I don't know what inspired it, I don't know the story behind it, and some quick google searches didn't help, so I'll just present it. Meet Buddha Robot by Moko, a surprisingly posable humanoid robot. Just based on the construction I wouldn't have guessed the range of motion of this mech (yeah, he's a mech, there's actually a figure inside!), but check out Moko's website for even more pics, this is only a glimpse.
Original author: Tommy