At one point or another, most people would have wanted to control their own robot or drive a mechanical suit of armour, but for Jonathan Tippet this is no dream. Jonathan wants to create an “Anti-Robot” machine called the “Prosthesis” which would be the pilot-driven robot to be used in racing conditions. This machine stands 5 meters tall at a whopping weight of 3500kg and requires the user’s skill and physical movements to control and move the Prosthesis.

The machine uses a full body exo-skeletal interface which will allow the pilot to control the Prosthesis with their own arms and legs. The machine’s legs have mechanical suspension which can be directly controlled by the pilot in order to make the Prosthesis easier and more effective to control. The Prosthesis is able to amplify the pilot’s movements by 60 to 100 times their original force in order to make it possible to shift the machine itself.

When fully developed, Prosthesis will be able to reach a top speed of 30km/h, which is roughly how fast an average person can sprint. This project is currently seeking funding in order to have the Prosthesis ready to run by 2015, as the start of a racing league of Anti-Robots. Tippet’s goal is to push the envelope when it comes to creating and piloting new technologies because “it’s the greatest challenges that make you feel the most alive.”