Tuesday, June 26, 2012

Japanese Political Party to Hold Panel on Developing Real Gundam [News via AnimeNewsNetwork]

Gundam UC novelist to speak at niconico-streamed event; mecha once considered for party's manifesto
 [News via AnimeNewsNetwork]


The Liberal Democratic Party, a center-right faction in Japanese politics, will hold a live, 12-hour marathon stream on the niconico service on Thursday, and one of the marathon's panels will discuss "the Gundam Development Project, as seriously considered by the Liberal Democratic Party."
Masaaki Taira and Hideki Niwa, two members of Japan's House of Representatives, will speak during the 8:00 p.m. panel with their guest, novelist Harutoshi Fukui. Fukui happens to be the writer of the Mobile Suit Gundam UC novels (pictured below right).
Taira reported last year that his party would consider adding the efforts to realize "piloted, two-legged walking humanoid robots" into the party's platform manifesto. Taira also posted an extended discussion about the feasibility of piloted walking robots on Twitter, using the anime and manga titles Gundam, Appleseed, and Patlabor (pictured left) as examples. Taira broached the topic after meeting with Katsuya Kanaoka, a professor of robotics from Kyoto University.
In 2008, SciencePortal.jp, a website run by the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST), released a report estimating how much it would cost to build a 18-meter-tall (59-feet-tall), functioning "Morph-X" combat robot similar to those used in Gundam. The Japanese government funds about 90% of JST's budget, with the remaining coming from the agency's own operational income.

37 comments:

  1. i swear if this going to happen, it will be #@!#king awesome

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    1. sorry, it's not going to happen. i they are serious about this they would put this into something called "Secret Project", they wont let us know.

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  2. i hope they abolish it why because japan is wasting money with that and America will pressure them American politicians hate it its a treat in us military realistically fix first the energy issue after that japan needs other country help like euro to abolish that US law for restricting japan for doing a military weapons japan cant make ballistic missile what if they make a robot that can kill more that the ballistic missile can do waste of money and cause fight to America if its Korean guy its reasonable but japan has no right to build weapons you know that right or let America do the job thats all

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    1. They need to spend more money in Education wherever you're from.

      That's just hard to read.

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    2. Did you speak english? I dont found any full stop there..

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    3. If they want, let them
      It's their country and their money.

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    4. sorry if i offend you in my english

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  3. I do hope that it does push through so they can use it to better the human race....

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  4. I Couldn't care less if Japan wanted to develop a real humanoid robot or a gundam, as long as they have the resources. America can't build sh*t right now cause we're on a recession still and we owe trillions in debt. And technology wise I think only Japan can make this development work.

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    1. Though this project can take years or even decades to materialize.

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  5. so, not far in the future everyone should built a bunker beneath their house otherwise...eeee... you don't know a beam-missile-rail gun might come out of nowhere,,,

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  6. It's ironic that all gundam series have an anti-war message, yet Japanese politicians want to build humanoid fighting robots.

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    1. @Anon from 10:49 AM:

      Well, it's like any of us getting Gunpla and related games; message or not, we're just mesmerized by Gundam's "real robot" (or semi-"Super Robot") concept of giant robots fighting other giant robots, as well as it's specific aesthetics. Or how people go to see action films for enjoyment. (As if there was a hint of Gym Ghingnham or Sweatson Stero in each of us, to varying degrees.)

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    2. i believe Gundams have a notion of "War is inevitable" This is why Amuro and most of the Gundam pilots often have little to no choice in using a means to an end. An end that almost certainly never arrives.

      War will never end, and thats how Gundam continues to exist.

      Countries build war machines because war absolutely robs a nation of its resources and manpower. The IMF loves to loan out tons and tons of interest laden death money that will set the debtor an absolutely impossible mountain to climb if it enters a war or worse, its economy collapses.

      They love to see nations in downfall, burning to the ground in anarchy.

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  7. This silly pandering to anime fans by the LDP is getting to the point of retardation. Stupid stunts like this is representative of the ills of current Japan. But I guess nationalists like Fukui will feel right at home. No one in their right mind would think a 18m robot is actually useful for anything in real life. Good thing Tomino talked down on his fatass

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    1. No one cares stop using the word pandering troll GTFO please ^.^ !

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  8. cant happen since one: they would be taken out on the field by a missle before they reach their target,2: it would take so much to train soldiers or even pilots to handle a competely new weapon/vehicle like that,3: I dont think they would make a full size MS off the bat,I think they might go with something like a MS jr or something along the lines of a patlabor type robot.

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    1. It really depends. If this mech will be agile enough (at least think in terms of helicopter, so 80-100km/h and ability to reverse movement nearly instantly ), it will work. Keep in mind that missiles are not a perfect weapon. If they were, everyone would stop using tanks, planes, helicopters in modern warfare. However it's that kind of agility that is not really feasible for bipedal robots. When I'll see ASIMO walk at human's pace across uneven terrain, than there'll be a chance for these mechs.

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    2. They should make Knightmare Frames, i can see them being much more agile than gundams (even though i ilove gundams) at less until they can make gundams very agile (anything remotely close to the ones in the anime, however, i dont htink ill ever happen, but still one can dream right??)

