Who wouldn't like to see auto-bots transformers in his life-time? I
believe that the time is ripe for attempting some kind of a transformer robot.
For those who don't know what I'm talking about (are there any like that
here?), the auto-bot transformer is a robot that has (at-least) two
structurally-distinct shapes: the first is that of an automotive, e.g. bumblebee,
truck, sports-car, etc. while the second is that of a humanoid form.
I believe that the development of sophisticated humanoid walking robots
have reached the point where they are autonomous enough and power-fed enough to
actually make it possible to add to them another (super-cool) feature.
Furthermore, the development of light-weight electric cars has reached the
point where, if I'm not mistaken, the battery makeup of robots and such cars
are not that different.
Hence, there are only two things missing from actually building such an
auto-bot. The first is the transformation mechanism. Again, I believe that the
state-of-the-art mechanical engineering can easily design a simple
transformation, based on so many models of transformers in the toys market.
Placing two wheels on the legs, two wheels on the fore-arms should suffice for
the locomotion of the car, while the "folding"/transforming mechanism
is a "simple" addition of several more motors.
The second, which is somewhat more challenging, is to place the driver's
seat in this configuration. For a truly functional auto-bot, it should not only
be autonomous as a humanoid robot and a car, but also to be able to actually
drive a human in it. Safety issues are obviously a concern here.
The ultimate goal of this kind of project is the amazing scene from the
last Transformer action movie, in which the auto-bot transformed from car to
humanoid, during which there was a person inside, while keeping the human
intact and safe.
If anyone is up to it, her place in the coolness hall of fame is
guaranteed!
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