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Powered mech for tykes is terrifyingly awesome

We're not sure why a Japanese company made this walking mech for juniors, we're just glad they did.

Matt Hickey
With more than 15 years experience testing hardware (and being obsessed with it), Crave freelance writer Matt Hickey can tell the good gadgets from the great. He also has a keen eye for future technology trends. Matt has blogged for publications including TechCrunch, CrunchGear, and most recently, Gizmodo. Matt is a member of the CNET Blog Network and is not an employee of CBS Interactive. E-mail Matt.
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Matt Hickey

Kid Walker
Sigh. I wish I could fit into this thing as an adult. Sakakibara Kikai

When I was 3 or 4, I was a terrible child who swept a path of abject destruction across my neighborhood. And that was with a Big Wheel.

I can't imagine what kind of trouble my friends and neighbors would have been in had I owned one of these gas-powered junior exoskeletons. It's from Japan (of course). It's self-propelled, weighs 400 pounds, and would terrify my pets.

The Kid's Walker is controlled by the pint-size pilot, not the parent, which is a bit worrisome, but at least it's not armed with some sort of firearm, so there's that.

Sadly, it's not for sale. The company that made it, Sakakibara Kikai, will rent it out, though. Were they to sell it, That Costume Blog estimates it would cost about $21,000. Had I the money when I was a kid, I'd have been the next Iron Man. Well, Iron Toddler, anyway.