Watch a massive homemade ‘Transformer’ cruise the roads of Beijing – CNET

A fan’s dreams of building a Transformer just got upgraded from mere cardboard.

A giant robot was seen cruising slowly along a road in Beijing before its driver was stopped by police last month, Japanese site Sora News reported Monday, citing a clip first posted by Chinese media. The man was warned to take his vehicle off the road, it added.

The vehicle, which looks like a cross between a robot and a car, attracted attention from the public, people snapping photos of the homemade “Transformer” which had stopped on the roadside. It seemed to cause some traffic disruption as security talked to the driver and urged him to leave — along with his giant bot.

The robot is the first of its kind in China, according to its driver, who added that it can transform into a humanoid or a tank. The driver said he was testing the robot as a prototype on the road ahead of the annual Taobao Maker Festival, which celebrates creativity and showcases innovative creations and designs every year.

This homemade “Transformer” isn’t the first robot to appear on Chinese roads this year. In the same month, a man sped along the roads during peak hour traffic wearing a roller suit — and was later arrested for the fun.