Watching a cake transform from vehicle to robot is like being in a waking dream. You know what you're seeing can't possibly be real — and yet there it is, right in front of you, doing something completely impossible.
Such is the case with the youngster in the video below, who gets a birthday cake beyond his wildest dreams. His dad, Russell Munro, accomplished a real-life, functional, Optimus Prime transforming cake with some clever engineering know-how. And presumably, a spatula.
How? He 3D printed a custom base for the cake, and then added a motor and gears to make it move. Seven separate printed pieces make it work — the two arms, chest, thighs and lower legs.
The legs are the main moving parts, but the bulk of the cake (and its weight) is on the chest piece. Imagine having to engineer a device that will keep it all in balance without letting the chest part of the cake fall off. As if that's not enough, Optimus' arms pop out once he's at his full height.
We'd love to know more, like how long it took for Munro to construct this thing, and what kind of cake it is — and how it tasted. But we have no further details.
Watch Munro's cake transform here.
Fortunately, Munro also videoed his process of putting the complex base together, so you can get an idea of what the framing was like before the cake was added, since the cake covers up most of those bits and pieces. Here's that video, too.
Based on his reaction, it seems that young master Munro had a very happy birthday.
Via: Fast Company
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