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Six Tonne Walking Spider Takes Passengers on Giant Robot Rides
Posted by Sean Fallon at 5:10 AM on August 27, 2008
Martin Montesano's giant "Walking Beast" isn't the first robot spider ever made, but it is the only one I can recall that is this enormous and has the ability to take on passengers. His 6 tonne, 23-foot-long creation was built over the course of three years at an expense of US$50,000--and it can carry up to six passengers in its steel belly and two (including the driver) in the head.
If you are fortunate enough to actually ride in the Walking Beast, don't expect heart-pounding, edge of your seat thrills. Its Chevy V8 engine only musters up enough power to move the steel behemoth along at around 8 kph--although it does shake the ground up to 150 metres away with each step. Montesano is planning on making some upgrades to the Walking Beast in the near future, including an elevator system to load passengers. Perhaps he should start touring the country offering rides at US$10 a pop--sort of like a nerdy adult version of pony rides at a state fair. [Pop Sci]
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
GadgetPlay
Posted 5:43 AM 27/8/08
I didn't see anything resembling 5 MPH. And the cameraman tried to find the babe at the end, but he lost her. Damn.
GadgetPlay
krystar
Posted 5:42 AM 27/8/08
it's the first step to robot jox!
+ Watch video
krystar
LiquidGravity
Posted 5:40 AM 27/8/08
Yeah topless at Burning Man. Needs to move faster.
Also like the crab cars on Dr.Zoidberg's home planet in Futurama.
LiquidGravity
GreatDivide
Posted 5:40 AM 27/8/08
I've seen one of these before: It's called an Elephant
GreatDivide
halloweenjack
Posted 5:34 AM 27/8/08
I'd like to rent this for the purpose of crushing my enemies beneath its remorseless steely tread. Topless Burning Man Lady can ride shotgun.
halloweenjack
execrationist
Posted 5:34 AM 27/8/08
Needs more rail gun.
execrationist
stryder100
Posted 5:29 AM 27/8/08
Looks like Burning Man to me. More a work of art than a practical prototype.
stryder100
Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity
Posted 5:29 AM 27/8/08
It needs some brass and copper pipes. Then it's steam-punk!
Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity
iscangel
Posted 5:24 AM 27/8/08
Anybody said at-t?... Where in the fuckn hell is chewie, i didn't see it??
iscangel
Hectorvex
Posted 5:24 AM 27/8/08
@ Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish: Sadly, so did I. And things like this should really stop when there are half nekkid chicks nearby.
Hectorvex
SigmundTheSeaMonster
Posted 5:23 AM 27/8/08
@DukeOliver: @Hyruu: Yep around 1:08 to 1:12. I found her and her Red hair far more interesting (the spider is too slow).
SigmundTheSeaMonster
Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish
Posted 5:20 AM 27/8/08
I imagined Will Smith in a cowboy getup swinging in and landing on top of it.
And then I wept.
Kaiser-Machead's WALL-E fetish
ideaman2020
Posted 5:18 AM 27/8/08
"Motesano is planning on making some upgrades to the Walking Beast in the near future"
Sure. It's all fun and games until the robots become sentient and overthrow their soft, fleshy masters...
ideaman2020
lldsandsll
Posted 5:17 AM 27/8/08
@Hyruu: dude i think ur right. my gf has an outfit like that. it also has cutouts around the crotch area.
lldsandsll
JJ910
Posted 5:17 AM 27/8/08
Does this thing swallow the girl (or the other way around) or shoot lazers or better yet . . . . has X-Ray vision!
JJ910
DukeOliver
Posted 5:15 AM 27/8/08
I like how a close-to-nude woman just walks by. Expected the camera guy to follow her but obviously the spider is more interesting!
DukeOliver
Hyruu
Posted 5:14 AM 27/8/08
At 1:10 I think there was a topless Girl walk by?!?
Hyruu
Log1c
Posted 5:14 AM 27/8/08
This video would be far more awesome if:
a) That fine lady walking by was in more of it
b) It went a lot faster and shot lasers.
Also, HOLY SHIT IT WALKS
Log1c
Derrick
Posted 5:12 AM 27/8/08
I don't like this story coming out the day after I submitted my entry for the MS Paint contest. Someone out there must have seen my entry and been super fast at fabricating.
Derrick
Bokusatsu_Tenshi
Posted 6:07 AM 27/8/08
One of those things that should remain in pictures only... the video was boring.
Till the almost naked chick passed by, of course.
Bokusatsu_Tenshi
DeadWriter
Posted 6:02 AM 27/8/08
Really, more of a crab than a spider.
@krystar: That is one of the worst sci-fi movies ever. It's so bad that it's good. You get a gold star for that reference. It's a good 'B'-movie when you can't decide which is worse, the acting, the special effects, or the dialogue.
DeadWriter
Cobol_Mongol
Posted 5:58 AM 27/8/08
Simple static stability! No need for feedback controllers and such! Neat.
Cobol_Mongol
TendoMentis
Posted 5:51 AM 27/8/08
video is no longer available?
TendoMentis
CrashingOut
Posted 5:50 AM 27/8/08
honestly not even worth 30 seconds of footage much less 3x that. They should have just edited out everything except 1:08 until 1:14, because anything 50 grand and ABSOLUTELY WORTHLESS(I see no redeeming engineering here at all I see a lame attempt) is not as exciting as something naked, and this applies for BOTH sexes so don't get on my back.
