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The Transformers Franchise Has an Engineering Problem š¤ š¤
Just what would it take for a car to turn into a robot (and vice versa) anyway? Thatās the central concept of the Transformers franchise, and thatās what weāre tackling today!
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How do you solve an engineering problem like the Transformers? This might be one of the most iconic franchises of the 1980s, but it might also be as scientifically implausible as say, the Power Sword from another beloved ā80s property, Masters of the Universe. Orā¦is it? After all, thereās already technology out there that can autonomously transform and combine, so is it really that much of a leap to think that an autonomous robot might also be able to disguise itself as a self-driving car? The answer might surprise you!
You know what else might surprise you? Hakeemās apparent phobia of getting squished by giant robots. If a scientist is this worried about something like that, maybe we should be, too! Dive into these concepts and questions as well as the most reasonable, thoughtful unpacking of Transformers basic story logic youāll ever find.
Roll out! No, wait, click the image below to listen on Spotify or check it out on our YouTube page!
SUGGESTED VIEWING
The Transformers franchise is vast. And we do mean vast. Multiple animated series spanning dozens of seasons and hundreds upon hundreds of episodes plus almost a dozen movies both animated and live action. Oh, and then there are the hundreds of comic books, with at least three distinct continuities. And that doesnāt even take into account the lore and character info that was included with the toys themselves. But donāt worry, flight cadets, weāre making this easy on you.
For this episode, Hakeem and Tamara dealt with the following pieces of the franchise to really focus their discussion. They areā¦
The Transformers S1 Episodes 1-3 āMore Than Meets the Eyeā
The first three episodes of the original Transformers animated series pretty much tells you what you need to know about the Autobots and Decepticons and gives you a reasonable understanding of how they function. This is the cartoon that really started it all, and features the most iconic, recognizable versions of the characters.
The Transformers: The Movie (1986)
The first animated big screen Transformers adventure serves as a bridge between seasons one and two of the animated series and also scarred a generation of elementary school age Gen-X-ers. But it enriches the lore of the franchise and also gives a sense of what ādeathā is like for these characters, so we figured it makes sense as a bookend to those first three episodes.
Transformers (2007)
Michael Bayās first live action Transformers movie serves as a fresh start for the franchise, features its own take on the lore, and was instrumental in helping our hosts wrap their heads around the physics and engineering of transformation. It kicked off a massive blockbuster franchise whichā¦you can mostly avoid. However, if you want to go a little further in your viewing, 2011ās Transformers: Dark of the Moon is worth your time for some truly mind-blowing visuals, and 2018ās soft reboot Bumblebee is one of the best pieces of Transformers media out there. Thereās also a brand new animated prequel, Transformers One, in theaters now, but we hadnāt seen that at the time this episode was being produced.
Unfortunately, we donāt have the footage of Hakeem in the āvomit cometā for you to watch.
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FURTHER READING
Do you want to delve a little deeper into the facts, concepts, and stories Hakeem and Tamara referenced in todayās episode? Of course you do!
Self-Assembling Modular Robots
They might not look like much, but these self-assembling modular robot cubes might be a precursor to Transformer-like technology in the real world down the line. While Hakeem isnāt fully on board with the Transformers as we know them in pop culture, he sees the potential in these little weirdos.
Multi-Modal Mobility Morphobot (M4)
OK, soā¦THIS one might be a little bit more in line with what you expect from the Transformers. For those of you who want a more in-depth look at what makes this one tick, you can read the scientific paper here. But really, it needs to be seen to be believed!
Liquid Robots
One way to get around the engineering problem that comes with the sheer scale of the Transformers is by making them REALLY small. Or in this case, liquid. Once again, the article might not fully do the concept justice so hereās a video for you!
Transformers Vol. 1
While there have been many iterations of Transformers comics through the years, the newest series from Image Comics āEnergon Universeā by Daniel Warren Johnson is exceptionalā¦and an Eisner winner!
Want to follow in Hakeemās footsteps and ride the umā¦zero gravity aircraft? Good luck!
WANT MORE FROM DOES IT FLY?
ā¦and speaking of robotsā¦check out our discussion of the rules governing the Terminator franchise.
Was Hakeem any kinder, scientifically speaking, to the concept of Iron Man armor? Only one way to find out!
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