Modern technology has given teeth to what is essentially a giant dinosaur puppet to make it seem almost life-like.

Created by Japan's On-Art Corp, the 8m-tall structure, called TRX03, was unveiled in Tokyo yesterday.

The TRX03 is a mechanical suit robot. The outer layer is made of a special cloth and covers a frame big enough to fit a human operator or pilot within.

The pilot can control the robot's movements to make it walk, roar, swing its tail and even bite, says the manufacturer. To help the pilot navigate are two on-board monitor screens that display information about his surroundings. He also gets directions through the radio from an external team member.

On-Art says its "dino-suit" is easier to use than other available designs.