CrashingOut
frigg
Posted 6:24 AM 27/8/08
@tls502: She appears to be some sort of alien creature. Perhaps the walking spider is everyday transportation from where she comes from. She doesn't seem all that interested in it. Then again, the cameraman doesn't seem all that interested in her. The whole thing is strange. Was this filmed on Earth?
frigg
aaj111
Posted 6:24 AM 27/8/08
I was expecting a giant replica of the spider in "Wild Wild West". rofl
aaj111
bpatten
Posted 6:20 AM 27/8/08
It's all fun and games until someone's shouting "use your harpoons and tow-cables, go for the legs!"
bpatten
wiggatron
Posted 6:20 AM 27/8/08
@Log1c: My sentiments exactly.
wiggatron
sqeakytoy of the apocalypse
Posted 6:20 AM 27/8/08
Just wait until he slaps a Mr Fusion in that baby. Then we'll see some heads turn when we hit 88 MPH.
Either that or an Ocsillation Overthruster. Not sure which would be cooler.
sqeakytoy of the apocalypse
tls502
Posted 6:16 AM 27/8/08
I commented just to see how many other people noticed the nude chick/tranny/whatever. Funny as hell. I can't believe Giz didn't comment on that in the story.
tls502
HJTravels
Posted 6:51 AM 27/8/08
Where do peole get $50k to do this dumb shit.
HJTravels
OMG! Ponies!
Posted 6:47 AM 27/8/08
So now the robots have hemis, have mounting points for weapons, and can take human prisoners...
Why are we so determined to kill our own species?
OMG! Ponies!
all_hail_me
Posted 6:35 AM 27/8/08
I seriously doubt this thing can handle terrain more dificult than perfectly flat. If so totally useless for all practical purpose.
Also can it turn?
all_hail_me
bbfreak
Posted 7:06 AM 27/8/08
@DeadWriter: Hey I thought it was great! Granted I was eight at the time, and I loved all those mech movies of the 90's/80's. Its kinda funny, you'd think they'd make a proper mech movie by now. Nope. There was suppose to be a MechWarrior movie but I guess that got stuck in a black hole. O.o
bbfreak
ErrantHero
Posted 8:10 AM 27/8/08
It can go north-south, but no east-west.
Still pretty impressive considering the fact that everything seems to work as intended.
Perhaps, he can make it a bit lighter and use bio-diesel engine...and be able to turn.
ErrantHero
alexmetal
Posted 8:09 AM 27/8/08
Am I the only one that was waiting for the shirtless, blue-caped camera man/hippy to get stomped on?
alexmetal
Overheal
Posted 8:04 AM 27/8/08
I always get mild nerdgasms anytime man gets closer to building its first Gundam.
Overheal
AllThingsWireless
Posted 7:55 AM 27/8/08
That was INCREDIBLY boring and a waste of a video. However, the red wig hot chick in the thong was something I had to stop, rewind, and verify that indeed that 2 second slice was almost worth watching the video.
AllThingsWireless
cy3
Posted 7:51 AM 27/8/08
i expected it to b more Wild Wild West-ish before i clicked. Now I'm disappointed.
cy3
jabber
Posted 8:33 AM 27/8/08
@bbfreak: Unless you count Starship Troopers 3. Equally as bad as any of those late 80's - 90's low budget scifi.
+ Watch video
jabber
netcretin
Posted 8:21 AM 27/8/08
@DukeOliver: Ah, but at the end the camera guy pans right to look for her and unfortunately she had already turned into a fat chick...
netcretin
jabber
Posted 8:53 AM 27/8/08
Personally though, I just like the one's that are wind-powered. A lot quieter and faster, if you can believe that. Theo Jansen has a whole slew of these "animal" walking on the beach.
+ Watch video
jabber
DrGonzho
Posted 9:15 AM 27/8/08
Where's Kevin Smith when you need him?
This must be a Jerry Brukheimer thing. "The spider is the most dangerous insect in the animal kingdom!"
DrGonzho
Engage
Posted 9:42 AM 27/8/08
+ Watch video
This one's 100X better and it doesn't even have a nekkid chick. Throw in nekkid chicks and who knows how much better it would get!
Oh and get this...it can turn.
Engage
Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity
Posted 9:39 AM 27/8/08
@DrGonzho: HAHAHA
Git Em SteveDave displays attention-grabbing vanity
strider_mt2k
Posted 1:05 PM 27/8/08
It needs a Luke Skywalker action figure hanging from the bottom on a string.
Just sayin'
strider_mt2k
taftsearlobe33
Posted 12:59 PM 27/8/08
I must have this so I can truely strike fear into the hearts of my enemies.
taftsearlobe33
NikLG
Posted 6:46 PM 27/8/08
If I ever want to go in a straight line really slowly, loudly and probably as uncomfortably as I can, this would be my chosen mode of transport. And I don't think it'd be any good at chasing after naked women....
NikLG
JEmlay
Posted 7:23 AM 27/8/08
Calling that thing a spider is a major stretch of the imagination. Plus, around 1:08...pretty good WTF moment!
JEmlay
axiomatic
Posted 1:52 AM 28/8/08
Someone put a RAIL GUN on that thing ASAP!
axiomatic