The idea of hulking mechanical humanoids goes back decades, and they've long held a special place in Japanese science fiction in particular. In the Western world, we might have been introduced to mecha by cartoons like Robotech (or the Macross Saga, if you prefer) or Voltron. More recently, you might think of Pacific Rim, perhaps.
One of the more venerated mecha in the world, however, is the Gundam, which dates back to the early '80s. Now, almost 40 years later, an intrepid team of engineers is trying to build a real, 60-foot-tall working Gundam, and it's looking shockingly promising.