This little Iron Man robot is the kind of ‘Avengers: Endgame’ merch we dig
With Avengers: Endgame looming on the horizon, and every last one of our heroes on the line, a little Iron Man robot patrolling our room is exactly the kind of security we need right now.
AI and humanoid robotic company UBTECH has teamed up with Disney and Marvel to release what they've called the first-ever humanoid robot inspired by the Marvel Cinematic Universe.
And it's severely cute.
The Iron Man MK50 Robot is a miniature version of the wise-cracking, suited-up Tony Stark, and comes with an augmented reality app so you can take him on little missions, stock up your arsenal, and battle MCU villains like the Chitauri and Ebony Maw.
You can also upload a photo of your own face to the app to appear on the robot's face display under the retractable face plate. Plus, you can record audio of yourself saying "I am Iron Man," or you could just leave it to the pre-programmed Stark phrases — no, they're not voiced by Robert Downey Jr. unfortunately.
The app also lets you steer the robot around, make it do cute things like it "run diagnostics" with Stark's AI interface F.R.I.D.A.Y., or fight bad guys on your kitchen counter.
But with Thanos at large, we're keen for that sweet room-patrolling ability. Like UBTECH's stern little Star Wars Stormtrooper robot released in 2017, Iron Man also comes with a "sentry" feature called Iron Guard Protocol, in which you can order the little guy to patrol a designated area and notify you of intruders.
Look at it creep!
Plus, it won't bump into your furniture or walk off your desk, using a light sensor to detect and avoid objects.
And if you're into total customisation and know your way around a script, there's a programming editor within the app which allows you to build your own actions for the robot.
UBTECH's Iron Man MK50 Robot retails for US$289.00 and is available for pre-order now on the website and Amazon. In Australia, it's exclusively available through Harvey Norman for $A398.
The official release date? Apr. 26 — the same day Avengers: Endgame hits cinemas.
Topics Marvel
Shannon Connellan is Mashable's UK Editor based in London, formerly Mashable's Australia Editor, but emotionally, she lives in the Creel House. A Tomatometer-approved critic, Shannon writes about entertainment, tech, social good, science, culture, and Australian horror.
