Japanese Engineer Builds Huge Robot of His Dreams

Japanese engineer Masaaki Nagumo had always dreamed of operating a robot from “Mobile Suit Gundam.”

日本工程师南云正章（Masaaki Nagumo）一直梦想着操作《机动战士高达》中的机器人。

That is the name of a popular Japanese animation television series. It was Nagumo’s favorite show when he was a child. The series features huge, human-controlled machines in battle.

《机动战士高达》是日本一部热门的动画电视连续剧，这是南云正章小时候最喜欢的节目。这部电视剧以人类操控巨大的机器对战为特色。

Now Nagumo has made the show come to life. He has built a large robot inspired by the machines.

现在南云正章让这个节目变成了现实。受这些机器的启发，他建造了一台大型机器人。

The robot is called LW-Mononofu. The farming machinery company Sakakibara Kikai developed it. The robot is 8.5 meters tall, has two legs and weighs more than seven metric tons. It has a seating area with monitors, and devices for the pilot to be able control the robot’s arms and legs.

该机器人被称之为LW武士，由日本榊原农业机械公司所开发。该机器人身高8.5米，有两条腿，重量超过7吨。它的座舱拥有监视器以及让驾驶员能够操控机器人的胳膊和腿的各种装置。

The 44-year-old Nagumo spoke to the Reuters news agency about the popularity of the “Mobile Suit Gundam” series. It inspired movies, manga, video games and more. And so, he suggested the robot could be popular as well.

44岁的南云正章向路透社谈到了《机动战士高达》电视剧的受欢迎程度。它衍生出了电影、漫画、视频游戏等等。他透露因此这台机器人可能也会很受欢迎。

“I think this can be turned into a business opportunity,” Nagumo said.

南云正章表示：“我认为这可以转化为商机。”

Sakakibara Kikai develops robots and entertainment machines in addition to its main agriculture equipment business. For a rate of about $930 an hour, people can rent the machines for children’s birthday parties and other events, Nagumo said.

榊原农业机械公司在主营的农业设备业务之外，还开发机器人和游艺机。南云正章表示，人们可以以每小时930美元的价格租用这些机器用于儿童生日派对等活动。

The company has created robots of all sizes. There is the almost 3.5-meter-tall Landwalker, the smaller Kid’s Walker Cyclops, and the MechBoxer boxing machine.

该公司制造了各种规格的机器人。有3.5米高的Landwalker，较小型的儿童版独眼巨人以及MechBoxer拳击机器。

But the Mononofu stands above them all. It also does more complex movements. It can move its fingers and turn its upper body, and walk forward and backward. However, it moves very slowly – at a speed of less than one kilometer per hour.

但是LW武士在他们之上，还能做更复杂的动作。它可以移动手指并转动上半身，可以前后走动。但是它的移动速度非常缓慢，速度不到一公里每小时。

Although it may be slow, the Mononofu is very powerful. The bazooka-like air gun on its right arm shoots balls of soft material at 140 kilometers per hour.

虽然LW武士可能很缓慢，但是它非常强大。它右臂的火箭筒状气枪可以以每小时140公里的速度发射软质球体。

“As an anime-inspired robot that one can ride, I think this is the biggest in the world,” Nagumo said.

南云正章表示：“我认为这是全球最大的可骑行动漫衍生机器人。”

But Mononofu might be a bit too large. It is unable to leave the factory without being taken apart because it was built taller than the entrance.

但是LW武士可能个头有点太大了。由于它造出来比入口还要高，如果不拆开，它就没法离开工厂。

I’m Pete Musto.

Words in This Story

animation – n. a way of making a movie or television show by using a series of drawings, computer graphics, or photographs of objects , such as puppets or models, that are slightly different from one another and that when viewed quickly one after another create the appearance of movement

inspired – v. to make someone want to do something

monitor(s) – n. a device that is used for showing, watching, or listening to something

manga – n. a style of Japanese comic books and graphic novels, typically aimed at adults as well as children

video game(s) – n. an electronic game in which players control images on a television or computer screen

opportunity – n. an amount of time or a situation in which something can be done

bazooka – n. a military weapon that rests on a person's shoulder and fires small rockets at tanks

anime – n. a style of animation that was created in Japan and that uses colorful images, strong characters, and stories that have a lot of action