Awesome Robots

Used by Castrol to test its motor oils, Flossie is a robotic motorcycle rider that learns gear changes, clutch feel and throttle response with high accuracy–kinda like these bad boys.

MechWarrior has been MIA from the gaming world for some time, but it’s back in a big way with this debut trailer; this in-game footage is set in a spectacularly detailed urban environment.

They’re cute, but they’ll still wipe out humanity in a heartbeat: Little Frakkin’ Toasters are 6″ tall resin figures, limited to 1,000 pieces, and made by BSG CG artist Dustin Adair.

Rough and tough, Bossa Nova’s Prime-8 Gorilla Robot puts Sony’s Aibo to shame: this bipedal bruiser runs on its arms, shoots rockets, balances itself and syncs with other Prime-8s.

Like a hamster ball but with a Lego Mindstorms NXT inside, Nils Volker’s Spherical Robot is an exercise in gyroscopic driving: it moves by simply rotating its internal mass.

The movie may have been a letdown for some, but anyone in the 5-12 year old age range is gonna freak over Devastator: he’s made out of six Constructicons with lights and sounds.

We’ve seen lots of great urban vinyl, but Robotox’s VF-1 Skull Leader takes the cake; this hard vinyl Macross ‘bot actually transforms between Fighter, Gerwalk and Battroid modes.

NSFW: Like Austin Powers meets Ghost in the Shell meets every B-horror flick ever created, Robo-Geisha is so over-the-top in terms of ways to die it’s almost ensured a cult following.

Hung as a painting in Admiral Adama’s quarters, First Cylon War was painted by BSG assistant art director Ken Rabehl and mixes medieval elements with a massive robotic onslaught.

Talk about better mousetraps: from flypaper clocks to mouse-eating tables, these Carnivorous Robots not only trap but digest their prey in a microbial fuel cell to create power.

Seen multiple times in Terminator: Salvation, Hot Toys ups the ante with a heavily detailed Rubber Skin version of the T-600, preorders begin 7/2 at Sideshow. Thanks, RO!

The acting for Transformers 2: Revenge of the Twitter Icons is corny and the plot even moreso, but then again, we could say the same for Michael Bay’s new movie. Thanks, Tenshi!

It’s no surprise, but Japan’s getting taken over by 59-foot tall giant robots: first, the 1:1 Gundam, and now a similarly-sized Tetsujin which will be permanent installed in Kobe this October.

Using a variety of airplane, automobile and other industrial parts, Guy Robot is a taste of robotic heaven: each one-of-a-kind ‘bot is handcrafted and includes its own biography.

We may make fun of Chinese-built cars, but this Bumblebee Meet is worthy of praise: a convoy of black-striped yellow cars does a lap around Beijing in honor our favorite Autobot.

The best possible use for an old VW Beetle, Tom Rhoads has created a full-sized version of Transformers’ Bumblebee in his front yard; it stands 18 feet tall and weighs 1,200 lbs.