Peter Kokis, now widely recognized as ‘Brooklyn Transformer,’ has garnered significant popularity in New York due to his collection of remarkably impressive exoskeleton robots, crafted from a variety of everyday items.
A former military pilot, Kokis began crafting these eye-catching exoskeletons as a jest for one of his ex-girlfriends, who playfully suggested that he needed to embrace something eccentric in life to counter his perceived uptight personality. Acknowledging the truth in her observation, he decided to embark on this creative journey.
Utilizing his aviation knowledge, Kokis ingeniously assembled items from around his house to create awe-inspiring exoskeletons. His initial creation, known as the Squid Boy, gained widespread recognition.
Little did he know that this first endeavor would mark the commencement of a new chapter for the ex-military pilot. Over the years, he expanded his repertoire to design wearable costumes primarily inspired by Transformers, as well as other iconic characters like Terminator and Xenomorphs from Alien.
Based in Brooklyn, Kokis, now famed for his artistic prowess in crafting exoskeleton robots, exclusively employs 100 percent recycled materials, with some salvaged items even retrieved from the trash. These ordinary items, including soup strainers, egg slicers, kitchen drains, toilet paper holders, and various odds and ends, are ingeniously amalgamated to create intricate robot costumes, cleverly concealing their original forms.
Some daily use things that combined make these robot costumes include soup strainers, egg slicers, kitchen drains, toilet paper holder, and some other random stuff. These things are put together so well that no one could tell what they actually represent, just one fancy robot costume.
Kokis remarks, “I actually use my experience in aviation to build my robots. So I make them redundant and I make them modular so I can upgrade them.”
Currently, Kokis has nine exoskeletons, many of which weigh as much as he does. Yet, he asserts that the challenge doesn’t lie in the weight, but in the heat that accumulates within these robot costumes during the summer months. To adapt, he trains in the sweltering heat, acclimatizing his body to cope with the exoskeletons’ elevated temperatures. However, filming a documentary on his work proved uncomfortable for Aaron and Alex Craig, who experienced intense heat while inside the 170-pound suits.
The Craig brothers stated, “It was easily 120 degrees inside his house, and we were drenched in sweat while filming, but he was perfectly comfortable. He does it to have his body prepared for heat when he’s inside the 170-pound suits.”
Kokis has fully immersed himself in his passion and love for robots, often constructing these exoskeletons on his kitchen table, despite the discomfort it brings. Sacrificing not only his comfort but also a romantic relationship, he chose to prioritize his devotion to his robotic creations.
In an interview with News12 Brooklyn, Kokis emphasized, “There’s no one in the world who does what I do the way I do it. I design them and build them like an aircraft with redundancy. With thousands of parts, this is not something simple that I gather.”
If you happen to go to the Coney Island boardwalk in the spring and the summer season, you might come across a real-life transformer. Try not to panic; it would be Peter Kokis doing his routine exertion.
You can find more of Peter Kokis’ impressive exoskeletons on his official website, Brooklyn Robot Works.
