Tech Japanese startup presents massive human-piloted robot

thomas · 11 Oct 2023

Japanese robotics startup Tsubame Industries is eyeing a foray into the entertainment industry with a new pilotable, giant robot that evokes Japan's anime and gaming culture, with plans for sales in China and the Middle East. Weighing 3.5 tonnes and measuring 4.5 meters in height, the Archax robot features a humanoid upper body attached to four wheels, allowing it to transform into a vehicle that can be driven around.

Just an ultra-high-end toy?

The machine is controlled from a windowless cockpit with two joysticks, two pedals and a touch screen, with four displays showing views of outside captured by nine cameras. Tsubame Industries will teach customers how to operate the vehicle and provide them with a license. Archax can travel at 10 kilometers per hour in vehicle mode, a little slower than the typical speed of a bicycle. Tsubame Industries, which has a background in machine manufacturing, envisions Archax being used in the entertainment field, and plans to seek partnerships with companies involved in games and displays. In particular, the startup has its eyes on airsoft battles -- a team-based shooting game known as "survival game" in Japan that utilizes low-powered airguns -- combining multiple Archax units and augmented reality technology. "What we're aiming for, basically, is an ultra-high-end toy," said Akinori Ishii, a director at Tsubame Industries. The company's marketing strategy will emphasize the robot's uniqueness, rather than its practicality -- the robot cannot be driven on public roads.

Paywall alert:

Japan startup debuts $3m anime-style piloted giant robot

4.5-meter-tall vehicle will be marketed to upscale clients in China, Middle East

asia.nikkei.com

Tsubame Industries has developed a 4.5-metre-tall (14.8-feet), four-wheeled robot that looks like "Mobile Suit Gundam" from the wildly popular Japanese animation series, and it can be yours for $3 million. Called ARCHAX after the avian dinosaur archaeopteryx, the robot has cockpit monitors that receive images from cameras hooked up to the exterior so that the pilot can manoeuvre the arms and hands with joysticks from inside its torso.

Japan startup develops 'Gundam'-like robot with $3 mln price tag

Tokyo-based start-up Tsubame Industries has developed a 4.5-metre-tall (14.8-feet), four-wheeled robot that looks like "Mobile Suit Gundam" from the wildly popular Japanese animation series, and it can be yours for $3 million.

www.reuters.com

Tsubame Industries

A start-up company that was established based on the electride catalyst technology developed by the Professor Emeritus Hosono, who leads the group of Tokyo Institute of Technology. By designing a catalyst technology and a process suitable for that catalyst, Tsubame Industries will establish a...

JREF
11 Oct 2023
Views: 1K
Category: Science and Technology

thomas · 31 Oct 2023

Archax was presented to the public for the first time at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 (26 Oct - 5 Nov, formerly known as Tokyo Motor Show) and is also available for sale now—price tag: 400m JPY.

Towering 4.5 meters tall, the robot weighs 3.5 metric tons. The pilot can freely operate the robot's arms and hands, and despite its massive size, it can pick up an empty plastic bottle without crushing it. The robot has wheels on its four legs and the front and back wheels can be moved apart to lower the robot's height. Tsubame Industries, based in Tokyo's Edogawa Ward, aims to secure five orders only for the robots, prioritizing domestic sales. The price is set at 400 million yen (about $2.67 million), which includes training and one year of maintenance.

Monitors inside the cockpit of the ARCHAX robot display images from nine cameras.

In vehicle mode, it can travel up to 10 kilometres per hour, while in robot mode, it can go up to 2 kph. The robot is not designed to travel on rough roads, and when it reaches a lean of 3 degrees, a tipping warning goes off. At an incline of 5 degrees, the robot stops. It cannot travel on public roads.

Giant human-piloted robot ARCHAX unveiled in Japan with $2.67 mil. price tag - The Mainichi

TOKYO -- A Japanese startup has begun selling a giant robot that users can operate from a cockpit -- a machine reminiscent of science fiction movies a

mainichi.jp