The Geek Picnic in Moscow, Russia is an annual celebration of all the things we love at Digital Trends: technology, science, art, and entertainment. At the event this year, American artist Christian Ristow showcased something that combines all those elements perfectly, with a little bit of demolition thrown in for good measure.
It’s called ‘The Hand of Man,” a remotely controlled paw 30 times bigger than the duke at the end of your arm. The diesel-powered creation grants mortals near godlike power, enough to legitimately crush automobiles with a few flicks of the wrist. But unlike Thor’s hammer, you needn’t be deemed worthy — just put on the special glove and you’re ready to smash.
A video by Ruptly TV shows The Hand of Man at work, wowing fans and participants alike with its destructive capabilities. Looking like something out of Mad Max: Fury Road, the grabber is attached to 26-foot arm and weighs over 13,000 pounds. Its complex hydraulics system allows it to pick up, crush, and even toss large objects like cars.
“The idea is to give people this feeling of power and feeling of strength like a superhero, to let them do things that they cannot do in regular normal life,” he explained.
The Hand of Man debuted at the Dutch Robodock festival in 2008, and has since been featured at the Burning Man festival, Coachella, Maker Faire, and many others.
If you’re not into crushing cars, you’ll be happy to know The Hand can mimic complex hand gestures as well.
Instagram user Sunigor snapped a picture of the machine doing the ‘sign of the horns’ gesture at the Geek Picnic. This will surely please metal fans everywhere, but we’re sure you can probably think of some more — ahem — creative ways to use it.
