Chinese smartphone company Xiaomi has partnered with US toymaker Hasbro to create a tablet-like toy that can be converted into a Transformer-style robot.

Xiaomi vice president of international operations Hugo Barra shared on Facebook that the company's R&D team had been challenged to turn a slim 7mm tablet – with color, details and feel exactly the same as the Mi Pad 2 tablet -- into a 3D robot with a 30-step folding assembly.

China Daily reported that Xiaomi held a crowdfunding campaign on Tuesday to sell 1,000 of the toys at 169 yuan (US$26) each within 13 days and that people were logging in hundreds of more orders than expected.

Xiaomi's vice president of international Hugo Barra shared on Facebook that the company's R&D team were challenged to turn a slim 7mm tablet -- which color, details and feel are exactly the same with Mi Pad 2 -- into a 3D robot with a 30-step folding assembly. (via China Daily/-)

Originally transformed from a microcassette recorder, Soundwave is one of the Transformer series' most popular characters. 

The Mi Pad 2 was launched by Xiaomi late last year and is compatible with both Google's Android and Microsoft's Window 10 operating systems. 

The tech company reportedly plans to launch more Transformer figures that are compatible with its devices. (kes)