One Man's Mecha Is Kind Of Heavy On His Feet

Sarah Palin may have put Wasilla, Alaska on the map, but she and her family are not the only thing that's newsworthy there.  Wasilla just may be the home of one of the heaviest "mechas" in the world -- not the kind you'd want to partner in a ballroom dance class, that's for sure!

It looks like a fascinating sculpture, this 18 foot, one ton mass of steel.  Inside there, somewhere, is the sculptor, Carlos Owens, who actually built this giant as a science fiction-like suit of armor, a mecha that walks Owens walk and then some with its stature.

Jeff Shultz, Popular Science

Jeff Shultz, Popular Science Owens, a former Army mechanic, did not learn robot skills, per se, in the military, but clearly learned enough to engineer his mecha, first out of wood and then out of steel, with an 18-horse power engine and 27 hydraulic cylinders that perform as Owens muscles as it walks, bends down, or opens its hands. The mecha can also do sit-ups!

Next up, Owens plans to make his third mecha out of lighter aluminum and build a chest plate so that he doesn't have to climb up from underneath the massive giant.

Oh, no, thank you.  I think I'll sit this one out.

Popular Science