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Suidobashi Heavy Industry, Journey to Mecha?

By Rain Noe - August 1, 2012

in Tech | Cars

Those raised on anime know the Japanese have a fondness for a particular subset of robot. Sometimes referred to as "mobile suits" (Gundam) or mecha, they're usually not autonomous, but are instead vaguely humanoid-shaped machines driven by humans wedged into a cockpit near the sternum. Anime-free Western audiences viewing 1986's Aliens got their first look at such a construction when Ripley shows up driving a "loader" exoskeleton.

Suidobashi Heavy Industry isn't a true industrial mass manufacturer like Mitsubishi or Fuji, but is rather "an organization which is aimed to spread human ride [sic] robots." Japanese artist Kogoro Kurata has designed a primitive mecha that Suidobashi recently unveiled to the public, and claims will be mass produced and sold this year. It's semi-eponymously named the Kuratas, and below is the video introduction:

Rather bizarre, no? The question is whether this will turn out to be a flash-in-the-pan art project...or Japan's Model T, a predecessor for a viable series of future machines.

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Ken J

12 years ago

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Ya lost me at wheels
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kostas

12 years ago

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It can prepare huge sushies, too!
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