I was in Yokohama, Japan, and I visited the Gundam Factory, where there’s a full-size Gundam, with 18 meters (59 ft) and 25 tons (55115 lb).
In 1979, was released on television the anime Mobile Suit Gundam. This franchise became very popular in the entire world, producing more than 70 TV series, movies, games, etc. Most of the series have different protagonists, stories, and universes, in addition to different Gundam models. The inauguration of Gundam Factory Yokohama was on December 19, 2020.
The open space
The robot is connected to Dock Tower for support and receives electric energy for components. Below are videos of movements seen from open space.
The Gundam Lab
This section inside the building, shows Gundam’s development, including project, structure, and what is behind the motions.
The videos below show a robot assembling a Gunpla, a model of the franchise’s robot. There are two short videos because the maximum limit of YouTube short is only one minute.
How did the Gundam move?
Servomotors (in black in image below) move the Gundam. Controller (white on left), sends motion commands to the amplifier (white on right), which in turn, sends signals to move the servo. The latter has a rotation sensor to send readings to the amplifier, that sends data motion to the controller. The Mechatrolink protocol makes the communication between components.
The servomotors have a precision of 0.0003º and were manufactured by Yaskawa Electric Corporation, which also developed the Mechatrolink. Servos are connected to a reduction gear set, to reduce speed and increase torque.
4487 meters (14721 ft) of wire make the energy and signal transmission to controllers and actuators.
Inside the Dock Tower
To enter Dock Tower, you must pay for an additional ticket, choose a time to enter, and go up by an elevator, following the staff’s instructions, who conduct groups of people to two floors. The video below shows the movements seen from inside Dock Tower.
Other installations
On the first floor, there is a shop that sells gunplas, themed clothes, and souvenirs. On second floor, there is a restaurant and a conference room, where videos about the giant robot construction are shown.
