Modelled on one of the robots from the popular 1970s anime series Mobile Suit Gundam, the huge machine was put through its paces this week at its new home in the the port city of Yokohama.
The humanoid was due to become the centrepiece of Gundam Factory Yokohama, south of Tokyo, on 1 October, but the virus pandemic means it will not be officially unveiled until later in the year, according to the site’s operator.
Engineers reportedly started designing the robot six years ago to ensure each piece met weight restrictions to prevent its limbs from buckling and that all 24 moveable parts worked seamlessly.
The robot is being developed using the open source Robot Operating System (ROS) and Gazebo simulation software, and the team is releasing a full-scale virtual copy of the robot that aspiring programmers can play with to develop their own actions and poses.