Kuratas is a rideable and user-operated
mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
built by the Japanese company
Suidobashi Heavy Industry. Billed as "the world's first giant boarding robot",
the Kuratas was unveiled when the website was opened in 2012.
[ It was demonstrated at ]Wonder Festival
The , or , is a semiannual (February and August) event held in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is sponsored by the Kaiyodo manufacturing company. The main focus is to display and sell " garage kits", which are sculptures that usually rep ...
.[ In June 2015, ]MegaBots
MegaBots Inc. was an American startup company headquartered in Hayward, California that created giant robots and real-world mecha for robotic sports competitions.
In June 2015, MegaBots challenged Japan-based Suidobashi Heavy Industry to the ...
challenged Suidobashi Heavy Industry to its first robot duel confronting Kuratas versus their Mark II
Mark II or Mark 2 often refers to the second version of a product, frequently military hardware. "Mark", meaning "model" or "variant", can be abbreviated "Mk."
Mark II or Mark 2 may refer to:
Military and weaponry
* 16"/50 caliber Mark 2 gun ...
.
Developers
The Kuratas robot was developed by artist Kogoro Kurata (after whom the suit is named), and roboticist
Robotics is the interdisciplinary study and practice of the design, construction, operation, and use of robots.
Within mechanical engineering, robotics is the design and construction of the physical structures of robots, while in computer s ...
Wataru Yoshizaki.
Kurata stated that he was inspired by the mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
frequently featured in anime
is a Traditional animation, hand-drawn and computer animation, computer-generated animation originating from Japan. Outside Japan and in English, ''anime'' refers specifically to animation produced in Japan. However, , in Japan and in Ja ...
, especially those of the series ''Armored Trooper Votoms
is a Japanese military science fiction mecha anime series produced by Nippon Sunrise, created and directed by Ryosuke Takahashi and featuring mechanical designs by Kunio Okawara. Following directly in the footsteps of Takahashi's ...
'', which he watched as a child.ASIMO
ASIMO (Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility) is a humanoid robot created by Honda in 2000.
In 2002, there were 20 units of the first ASIMO model produced; three different ASIMO models subsequently followed. As of February 2009, there were over ...
. Eventually, I thought 'I can't wait anymore,' and set out to make one myself."[ Kurata's goal was to create a piece of art that emulated the mecha he had watched growing up.
Yoshizaki was brought onboard the project to create the software for the robot's movement and pilot interaction.
]
Mechanics
The vehicle weighs approximately 4,500 kg, and is approximately 4 meters high.
It can be crewed by one person; that operator would sit in the "body" of the robot in a seat, with the control device in front of them. The Kuratas can also be controlled externally by remote control.
Kuratas sports a four-wheeled, thirty joint exoskeleton.[ The on-board pilot's ]user interface
In the industrial design field of human–computer interaction, a user interface (UI) is the space where interactions between humans and machines occur. The goal of this interaction is to allow effective operation and control of the machine fro ...
(UI) is a Kinect
Kinect is a discontinued line of motion sensing input devices produced by Microsoft and first released in 2010. The devices generally contain RGB color model, RGB cameras, and Thermographic camera, infrared projectors and detectors that map dep ...
based device.
The vehicle can be "armed" with multiple weapons, such as a 6,000 round per minute twin BB rotary cannon
A rotary cannon, rotary autocannon, rotary gun or Gatling cannon, is any large-caliber multiple-barreled automatic firearm that uses a Gatling-type rotating barrel assembly to deliver a sustained saturational direct fire at much greater ra ...
,[ a "LOHAS" launcher which fires either water bottles][ or possibly fireworks,][ and a powered humanoid hand called the "iron crow" that is capable of picking up objects, and is linked to the pilot by "what appears to be a ]Mattel Power Glove
The Power Glove is a controller accessory for the Nintendo Entertainment System. The Power Glove gained public attention due to its early motion control mechanics and significant marketing. However, its two games did not sell well, as it was ...
".[ The main Suidobashi website lists two other "weapons", a "Kuratas Handgun", and a "Pilebunker".][
]
In the media
In January 2014 it was reported that a yellow customized construction type Kuratas was planned to be featured in the then upcoming film series '' The Next Generation: Patlabor''.
See also
* Mecha
In science fiction, or mechs are giant robots or machines, typically depicted as piloted, humanoid walking vehicles. The term was first used in Japanese (language), Japanese after shortening the English loanword or , but the meaning in Japan ...
* Powered exoskeleton
An exoskeleton is a wearable device that augments, enables, assists, or enhances motion, posture, or physical activity through mechanical interaction with and force applied to the user’s body.
Other common names for a wearable exoskeleton in ...
* Glossary of robotics
Robotics is the branch of technology that deals with the design, construction, operation, structural disposition, manufacture and application of robots. Robotics is related to the sciences of electronics, engineering, mechanics, and computer soft ...
References
{{Robotics
External links
Suidobashi Heavy Industry
2012 robots
Entertainment robots
Individual mecha