Want a 20 Metre Robot to Walk? Bend the Laws of Physics
Popular Mechanics South Africa|March/April 2022
At Japan’s Yamashita Pier, about 40 Km south of Tokyo, the world’s largest humanoid robot has taken shape. Modelled on the RX-78-2 Gundam – a fictional robot that has been the subject of some 50 namesake TV series and manga since 1979 – the giant towers nearly 20 m tall and features 24° of freedom, meaning that it can move in as many directions.
By Courtney Linder
Want a 20 Metre Robot to Walk? Bend the Laws of Physics

This beast of a bot appears to be the world’s largest bipedal walking robot, and has become an iconic fixture along the Yokohama skyline. Fans began touring the exhibit, which includes an on-site museum and cafe, on 19 December 2020.

But there is dissent among faculty from some of the most prominent robotics departments in the US about whether it qualifies as a walking robot at all. Because this Gundam appears to use a supporting structure to help it move, they consider it to be a kinetic sculpture, or an art installation that relies on motion to create some affect in the viewer. Gundam Factory Yokohama, the organisation that built the robot, did not return multiple interview requests for this story.

These US-based roboticists believe that nothing short of an engineering marvel for a size to really walk, run, and wreak havoc; the law would be pushed to their logical extremes. Specifically scaling rules would dictate a whole slew of changes to the actuators (or motors) that allow the Gundam legs and take strides.

‘By scaling rules, it means that if you make bigger, then different aspects of it get bigger o different ways,’ explains Andy Ruina, PhD, a mechanical engineering at Cornell Univers School of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering.

Scaling rules are not just the stuff of robot law predicts that the number of transistors computer chip will double every two years as th advances. Allometry, the biological study of relationship between the size of a body part of the entire body, describes why ants can haul roughly 100 times their weight and humans can’t, Ruina says.

Denne historien er fra March/April 2022-utgaven av Popular Mechanics South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

Denne historien er fra March/April 2022-utgaven av Popular Mechanics South Africa.

Start din 7-dagers gratis prøveperiode på Magzter GOLD for å få tilgang til tusenvis av utvalgte premiumhistorier og 9000+ magasiner og aviser.

FLERE HISTORIER FRA POPULAR MECHANICS SOUTH AFRICASe alt
Can a retired rocket engine take us to Mars?
Popular Mechanics South Africa

Can a retired rocket engine take us to Mars?

The space shuttle's main engine was mothballed with the programme in 2011. Now NASA believes it's the future of interplanetary travel.

time-read
9 mins  |
January/February 2023
6 metre waves. All engines on fire. 1 500 Km from land.
Popular Mechanics South Africa

6 metre waves. All engines on fire. 1 500 Km from land.

How Flying Tiger 923 and its 'miracle pilot' made an impossible ocean landing.

time-read
10 mins  |
January/February 2023
Land Rover Discovery D300
Popular Mechanics South Africa

Land Rover Discovery D300

A FEW MONTHS ago a $2 billion lottery jackpot was won in the United States. It’s fun to sometimes ponder outrageous winnings like that, and how I’d spend it, even if it’s completely detached from reality.

time-read
3 mins  |
January/February 2023
Volkswagen Taigo R-Line 1.0 TSI
Popular Mechanics South Africa

Volkswagen Taigo R-Line 1.0 TSI

The compact proportions make this a delightful daily commuter.

time-read
2 mins  |
January/February 2023
Mazda CX-5 2.2 L De Akera AWD
Popular Mechanics South Africa

Mazda CX-5 2.2 L De Akera AWD

Floor the pedal and overtaking is achieved easily and safely.

time-read
1 min  |
January/February 2023
Making the most out of your grinder
Popular Mechanics South Africa

Making the most out of your grinder

THE HUMBLE BENCH GRINDER IS A STAPLE of the handyworker's home shop, largely due to its versatility. But, while you can employ one to remove metal from just about anything, the traditional kind may not provide the precision you need for every grinding operation. Here, we shed light on the best ways to use the different types of grinders, gleaned from our testing.

time-read
4 mins  |
January/February 2023
Unlock your devices' full potential with a USB-C hub
Popular Mechanics South Africa

Unlock your devices' full potential with a USB-C hub

AS NEW TECH SHRINKS EACH YEAR, essential ports such as USB-A, HDMI, and ethernet are being replaced by the slimmer USB-C.

time-read
5 mins  |
January/February 2023
WE BUILT THE WORLD'S FIRST V-8 TESLA
Popular Mechanics South Africa

WE BUILT THE WORLD'S FIRST V-8 TESLA

THE RICH REBUILDS TEAM HAD A DEAD MODEL S. THEY FIXED IT WITH A CAMARO ENGINE.

time-read
9 mins  |
January/February 2023
I bought a GHOST TOWN
Popular Mechanics South Africa

I bought a GHOST TOWN

This abandoned California mining village once had 400 buildings. Now I'm restoring the 20 that remain.

time-read
8 mins  |
January/February 2023
F1 taught me that speed starts with comfort
Popular Mechanics South Africa

F1 taught me that speed starts with comfort

AS A FAN OF MOTORSPORT, I'M ALWAYS fascinated with the finer details that go into Formula One racing. Piloting the fastest racing cars on the planet subjects drivers to savage forces - up to 6 G's under braking which has led to an almost endless pursuit of comfort.

time-read
2 mins  |
January/February 2023