Drivable Transformers Are Now On Sale
From the moment kids have seen mechas in Gundam and transforming robots in Transformers, they have wanted to own one of their own. Well, we’re all adults now, but you can finally order one of these robots of your own from the Japanese company Tsubame Industries. For a whopping 400 million yen (about US$2.7 million USD), you can place an order for your own driveable mech, which the company has dubbed ARCHAX (via Anime News Network).
Japanese company Tsubame Industries has a transforming robot for sale that doubles as a car or a mech.
While most of us won’t be able to afford these transforming robots, it’s still pretty amazing that you can actually place an order for one. The giant robots have two modes, dubbed “robot mode” and “vehicle mode,” which allow drivers to customize how they use the real-life mecha. The ARCHAX has twenty-six joints, movable arms, and articulated fingers that can be controlled while the mech is in robot mode.
The transforming robot is also equipped with A/C in the cockpit, and pilots can use two joysticks and two pedals to move around.
If you switch your transforming robot over to vehicle mode, you’ll be able to drive it around — at an admittedly sluggish 6.2 miles per hour. The 3.5-ton bot is powered by an electric battery and you can pilot the bot from the cockpit located in the chest area. The cockpit. is equipped with four displays that display live feeds from nine different cameras so pilots can keep track of all their surroundings.
The transforming robot is also equipped with A/C in the cockpit, and pilots can use two joysticks and two pedals to move around. To change between robot and vehicle mode, pilots can use a simple touchscreen. The ARCHAX is also named after the archaeopteryx, long considered to be the first fossil bird discovered (though birds likely evolved before then), as the ARCHAX is meant to evoke the archaeopteryx’s status of being the first of its species.
Of course, if you do have the funds to buy an ARCHAX of your own, you can customize the colors of your new life-sized mech — although the standard blue and yellow color is pretty cool as well.
Impressively, the company that designed this transforming robot, Tsubame Industries, is made up of only nine employees. While the company is primarily in the business of making industrial and agricultural machinery, this departure from their usual production M.O. may still have some functional uses other than being something incredibly cool to have in your garage.
CEO Tatsuo Yoshida hopes that the robot may be able to be used in disaster recovery efforts, space development, and other scenarios along with its intended entertainment value.
The company is also well aware that the transforming robot ARCHAX likely will only be purchased by the super wealthy for the time being, but there’s always a possibility that it could be produced at cheaper costs in the future.
Of course, if you do have the funds to buy an ARCHAX of your own, you can customize the colors of your new life-sized mech — although the standard blue and yellow color is pretty cool as well. You will have to wait a while if you make an order, though, as the made-to-order bots are expected to ship about one to one and a half years after the order is placed.
Meanwhile, those who can’t afford a transforming robot of their own can see the ARCHAX on display at the upcoming Japan Mobility Show 2023 event at Tokyo Big Sight. The event will run from October 26 to November 5. Or you could just watch some Gundam anime or a Transformers movie and keep dreaming of the day you can get one of your own.
