--- title: "Man Engineers Giant Robot Hand to Smash His Enemies" description: "A Chinese engineering influencer built a massive remote-controlled robotic arm, which he happily used to crush a car." date: "2026-04-15" modified: "2026-04-15" authors: - name: "Joe Wilkins" job_title: "Correspondent" link: "https://futurism.com/authors/jwilkins" url: "https://futurism.com/future-society/giant-robot-hand-china" categories: - "Future Society" - "Robotics" - "Robots and Machines" --- # Man Engineers Giant Robot Hand to Smash His Enemies ![A blue Volvo XC90 SUV is being punched by a gigantic robot arm.]() *Sword Man Fan 13 via YouTube* One of China's preeminent engineering influencers is at it again. Fan Shisan, the Sichuan-based content creator who runs the YouTube account "Sword man Fan 13," has previously lavished the 'net with clips of his [flying sword swarms]() and [giant sword hoverboards](). His latest creation is a little outside the typical blade-themed wheelhouse. But it's no less ambitious: it's a colossal remote-controlled robot arm — which, if Fan's caption is to be believed, weighs in at an incredible 5.5 tons. "I built a 5,000 kg \[5.51 ton\] giant robot arm just to see if my friend could survive the ultimate slap!" Fan boasts in the [video description](). "This beast is fully articulated and ready for action. Watch until the end to see the massive uppercut that literally shocked everyone. This is the most insane DIY engineering project I've ever filmed!" In the first section of the video, the massive robo-arm appears to be fixed to a rotating base, allowing it to swing from side to side. Its four fingers articulate at the knuckle based on Fan's input on a hand-mounted controller, which can also make the thumb flap up and down. Using the remote control, Fan is able to slap a Volvo XC70 with the arm, delivering a dramatic — if obviously sped-up — blow that automatically triggers the car's emergency [SOS mode](). https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YKSU91REeMw "We are just getting warmed up," Fan declares via voiceover. In the next sequence, the arm is taken off its fixed base and seemingly operated via combustion engine, allowing its handler to cold-cock the Volvo straight-on. In the last bit, well-cropped clips show Fan land a few uppercuts on the long-suffering Volvo, which is sent careening down a hill. Though the video doesn't show the mechanics of this section, it could be that the team set it up as some kind of [suspended battering ram](), or else is [swinging from a crane](), as one Redditor suggested. By the end of the short video, the Volvo is totalled, its windows smashed out and chassis crushed like a soda can. There's definitely a bit of movie magic going on to make the arm look more sophisticated than it is — but if nothing else, it's a fun showcase of a magnificent prop, and further evidence that Fan might have a little too much scrap metal, not to mention free time. **More on robotics:** *[Strange Modular Robots Are Writhing Across Landscapes]()* ## Author At Futurism, I focus on the intersection of technology and power — examining the economics, history, and politics behind today’s dystopian headlines. As a writer, I’m interested in topics ranging from AI’s impact on labor to startups nobody asked for. My prior work includes bylines in Jacobin, Verso, and Blue Labyrinths. My work for Futurism has been cited by publications including Forbes, The Guardian, MIT Technology Review, Time, The Nation, Mother Jones, The Verge, and Wired. I grew up in Michigan, attending Central Michigan University as well as Ball State University, where I earned a master of music. I now live in Brooklyn with my girlfriend and our cat Ziti. On weekends, you can find me hunched over a cold pint arguing geopolitics with the other transplants. ### Author social links [Bluesky]()