Tsubame Industries, a firm with headquarters in Tokyo, launched ARCHAX, their main product. It’s a 14.8-foot-tall, battery-operated mech that looks like one of those old-school Gundams and can even change its shape. It can also be yours if you have a few million dollars burning a hole in your pocket.
Despite the fact that ARCHAX is controlled by a human in the cockpit, it is more akin to a mecha—also known as a mech—than a robot, despite some media outlets calling it that. The pilot ascends ARCHAX using a short ladder and enters its cramped, screen-enclosed seating room. Nine cameras that are built into the outside of the mech feed these displays, giving the pilot views from every angle. Along with other important information, the panels display ARCHAX’s tilt angle, remaining battery life, and top speed of 10 kilometers per hour, or 6 miles per hour. In the meanwhile, the pilot can control ARCHAX using two pedals.
Using an internal joystick array, the pilot may manipulate ARCHAX’s hands and arms while the mech is in its upright “robot mode.” Although it’s unclear if the mech can actually grasp anything with its grippers, its enormous hands are definitely the sight to behold. Not to mention that ARCHAX’s resemblance to a Gundam is no coincidence. As per Reuters, the inventor of Tsubame, Ryo Yoshida, 25, drew inspiration from Japan’s legacy of creating visually striking animation, games, robotics, and automobiles.
Yoshida told Reuters, “I thought it would be great if I could create a product that compressed all these elements into one.” “I wanted to create something that says, ‘This is Japan.’”
In addition to being rather amazing in its stand-up, Gundam-like “robot mode,” ARCHAX can also transition into “vehicle mode,” as defined by Tsubame Industries. From the outside, ARCHAX appears to be performing a backflip: its front wheels move ahead while the rear wheels, well, go backward. To maintain the pilot upright, the inside of the seat tilts 17 degrees. The mech has a crouching appearance with its arms tucked at its sides, unlike a typical automobile à la Transformers.
This month in Tokyo, Tsubame will showcase ARCHAX at the Japan Mobility Show. At present, Yoshida and his group intend to sell five ARCHAX devices, at a price of $3 million apiece. (According to a page on Tsubame’s website, customers can select from five different exterior hues.) Yoshida anticipates that the mech will eventually be helpful in the aerospace sector or for disaster relief.