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One of China’s preeminent engineering influencers is at it again. Fan Shisan, the Sichuan-based content creator who runs the YouTube account “Sword man Fan 13,” has previously lavished the ‘net with clips of his flying sword swarms and giant sword hoverboards.
His latest creation is a little outside the typical blade-themed wheelhouse. But it’s no less ambitious: it’s a colossal remote-controlled robot arm — which, if Fan’s caption is to be believed, weighs in at an incredible 5.5 tons.
“I built a 5,000 kg [5.51 ton] giant robot arm just to see if my friend could survive the ultimate slap!” Fan boasts in the video description. “This beast is fully articulated and ready for action. Watch until the end to see the massive uppercut that literally shocked everyone. This is the most insane DIY engineering project I’ve ever filmed!”
In the first section of the video, the massive robo-arm appears to be fixed to a rotating base, allowing it to swing from side to side. Its four fingers articulate at the knuckle based on Fan’s input on a hand-mounted controller, which can also make the thumb flap up and down.
Using the remote control, Fan is able to slap a Volvo XC70 with the arm, delivering a dramatic — if obviously sped-up — blow that automatically triggers the car’s emergency SOS mode.
I Built a 5,000KG Giant Robot Arm to SLAP My Friend!!!
“We are just getting warmed up,” Fan declares via voiceover. In the next sequence, the arm is taken off its fixed base and seemingly operated via combustion engine, allowing its handler to cold-cock the Volvo straight-on.
In the last bit, well-cropped clips show Fan land a few uppercuts on the long-suffering Volvo, which is sent careening down a hill. Though the video doesn’t show the mechanics of this section, it could be that the team set it up as some kind of suspended battering ram, or else is swinging from a crane, as one Redditor suggested.
By the end of the short video, the Volvo is totalled, its windows smashed out and chassis crushed like a soda can. There’s definitely a bit of movie magic going on to make the arm look more sophisticated than it is — but if nothing else, it’s a fun showcase of a magnificent prop, and further evidence that Fan might have a little too much scrap metal, not to mention free time.
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