Kinect-based 'giant robot' in the works

Here's one heck of a toy for the big boys: a 3.8-meter (about 12 feet) mecha that can be controlled by a smartphone and a Kinect motion-activated game accessory. The robot is a project of Suidobashi Heavy Industry – a group of dedicated giant robot afficionados – aiming to make the 4.9-ton mecha operational before end-2012. An article on PlasticPals.com said the group includes Kogoro Kurata (production), Wataru Yoshizaki (control circuitry), and Yusuke Kitani. In building the robot, the group is using V-SIDO software for the mecha’s master-slave controls developed by Asura Engineering. The robot, codenamed Vaudeville, has four legs each ending in a wheel, PlasticPals.com said. It added the software will combine a smartphone, master-slave handlebars for the arms, and a Microsoft Kinect sensor that will allow the pilot to rotate the cockpit "presumably with his head movement," it added. Other "weapons" for the robot include an optional water gun and camouflage paint job. A separate article on Dvice.com said the robot's movements are "fluid yet slow," but may still be refined as the project is still in its early stages. "(S)o it's entirely possible that in a few years this thing will be running the streets of Tokyo with a terrifyingly quick step," it said. — LBG, GMA News