The latest step towards a robot that can transform into a car has been wowing the crowds in - where else? - Japan.
And OmniZero.9, the creation of robot-inventor Takeshi Maeda, even bears a passing resemblance to Optimus Prime, the mighty leader of the Autobots in the Transformers saga.
The robot can kneel down and turn into a freewheeling vehicle, before switching smartly back to robot form.
But at barely three feet tall, he is more in tune with the famous Japanese love of all things small and tidy - though that's not to say he doesn't have a certain attitude.
In his humanoid form the diminutive chap throws his 55-pound (25-kilo) weight around when smaller robots try to steal the limelight away from him on stage - he's even able to throw punches.
OmniZero.9 was unveiled at the yearly Robo-One competition in Japan, which sees bipedal creations strut their stuff, battle each other and race.
Although the current version can't move by himself, the radio-controlled robot-in-disguise has a range of other talents, including flipping his head back to offer a lift to a passenger
Previous versions have been able to break eggs and climb ladders.
