Tokyo start-up creates $3m ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’ robot that has very specific purpose
Published on Oct 06, 2023 at 2:35 PM (UTC+4)
by Amelia Jean Hershman-Jones
Last updated on Oct 06, 2023 at 5:44 PM (UTC+4)
Edited by
Kate Bain
This giant robot looks like anime icon ‘Mobile Suit Gundam’.
It’s designed to like the character from the 1970s Japanese show of the same name.
Standing at almost 15-feet tall (4.5m), the four-wheeled tank of a robot is priced at $3 million.
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Tsubame Industries, a start-up based in Tokyo, Japan, developed the giant and named it ARCHAX thanks to its resemblance to archaeopteryx, a bird-like dinosaur.
Developers of the tech plan to unveil the beastly creation at the Japan Mobility Show later this month.
Peek inside the cockpit of the Mobile Suit Gundam replica and there are internal monitors capturing information from the outside world.
This allows the person piloting to use joysticks from within the torso to manipulate the arms in its “robot mode”.
Then, to travel faster it also has a “vehicle mode”, allowing it to travel at speeds of up to 10 km/h (6mph).
“Japan is very good at animation, games, robots and automobiles so I thought it would be great if I could create a product that compressed all these elements into one,” chief executive of Tsubame Industries Ryo Yoshida said.
The inspiration?
“I wanted to create something that says, ‘This is Japan’.”
Ultimately the goal is to build and sell five robots for $3 million with the ambition of keeping Japan competitive in manufacturing.
“I hope to learn from previous generations and carry on the tradition,” he said.
Yoshida began his career welding at his family-run ironworks working alongside his grandfather.
One of his first creations was a pair of myoelectric prosthetic hands that were controlled with electrical signals generated naturally by muscles.
This foray into prosthetics naturally led to a career in robotics.
Now Yoshida has loftier career goals including the space industry or in emergency disaster relief in the future.
Meanwhile, an Indian company plans to send a humanoid robot to space to conduct experiments and replicate human functions before reporting back.
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All Supercar Blondie contributors undergo editorial review and fact-checking to ensure accuracy and authority in automotive journalism. After gaining her BA Hons in French and English at the University of Nottingham, Amelia embarked on a vocational diploma from the National Council for the Training of Journalists (NCTJ). This led to numerous opportunities, from interning at Vogue to being on the small team that launched Women’s Health magazine in the UK, which was named the PPA Consumer magazine of the year for three years running. As Health, Beauty and Fitness editor, Amelia personally received a Johnson & Johnson Award and was shortlisted for both PPA and BSME titles. Since then, Amelia has created content for numerous titles and brands, including the Telegraph, 111 Skin, Waitrose, Red magazine, Stylist, and Elle, as well as being Head of Content at Vitality and Editor in Chief at INLondon magazine. “My superpower is translating technical jargon about the mechanical workings of a supercar into a relatable story you’ll want to share with your friends after you’ve read it.” After joining the SB Media family as a senior journalist in September of 2023, Amelia’s role has evolved to see her heading up the SEO output of the editorial team. From researching the most ‘Google-able’ key terms to producing evergreen content - it’s been a time of hard work, growth, and success for the editorial team and the Supercar Blondie website. “I like to think of myself as a ‘method journalist’. In other words: I live and breathe whatever I am writing about. When writing about fitness, I trained as a personal trainer, and as a beauty editor, I completed an ‘expert’ in scent diploma with the Fragrance Foundation. “During my tenure at Supercar Blondie, however, I did something I never thought possible: I passed my driving test at the age of 36. One day I’d love to train as a mechanic to better understand what happens under the hood, too. “My sweet spot is providing readers with a ‘takeaway’ (read: something new they didn’t know before) after reading every one of my stories. While I don’t claim to be an expert in the automotive world, I know the experts and bodies in the field to rely on to provide our readers with an informative and thought-provoking story every time they visit the site.”
