On Wednesday, a 4-tonne, 4-meter tall prototype of a futuristic Kuratas robot was demonstrated by 39-year-old Japanese robot artist Kogoro Kurata at Tokyo's National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation.

The giant Kuratas robot - which can be piloted, and has been produced by Suidobashi Heavy Industry - was evolved from its `concept' stage to its final construction over a period of nearly two years.

The rather pricey Kuratas robot - the likely retail price of which will be over $1million (£625,000) for the most basic model - can be operated by a pilot from an inbuilt cockpit. The robot also comes with a hand-held controller, using which its operator can flex its huge arms, control its up and down movement, and also drive it at a maximum speed of up to 10 kph (6 mph).

The prototype Kuratas robot is also equipped with an operating system which facilitates its remote controlling from an iPhone. In addition, the robot also has optional "guns" which - powered by a lock-and-load mechanism activated by the pilot's smile - shoot plastic bottles or BB bullets at a speed of 6,000 per minute.

The Kuratas robot - the orders for which are coming in from all over the world - is basically a `made to order' robot, with is available with a wide range of customizable non-lethal weapons; and has 16 different color options to choose from.