Showing up to an event in a fancy car is great and all, but let’s face it: there’s a certain panache to showing up in a chariot. Make that chariot a solar-powered, robot chariot and, well… if there’s an award to be given at said event, they might as well give it to you right then and there.
During the Maker Faire event in the Bay Area earlier this year, Bob Schneeveis and Grant Grundler showed off their Solar Electric Robot Chariot, a transport capable of carting a single driver around in Roman Empire style with a cyborg-era flair.
Entirely solar-powered, the chariot is pulled by a robot with humanoid legs. The “feet” of the robot are equipped with wheels in order to lengthen its stride.
“This robot walks just like we do, with a natural knee, leg, and foot motion, powered by solar energy,” reports the official write-up of the pair’s DIY robot chariot. “All natural walking motion is achieved through cams and linkages. Built in a garage from scrap materials, this robot lives on sunlight.”
You can check out a video of the pair’s robot chariot below, but we can’t help wondering if there’s a potential collaboration here between the robot-chariot guys and the creators of MABEL, the world’s fastest two-legged robot. Imagine showing up at that same aforementioned event on a chariot pulled by a robot that jogs at a breezy 8mph?
Now that is making an entrance.
(via io9)
