2023 Tsubame Industries Archax Robot

Archax is the brainchild of Yoshida Ryo, president of Tsubame Industries. Ryo developed a key interest in machinery at an early age thanks to his grandfather, who ran an ironworks company. Fascinated by robots as a child, Ryo dreamed of building one some day, and went on to study robotic hand technologies at university. 

To help turn Ryo’s dream into a reality, veteran engineer Ishii Akinori joined the team. Akinori spent nearly 20 years working for a major construction equipment company and while there, he was involved in the development of a machine that had two arms. He then served as a technical director for Gundam Global Challenge project that developed Life-sized Moving Gundam, a colossal anamatronic robot. Now Tsubame Industries’ chief technical officer, Akinori’s participation in the project prompted other talented engineers to join the team.

Various technologies have gone into the making of Archax. The frame was built by an ironworks firm that makes parts for heavy construction machinery, while the exterior was made of the same fiber-reinforced plastics used in F1 cars.

Standing at an imposing 4.5 meters tall (14ft 9in), Archax can lift its arms, wave, and transform from robot mode to vehicle mode and back again. Archax has four legs, but it does not walk on them as such. At the bottom of each is a Yokohama industrial tire, with the rear wheels driven by an electric motor. 

In vehicle mode, Archax’s four legs are spread apart, lowering the center of gravity and enabling its maximum speed of 10 km/h (6 mph). When converted into robot mode, it rises to its full height. A sight to behold—and hear—a myriad of electric motors throughout the chassis all whir into action to hoist the 3.5-ton machine (7,000 pounds) up to its full height, a process that takes around 15 seconds.

That’s nothing compared to the drama of the cockpit opening mechanism which, from the outside, is operated by holding a switch situated on the bottom left of Archax’s chassis. Four separate hatches move in sync to improve access to the lone pilot’s chair inside, a fluid motion that is very much inspired by Gundam robots.

Basic controls are a pair of joysticks for controlling the arms, with a touch panel through which the pilot can toggle discrete functions like lights and modes. A pair of pedals control Archax’s movement. The one on the right rocks forward and back to control speed ahead and in reverse, while the pedal on the left rocks side to side and is used to turn the mech. 

The cockpit is completely enclosed, with the pilot seeing the world through footage captured from nine wide-angle cameras that you can see scattered around the robot. That footage is then shown on four displays that enclose the pilot. 

Big red emergency stop buttons are found not only inside the cockpit, but also outside on the legs. Tsubame says that as a developer and manufacturer, it has a responsibility to provide a safely operable robot. It achieved the creation of highly reliable products after performing rigid risk assessments according to ISO standards.

Born from the imagination of a dedicated team of anime enthusiasts, the Tsubame Archax is human-piloted robot - a fantasy made real. Archax stands at 4.5 meters tall (14ft 9in) and weighs 3.5 tons (7,000 pounds). A myriad of electric motors are powered by a DC300V battery. A legitimate transformer, in robot mode, Archax stands up and can travel 2 km/h (1 mph) while in vehicle mode, it crouches down and can hit a top speed of 10 km/h (6 mph).

The fortunate pilot of this futuristic machine will take the controls from a human-size cockpit. the Archax frame is constructed from iron and aluminum alloy, with the robot’s exterior made of fiber-reinforced plastics. With a cockpit located in its chest, the pilot can enter the cockpit and move around it freely. Each and every part of the robot moves with speed, rigidity, and power.

Specifications include:

• Four legs
• Yokohama industrial tires
• 26 moveable joints
• Front-wheel steering
• Rear-wheel drive
• Onboard operation
• Remote operation

 Interior features include:

• Four displays
• Nine cameras
• Touch screen
• Two joysticks
• Two pedals

This is a truly unique opportunity to acquire a manually-operating, functioning, giant, human-piloted robot. Archax will be delivered to the buyer in like-new condition, including paint, within 12 months. The buyer will also be invited to Japan to undertake some basic training involving driving and controlling the robot. A down payment of 20 percent will be due at the close of the auction. The 80 percent remaining pricipal will be due at the end of the 12-month period before delivery.

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