Homemade Mecha Walks in Japan

EtherAlchemist writes "Sakakibara Kikai has pictures and even a movie of their Land Walker robot (Babelfish translation here) which appears to work. Powered by a 250cc gas engine and armed with several guns (including 2 that fire Nerf-like balls) it stands at a little over 3 meters. What makes this one interesting is that it is actually armed and it is piloted instead of being an exo-skeleton. Makes me wonder if the creators of shows like Robotech or comics/RPGs like Battletech have any kind of licensening rights on appearance. I'd like to see a Warhammer..."

Looks Like

[willmeister]

their server is as badass as the machine - except its a bit faster. -- only in japan can some random guy host a 5 meg movie and be slashdotted without the server crashing and burning

Re:Of Course

[kai.chan]

Starting from plastic models of their favorite mecha, the Japanese have a genuine interest in robotics. The anime and game industries are big factors in Japan's advances in Robotics. Because of mainstream interest in mecha, especially Gundam, University clubs and hobbyist start huge projects on trying to replicate the cool mecha seen in anime.

Contrast to Robot Wars with wedges slamming each other (which I find to be quite monotonous and repetitive after the first few times), I believe that the path the Japanese are taking -- bipedal robots which are more versatile -- will benefit mankind in terms of usefulness and application. Heck, even the Japanese version of Robot Wars is much more entertaining to watch, with the robots going through various attack patterns. Check it out here [impress.co.jp]

Re:What the heck?

[ZephyrXero]

From the pics on the site and the crappy quality video they gave us, I'm of the opinion this is a hoax. I'm willing to bet it's just a really good rendering job... maybe if I had a higher res video I could be more sure though.

not homemade, but...

[interactive_civilian]

The Toyota i-Foot [engadget.com] may not be armed and isn't homemade, but it really walks and can apparently walk up stairs. On this page [cnet.com] there is a link to a video of it moving at the bottom.

More info can be found here [toyota.co.jp].

Re:Yes, think R2D2 crossed with Tanya Harding

[jwdb]

In what sense? I just watched the movie and, although it's clear that the feet are sliding and probably have wheels under them, do you really think there are any motors attached to them? Unless he's really trying to trick everyone, it's more likely there are only brakes - lock one foot, the other has to slide.

Of course it is possible that the legs are not actually driven and are only made to look like they're the source of motive power, but that would be quite sad...

Jw

Re:Of Course

[McFadden]

You're right. There's even a prime-time family show over here (completely unrelated to anything techie) that has a robot-walker battle segment in it where amateur hobbyists duel it out with robots that would put the "wedges" to shame. Mom, Dad and the kids all turn up to control or cheer on the beast that they've been furiously developing in their garage. Their robots even do funky kung-fu style moves (albeit slowly!), or have 'gloat' manouevers so that they can do a little dance after they've knocked the other guy off the arena.

A few years ago when the dotcom crash blew apart our industry I nervously accepted a position in Japan and headed out here not really knowing what to expect. I can honestly say its the best decision I ever made. I've never regretted it for a single day. I'd recommend it to anyone.

Robotech vehicles

[master_p]

Now that Robotech is mentioned, I have to say I find the Veritech fighter the coolest looking fighter aircraft ever. The best moment was when a Veritech transformed was trying to land. It's motion sequence reminded my of an eagle landing!

The Veritech looks almost like an F-15. Would it be useful for a military force to have these transformable aircraft? could it be done?

Human translation of page

[Bemmu]

The robot adults longed for in their childhood, "some day, I want to control a robot of my own". "LAND WALKER" makes this dream a reality. We decided to use a four-pedal controlling system assisted by a computer. This leaves the hands free to operate the guns, even while moving. Even though the robot is large, it can be controlled with ease! Currently there is only one robot, but maybe in the near future mecha duel fights will become possible...

Height: 3.4 meters (11.15 feet)
Weight: 1000 kg (2204 pounds)
Passengers: 1 (0.5 Americans)
Engine: 250cc
Movement: shuffle (feet not lifted from ground)
Speed: 1.5km / h (1 mile / h)
Equipment: 2 air guns (softball), cockpit monitor
Right side: chaingun-type
Left side: shotgun-type