots and buggies designed for rough terrain on alien worlds. They also demonstrated small electric excavators and other useful and curious creations. Whether or not the SR-02 will eventually become a real amusement park attraction, it certainly represents a new and exciting form of transportation that will definitely inspire further innovation.
