Robotics

Hajime Sakamoto takes a ride on giant robot legs

Hajime Sakamoto takes a ride on giant robot legs
Hajime Sakamoto sits in the pilot seat of his 4 meter tall robot
Hajime Sakamoto sits in the pilot seat of his 4 meter tall robot
View 19 Images
A close-up of Core's hip joints, with powerful actuators built specifically for the large robot (Photo: Wataru Umehara)
1/19
A close-up of Core's hip joints, with powerful actuators built specifically for the large robot (Photo: Wataru Umehara)
CAD rendering showing Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot to scale with people
2/19
CAD rendering showing Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot to scale with people
Hajime Sakamoto stands next to one of the legs of his 4 meter tall robot during construction
3/19
Hajime Sakamoto stands next to one of the legs of his 4 meter tall robot during construction
Workers stabilize Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot during construction
4/19
Workers stabilize Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot during construction
Moving Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot is a delicate task
5/19
Moving Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot is a delicate task
A rear view of Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot standing upright with pilot's seat installed
6/19
A rear view of Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot standing upright with pilot's seat installed
A front view of Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot with pilot seat
7/19
A front view of Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot with pilot seat
Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot can balance on one foot
8/19
Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot can balance on one foot
Hajime Sakamoto sits in the pilot seat of his 4 meter tall robot
9/19
Hajime Sakamoto sits in the pilot seat of his 4 meter tall robot
CAD rendering showing the 4 meter tall robot's upper body frame and cockpit
10/19
CAD rendering showing the 4 meter tall robot's upper body frame and cockpit
A concept sketch showing Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot with upper body and arms
11/19
A concept sketch showing Hajime Sakamoto's 4 meter tall robot with upper body and arms
Toyota developed the i-foot concept vehicle beginning in 2003
12/19
Toyota developed the i-foot concept vehicle beginning in 2003
A close-up of the Toyota i-foot's feet
13/19
A close-up of the Toyota i-foot's feet
A rear view of the Toyota i-foot's leg mechanism
14/19
A rear view of the Toyota i-foot's leg mechanism
HUBO FX-1, a walking chair developed in Korea (Photo: KAIST Hubo Lab)
15/19
HUBO FX-1, a walking chair developed in Korea (Photo: KAIST Hubo Lab)
A student rides on the prototype of HUBO FX-1 (Photo: KAIST Hubo Lab)
16/19
A student rides on the prototype of HUBO FX-1 (Photo: KAIST Hubo Lab)
Dr. Munsang Kim (KIST) rides on the HUBO FX-1, a walking chair robot (Photo: KAIST Hubo Lab)
17/19
Dr. Munsang Kim (KIST) rides on the HUBO FX-1, a walking chair robot (Photo: KAIST Hubo Lab)
Core, a bipedal robot vehicle developed at fuRo, a division of the Chiba Institute of Technology (Photo: Wataru Umehara)
18/19
Core, a bipedal robot vehicle developed at fuRo, a division of the Chiba Institute of Technology (Photo: Wataru Umehara)
A close-up of Core's feet (Photo: Wataru Umehara)
19/19
A close-up of Core's feet (Photo: Wataru Umehara)
View gallery - 19 images

Have you ever dreamed of what it would be like to pilot a giant robot? If you have, you're not alone. A roboticist by the name of Hajime Sakamoto dreams of building his very own Gundam mobile suit, and he's making progress on a real 4 meter (13 feet) tall bipedal robot that can carry him around. So far the legs have been completed, and you can watch them stand up and take a few steps in the video below.

Unlike the Kuratas, which was built by an iron working artist and moves on wheels, Sakamoto's robot is the real McCoy. His company, the Hajime Research Institute, has been building humanoid robots for the better part of a decade, in various sizes, which have competed in RoboCup soccer matches over the years. In 2009 he built a 210 cm (7 feet) tall humanoid robot, which was controlled with a standard game pad, but apparently that wasn't big enough.

His ambitious 4 meter (13 feet) tall robot will eventually be outfitted with an upper body, if he can secure the necessary funding. The torso will act as the cockpit, and its two arms will be controlled by moving a pair of miniature arms attached to the front of the pilot's vest. The plan is to gradually build bigger and bigger robots, culminating with one that matches the specs of the Gundam mobile suits – like the statue erected in Japan a couple years ago, but with working parts.

If you tilt your head to the side, you can see it taking a few steps in this video, piloted by Hajime Sakamoto himself:

2013?1?9? 14:31

The rise of bipedal robot vehicles

Toyota i-foot

Toyota i-foot (2004)

While we may not see them on every street corner just yet, bipedal robot vehicles have been in development for many years. In 2003 Toyota began working on a prototype walking robot vehicle that would be officially unveiled as the i-foot in December 2004. Passengers would sit comfortably inside its egg-shaped body, which would protect them on all sides should the robot fall over. When walking next to a person, the robot could lower its stance to match their eye line.

It stood 236 cm (7 feet 6 inches) tall, weighed 200 kg (440 pounds), and walked with inverted knees. It was able to carry a passenger weighing up to 60 kg (132 pounds) at a speed of 1.35 km/h (0.8 mph), and could even ascend and descend stairs. It made an appearance at Toyota's pavilion during the Aichi Expo of 2005 alongside the company's Partner Robot band.

KAIST Hubo Lab HUBO FX-1

HUBO FX-1 demonstration

In 2006 researchers at the KAIST Hubo Lab created a walking robot chair called the HUBO FX-1. It stood 2 meters (6 feet 6 inches) tall and weighed 150 kg (330 pounds) and had a carrying capacity of 100 kg (220 pounds). It was controlled with a joystick in the arm of the chair, and could walk forward, backward, turn left and right, and walk from side to side.

fuRo Core

core (より長い歩行)

In 2009 another large bipedal vehicle was unveiled by researchers at fuRo (a division of the Chiba Institute of Technology). Core stands 2 meters (6 feet 6 inches) tall and weighs 230 kg (507 pounds), and is able to carry up to 100 kg (220 pounds). The legs feature specially developed shock absorbers that reduce vibrations from ground impacts by 80 percent. The team also developed their own set of super-sized brushless motors specifically for the robot.

Source: Hajime Robot and Facebook page via YouTube

View gallery - 19 images
2 comments
2 comments
Gerard58
It is grates to see development like this; it can always be scaled down for others areas in the future, such as domestic helper robots and a replacement for the wheelchairs. No need to be depends on others for 100 % of your care. You could still have control of your life, which all elderly and disable people miss so much.
This would be one-step of many into a new life. We all one day could benefit from this type of research, as age and health problem affects us all in time.
This is a developing market, and one day it will be as big as the auto mobile market is today.
Gerard.
slayerwulfe
i have not had time to view comments but i hope this is universal. for some just being able to take a step is a dream that they are afraid to dream.