Engineer Masaaki Nagumo always wanted to build his own Mobile Suit Gundam mecha when he was a child. When he grew up, he transformed his childhood dream into reality. Nagumo created a 28-foot tall, 7 tonnes heavy LW Mononofu robot for his employer, Sakakibara Kikai. The project took six years to complete and is probably the world’s largest anime-inspired robot in which you can ride in and control as well. The robot can move its arms and fingers, turn its upper body, and can walk forward and backward with a speed of 1km/hour. The mecha robot also has a metal gun which fires sponge balls at a speed of 87-mph.
Nagumo said in an interview, “It is just a toy. But I want people to experience the world of anime and exercise their imagination through it. I will be happy if many people enjoy the robot.” The LW Mononofu can be powered by a 200-volt AC electricity source and a 24-volt DC battery. Its cockpit has levers, pedals, and buttons which are used by the rider to control the movements of the robot. The monitors show live footage shot by the camera installed at five different points on the huge body. Nagumo created the LW Mononofu himself including the computer programs as well. He also performed the assembly and paint job all by himself.
Sakakibara Kikai has not disclosed that how much he has invested into the LW Mononofu. However, they are considering to lease it if certain conditions are met. The LW Mononofu cannot leave the hanger it was built in since it is higher than the large door and needs to be dismantled for it to be removed. Sakakibara Kikai is specialist in animal excrement processing machines for dairy farms and other similar machines. They started developing anime-inspired robots in 2005. The LW Mononofu is the company’s largest creation so far.
