A Japanese startup is developing a Gundam-like robot for $3 million

YOKOHAMA, Japan (Reuters) – Tokyo-based startup Tsubame Industries has developed a 4.5-meter (14.8-foot) four-wheeled robot that resembles the “Mobile Suit Gundam” from the popular Japanese anime film. The series, and it can be yours for $3 million.

Named ARCHAX after the avian dinosaur Archeopteryx, the robot has cockpit displays that receive images from cameras attached to the exterior so the pilot can maneuver arms and hands with a joystick from inside his torso.

The 3.5-ton robot, which will be unveiled at the Japanese Mobility Expo later this month, has two modes: upright “robot mode” and “car mode” in which it can travel at speeds of up to 10 kilometers (6 miles) per hour. . .

“Japan is very good at anime, toys, robots and cars, so I thought it would be great if they could create a product that compresses all of these elements into one,” said Ryo Yoshida, the 25-year-old CEO of Tsubame Industries. .

“I wanted to create something that said, ‘This is Japan.’”

Yoshida plans to build and sell five of the machines to wealthy robotics enthusiasts, but he hopes the robot will one day be used in disaster relief or the space industry.

Yoshida became interested in manufacturing at an early age, learning how to weld in his grandfather’s ironworks and then founding a company that produces myoelectric prosthetic hands. He said he was keen to maintain Japan’s competitive advantage in manufacturing.

“I hope to learn from previous generations and continue this tradition,” he said.

(This story has been reworded to add a dropped word in paragraph 1)

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