If you’re like me, you enjoy robots that turn into other things. You also might enjoy beer. That makes this robot doubly awesome. Transformers, of course, are the most popular “robots in disguise”, but there are many other children’s toys which transform from a mundane object into something quite different. Geekologie has shown us how Japanese designer and YouTube user longjie0723 created his own incognito robot, fashioning it after a can of beer.
At first glance, it could indeed pass for a beer, especially since you wouldn’t be looking out for hidden robots unless you’re either paranoid or know something we don’t. Looking closer, though, you can see that the beer can isn’t completely smooth, but before you can really make out why this might be, its surface springs apart in three panels, attached to the core by two limbs each. First, he has the robot shuffle around, essentially using the three extended panels as tripod legs. The core also lifts up and down, but what I think is the coolest part is how quickly the panels can retract, turning the robot back into an innocuous aluminum can.
It’s impressive enough on those merits, but the designer is also thoughtful enough to show off his creation by taking it apart, showing us that it runs on 4 AA batteries and how each leg has two RC servos allowing them to move. In further geeky awesomeness, he set it up so that the robot is controlled with a standard Nintendo Wii remote; the A button causes the legs/panels to extend, up and down control the core’s movement, while left and right allow the robot to shuffle along in either direction. The Home button retracts the panels, returning the robot to its mostly-sleek beer can shape. There’s also a demonstration in the video of how the robot is able to move around, if awkwardly, while horizontal on a flat surface. For a different twist, check out the Beer-Fetching Robot or this Heineken Can R2-D2.
