<p>The 4-ton, 4-metre tall (13 feet) Kuratas robot, the creation of Kogoro Kurata, is as close to one can get to piloting a giant robot in real life.</p><br /><p>Kurata said the original inspiration simply came from him wanting to bring the robots in the movies, anime, and toys of his childhood to life.</p><br /><p>"The robots we saw in our generation were always big always had people riding them. So I don't think those have much meaning in the real world. But it was really my dream to ride in one of those giant robots, and I think that it's a kind of Japanese culture. I kept thinking that it's something that Japanese had to do," Kurata said.</p><br /><p>The robot is controlled from inside using a hand-held controller that allows the driver to move its arms, raise it up and down and drive it at a speed of up to 10 kilometres per hour (6.2 miles per hour), although it experienced technical problems when filmed by Reuters on Wednesday (November 28).</p><br /><p>While the current Kuratas is only a prototype, Kurata is taking orders through his site.</p><br /><p>Options available allow for customization of everything from the paint scheme, to fake weapons and cup holders.</p><br /><p>Kurata said he hopes to use the robot to jump-start others hoping to fulfill their dreams.</p><br /><p>"By my building this, I hope that it'll sort of be the trailblazer for people who can do more than myself to make different things. They might be be able to make a society that uses robots in a way I can't even imagine. I expect more from the implications of building it than from it itself," he said.</p><br /><p>The robot also has its own operating system which allows it to also be remotely-controlled from an iPhone.</p><br /><p>But before going out to pick one up, one should double-check their wallet as the base model alone comes in at around 110 million yen (approx. $1.3 million USD).</p><br /><p>Its price tag is indeed a bit of a setback, says Kuratas programmer Wataru Yoshizaki.</p><br /><p>"If indeed giant robots and cars are being sold at the same price, then I would, of course, choose the giant robot. At this point however, with the current price buying one Kuratas is still too much for me," he said.</p><br /><p>While Kurata said he has received thousands of inquiries about possible purchasing one of the robots, he said that he's also received a large number of cancellations.</p><br /><p>He also declined to give an exact number of people who have actually put money down for the giant robot.</p>