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    3. Answer to all your practical theory questions:

      Guntank seems the most certain, add to the fact it can fly with use of verniers and the core block system!

      AGE 3 Fortress and G Hopper (uses a hover propulsion mechanism which lifts it off the terrain whether ground, sand, rock, even a bit of water. Wonder why they didnt think of that before. Tada! Wall of Giant Laser Death)

      Flag, Enact, Realdo, Hellion, transformable mobile suit types from 00 that are designed to be lightweight, aerodynamic and agile.

      Gundam Virtue and all the GN field users in 00 wouldnt need to be mobile (it won't deter the weapons, rather disintegrate live ammunition, shells and warheads) however not really close to practicality yet...

      Bucues, Lagowe and Gaia Gundam in MA mode could work if they can make the limbs perform close to a quadruped's limbs.

      Gedlav and Einerad in V Gundam (A BESPA mobile suit inside a huge frikking tyre or wheel of death, tyre and beam shields mean almost 360 degrees of protection)

      God Gundam with its pilot mimicking system in the hands of a trained fighter, martial arts master or soldier would almost seem unstoppable. GOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!

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  9. Everyone knows you build a Zaku first before you build a Gundam, such a rookie mistake.

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    1. funny bro,, afterall zaku is the mother of all mobil suit

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  10. ......What?

    ......

    ... *sigh* ...Well, if they're really considering this down the road, then I hope they have other uses in mind (given it's impracticality as a weapon of war). Maybe construction... Or laundry. *shrug*

    (And didn't some random YT user want to laugh at the whole concept by making it look basically impractical with some random 3D physics program? I didn't care for it when I happened upon that, but I'd like to see what the LDP thought of it.)

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  11. TBH, I believe they'll go with something like the ATs from VOTOMS before they try anything adventurous like a 18m mobile suit.

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  12. I have been pondering this issue a lot recently, (I've had a lot of free time on my hands) one of the major issues I noticed was the fact that they will have many vulnerable and weak points at the joints etc. as such it wouldn't require much to damage and render the units non functional. If you look at many modern combat vehicles such as tanks they are very minimal and simple with little in the way of weak and vulnerable areas. Everything about them has been manufactured to withstand the toughest of blows. It would be great if they could create some sort of mobile armour, something with which to protect troops in battle, but it won't happen in our lifetime. Plus sometimes the research into these devices can yield unexpected results, the Internet was technically a byproduct of the CERN supercollider.
    If I'm honest I think that if we are going to see any technology from gundam become a reality in the next fifty years it'll be the solar array from 00.

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  13. Sweet joy ..that is all

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  14. Hmm... Not sure if this will work out or not. With its sheer weight alone, I doubt they can make it move to the point it's usable in combat.

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  15. As much as I'd love to see this come to fruition, I think we as a society should focus on new energy for the time being at least.
    Danbo's got a good point, the research done on this has the potential to expand other industries and it'll do wonders for material research. As far as making bipedal weapons goes though, I believe a small scale project should be attempted first, and one two words come to mind: Tactical Armors. The TA's from Gasaraki are some of the most believe and possibly viable bipedal mechs I've ever seen animated. They raise interest into the concept of synthetic muscles (similar to the ones Metal Gear Ray and Gecko use). Anyway I highly recommend Gasaraki if anyone hasnt seen it. Plot's pretty cool, and its they're legit as to how they go about their mechs (as far as limitations and potential goes). As for Japan's Liberal Democratic Party...lets read on!

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    1. Dammit i knew i was on to something when i borrowed Gasaraki from the library.

      Only to not watch it.

      Will reborrow it!

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  16. You need to remember that mobile suits have thousands of tons of thrust and take quite a lot of energy, agility won't be a problem. Problem is, energy time limit, then again, thats eliminated through nuclear energy. If they can pull it off, it would probably be one of the most powerful weapons on Earth.

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    1. if they can somehow find out what exactly UFO's are and their anti-gravity propulsion system, wars, heck space travel will be a thing of the past

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  17. If Japan does this, the world should do this G-Gundam style, so every country well be even, and to resolve war stuff they fight hunger games style, minus the death part

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  18. gundam was made for the space use in mind,maybe it will be more realistic if they build something AS From full metal panic, it's more agile for ground combat and it's still can use armament that exist nowadays

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  19. with enough data of Japanese robotics,even in ww2 they have robotics already but they just keep it secret,but with problems in energy and problem with people,this will end up in trash.the solution japan need to take action by making a military partnership with euro,and do some big drones what i mean aircraft drones that are actual aircraft abolish Mitsubishi deals its useless to deal with this guys,government need Lockheed martins support,its better if this guy tell people that they will make a ship name yamato to counter the china naval and Korean rockets,but gundam is impossible with lack of Japanese genius and weak military resource.

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  20. I actually thought about something like this and liked the concept of using mobile suits for space exploration. Much like the Seed's Stargazer. Would be very cool...

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  21. I like the idea. It's a bit outlandish, but I would vote for them. Woot!

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