In a move straight out of id Software’s DOOM video games, robotics company Hacksmith has created a massive robot spider designed in sci-fi nightmares. If you were worried about robot dogs with rocket launchers, just look at this monstrosity.
Shown off in a YouTube video, Hacksmith turned DOOM’s haunting Spiderdemon into a real-life robot. Sure, it may not have a big demon brain controlling it, but it does have something far worse: humans.
Dubbed the MegaHex, Hacksmith’s genius robotics engineers spent over 400 days creating the magnificent monster. In a 30-minute YouTube video, the engineers explained the issues with creating the awesome — in the biblical sense — robot.
"After we already started testing the legs, I was kind of feeling defeated at that point,” said engineer Bogdan Malynovskyy. “And I was like if we've had this many problems already this thing's going to be a nightmare."
When the MegaHex robot was finally ready to be tested, multiple issues ensued. The robot spider completely failed — its control system was bugged and its legs fell off.
Creating the robot spider was not only over a year of exhaustion and turmoil, but it was also an extremely expensive venture. Bogdan expressed regret in starting the project, saying that the team should have never built it. Instead, they should’ve just lit money on fire.
Nevertheless, the MegaHex was finally a success. Hacksmith’s YouTube video has already garnered almost 6 million views in just over a week. While this may not be enough to bring in all of the lost money on the project, it is still a fantastic accomplishment.
Furthermore, the horrifying robotic spider does work! After over a year, the massive monstrosity is in working order and is pilotable by a human. It may not be the most useful or conventional robot in existence, but it is one awe-inspiring feat of engineering. What would you do with a gigantic eight-legged robot? Go grocery shopping?