Beware the Mantis

Micromagic Systems, which has its registered office in Winchester, has spent the past four years designing a walking robot — the Mantis — that is large enough to carry a human passenger. The result is described by the company’s founder (and chief designer) Matt Denton as “the biggest all-terrain operational hexapod robot in the world.”

Weighing 1,900kg, the Mantis is 2.8m tall and is powered by a Perkins 2.2-litre turbo-diesel engine; it can be remotely controlled by WiFi.

Mr Denton’s company, which produces animatronics for the film and television industry, has worked on hexapods before, including one that appeared as a six-legged turtle in a Harry Potter film.