Japan's 'Gundam' Personal Equipment System Revealed - Anime News Network

Japan's Ministry of Defense recently announced an "advanced personal equipment system," listed in a symposium under the title, "Towards the Realization of Gundam."  Since Mobile Suit Gundam is the most durable giant robot franchise in anime, fans in Japan (and to a degree all over the world) wondered if the land of hi-tech was actually working on a suit of robot armor the size of a skyscraper.

No such luck.  The system just combines a bulletproof vest with a computerized helmet.

"We've been somewhat perplexed by the overwhelming response," deadpanned (I imagine) a spokesperson.  Apparently, one of the researchers nicknamed the system "Gundam," so the Ministry innocently put that into their program.  Uh-huh.

Of course, if one were to actually build a giant land-based war machine, shaping it like a humongous humanoid -- let alone like a huge suit of samurai armor -- would be extraordinarily impractical.  Not only would the resulting monstrosity be unable to stand up without its legs collapsing under the suit's weight, but locomotion on two legs would be insane.  Imagine picking up a hi-rise, swinging it out into space, plunking it down again, and using it as a pivot to swing another one outward.  Imagine doing that over and over.  Now imagine all the stuff getting squashed underfoot.

Best to leave the true Gundams on the battlefield of the imagination.

Japan's 'Gundam' Personal Equipment System Revealed - Anime News Network

Blogged with Flock