Prosthesis – motorsport’s new monster

If all this sounds like science fiction, that’s because it essentially is. Mechs have long been a popular sub-genre of science fiction, gaming and Japanese anime, but until now no one has made them a reality. Mechanical engineer and sculptor Jonathan Tippett, along with a big group of friends and volunteers, began working on the concept via their educational charity eatART (energy awareness through ART). At their workshop in Vancouver, the crew spent several years developing the Alpha Leg – a two-thirds-scale prototype limb that would lay the foundation for what was to follow. But it wasn’t until Matt Fidler, co-founder of tech company Furrion, saw the Alpha Leg that things took off.

“He was totally inspired by it,” Tippett told The Engineer at the recent SolidWorks World event in Los Angeles. “He thought it was just crazy enough to succeed.”

Having demonstrated the Alpha Leg, Tippett was able to sell the bigger picture to Furrion – full-scale mechs competing against each other in a racing league. Working with Furrion, Tippett set about building Prosthesis, a 5m-tall, 3,000kg, four-legged wearable machine, powered by a hybrid-electric power plant. Once operational, it will be able to clock nearly 30kmh and jump 3m in the air. Prosthesis was first unveiled in January, and loomed over Tippett and myself when we spoke in LA. The prospect of several of these monsters facing off in the desert is quite something.