Meet Styro, The 10-Foot Maltese Robot Which Took A Father And Son Years To Build And Won Valletta’s Carnival
This year’s Carnival celebrations saw some super unique outfits hit the streets of Nadur and Għaxaq… but in the capital of Valletta, one costume towered above the rest – literally!
In the past couple of days, a massive robot costume spotted marching down the streets of Valletta has been going viral. Everyone seems to have falling in love with the hobbling giant with an attitude, but the story behind its creation is even more adorable.
The robot, STYRO, is the work of a passionate father and his two sons… and it’s been in the making for years now.
“This project began seven years ago in my father’s garage in Iklin, and it took nearly two years to complete,” Kurt Micallef told Lovin Malta. “We worked on it for only a few hours each day after work. Once completed, we packed it away in cardboard boxes due to its large size.”
Named STYRO because of its predominantly styrofoam skeleton, the 10-foot robot features LED lights, moving parts and even an AI voice… and it quickly became a beautiful bonding experience between Kurt and his father Anton.
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“At one point, my father even considered discarding it or giving it away,” Kurt said.
“I made it a point to showcase it this year to the public, so the time, effort and resources invested wouldn’t go to waste.”
While styrofoam was predominant enough that it inspired the robot its name, the moving parts and substructure are made of aluminium. To help achieve a metallic appearance, the father-son duo then applied a silver spray coating.
By the end of the project, more people started getting involved to make sure Styro would finally see the light of day.
Kurt’s brother Marc joined in, helping with the sound effects and lighting. And in case you were wondering who got to wear the whole thing and march down Valletta on Sunday, it was actually none of them… but rather family friend Luke.
“I might be inside today though,” Kurt teased, hinting at yet another Styro appearance coming later.
Did you spot Styro in the streets last weekend? Share this post if you think more people need to check out this wholesome family story!
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