A Real-Life Transformer Big Enough to Ride On

In the Transformers cartoons and even in the live-action movies, most of the eponymous robots are physically impossible. They simply could not transform as shown and the impossibilities are hidden by fancy animations. But that doesn’t mean it isn’t possible to build a vehicle that can transform into a humanoid robot. It is even possible to make one big enough to ride on, as James Bruton showed in his most recent video.

This may just be Bruton’s most impressive project to date. It is a Transformer-like robot that can seamlessly reconfigure itself between a car and a humanoid robot. In its humanoid form, it stands a bit taller than Bruton himself. In its car form, it is large enough for Bruton to ride on top of as it drives around — though riding inside is out of the question, as it is far too small. The transformation between those two configurations is automatic and looks appropriately cool.

As is always the case, the vast majority of the parts for this robot were 3D-printed. There is quite a lot of mechanical action going on during the transformation and Bruton achieved that with surprisingly small motors and huge gear reductions. The six leg joints, which need the most torque, are actuated by DC motors that have integrated 100:1 gear boxes. Those have an additional two-stage gear reduction to further increase torque, and there are external magnets and sensors acting as encoders.

The rest of the motors, aside from those for the drive wheels, are servos. They handle unfolding the head and arms. That also requires a lot of torque, so the servo motors have 3D-printed gears, too.

A Teensy 4.1 development board controls all of the motors and Bruton took the time to program acceleration curves that make the movement smooth. The Teensy also controls LED accent lighting across the body panels that add some sci-fi flair. Those body panels are cosmetic, but they’re important for giving this robot a Transformer aesthetic and for it to look like a car when it is in that configuration. That has the appearance of a police car, with blue emergency lights mounted on top.

The result is something to behold. In the humanoid configuration, it looks imposing. It isn’t truly bipedal and can’t walk in that state, but that doesn’t diminish anything. Once it folds down into the car configuration, it is an actual vehicle similar to a Power Wheels ride-on, which Bruton car drive around.