After a hard day of work, what brings a smile to my face? How about a photo of a life-size (59 feet tall!) statue of the eponymous robot from the anime series MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM, built to celebrate the 30th anniversary of the still-thriving Gundam franchise. (If we're attacked by space colonies, just hope that there's a 14-year-old introverted genius around to operate the dang thing.)
Or, not quite as tall but perhaps more impressive, is this Popular Science magazine story about an Alaska army mechanic who has built a working -- yes, working -- 18-foot "mecha" exoskeleton that mimics the movements of its operator, who rides inside the chest. It can purportedly raise its arms, bend its knees, and do sit-ups. And it was built for about the price of a car: $25,000.
What will really amaze me is if someone comes up with a giant robot that actually walks. Duplicating human locomotion on a small scale has always challenged robotics engineers. Creating a machine that lifts and drops the equivalent of a grain silo with each step -- and keeps its balance -- seems to verge on the impossible. (And even if it was possible, why do it? Why not put the thing on tank tracks -- as MOBILE SUIT GUNDAM did with one of its more plausible robots, Guntank.)
Showing posts with label Gundam. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Gundam. Show all posts
Tuesday, June 09, 2009
Monday, November 05, 2007
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
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
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