Appleseed:
Now we can operate with a Real Robot Suit!
Full Photoreview No.19 Big Size Images, English Info & Videos!
ENJOY!!!! 😉
Last year, Japanese company Sagawa Electronics showed off its robotic exoskeleton called the Powered Jacket MK3. Anime and science fans the world over rejoiced, but despite the undeniable engineering skill involved, the MK3 isn’t exactly heroic-looking.
(pls see the last image of this post)
Now, the company’s craftsmen have created a set of attachable armor that turns the MK3 into what we’d been wanting all along.
The body panels are made out of a type of urethane called Lion Board, used in making model kits and replica weapons. The pieces are attached to the MK3, so rather than being a whole new machine, it’s more like Sagawa’s original creation is wearing a costume.
The Landmate Guges-type MK3, seen here with cosplayer Shin doing a little dress-up of her own as Appleseed heroine Deunan.
The exoskeleton’s sensors read the operator’s arm movements and relay them to the suit, mimicking the human’s movements. The unit’s head can be operated by similar means. Although there’s a bit of time lag, the system works smoothly, and even allows for the user to open and close the fingers of the robot’s hands using switches on the control grips.
The cockpit is also equipped with a series of monitors. Once the hatch is closed, the screens switch on, providing the operator with views of the outside world, including one from a rear-mounted camera.
The legs are a little tricky to manipulate, with a motion Meg described as similar to walking on a pair of stilts. Sagawa Electronics Director/CEO Kosuke Machi, though, demonstrated that with enough practice it’s possible to walk with no problems, and assured us that most people can get the hang of it in about 30 minutes.
Seen here with RocketNews24 reporter/mecha ace Meg.
The Landmate MK3 still isn’t 100 percent finished yet, as evidenced by its unpainted legs. For mecha-heads interested in seeing the completed version, its developers plan to exhibit it at the upcoming winter Wonder Festival, a garage kit and modeling expo being held at the Makuhari Messe convention center, where there should be ample space to show the fully-assembled robot off. Doors open for the one-day event at 10 a.m. on February 9.
Credits:
