Fixing a flat tire just went from frustrating to…slightly less frustrating.
Earlier this month, 19-year-old Virginian Charlotte Heffelmire made national headlines when she lifted a burning car off of her father to save his life. The incredible act was chalked up to what we’ve come to define as “hysterical strength,” or the display of superhuman strength during a life-or-death siutation, and earned Charlotte not only the respect of every man, woman, and bodybuilder on the block, but a “Citizen Life Saving Award” from the Fairfax County Fire department as well.
But for those of us who lack the strength or the courage of a teenage girl, the idea of lifting a car remains a number on a bucket list that may never be crossed off. That was, until earlier today, when Youtuber/engineer the Hacksmith unleashed his latest creation on the world, which will forever change the world of competitive and/or under-duress vehicle-lifting.
That’s right: Robot legs.
Last year, the Hacksmith successfully built an Elysium-inspired, powered exoskeleton capable of lifting 170 pounds. He documented the build via a 16-part Youtube series, but after being called out by the Internet’s experts for being a big fat phony (or something to that effect), he decided to quit his job, devote himself full time to building exoskeletons, and patiently wait until 2016 to unveil, you guessed it, robot legs capable of lifting cars.
Well, a MINI Cooper, but still!
Using a completely self-designed, self-powered legs-oskeleton (copyright The Escapist 2016), the Hacksmith was able to lift the 2,524 pound car off the ground with the ease of a Ferrigno or a Heffelmire, making his transformation from man into machine nearly complete.
“The next big step is building an upper body to match this,” said the Hacktivist in the video above, clearly having missed the message of The Terminator…and Jurassic Park, for that matter.
In any case, someone should probably tell J.P from Grandma’s Boy that he can finally get that surgery.
