#guzzilla

‘SUPER GUZZILLA’, Taguchi Industrial Co., Ltd, Okayama, Japan.

Sometimes putting together a mech is simply a matter of assembling the parts you have in the right way. Hiroaki Taguchi, CEO of Taguchi Industrial, maker of heavy industrial demolition and salvage equipment, capitalized upon this fact in 2015, with a most impressive PR stunt at that year’s ‘Odaiba Continent Dream Mega Summer Festival’ in July, showcasing an assembly of their company’s products, in a form that looks like a bigger brother of Suidobashi Heavy Industry’s Kuratas.

Starting with a Hitachi-brand Construction Machinery Wheel Loader as a base, Taguchi then mounted a custom-made steelwork torso where a normal cabin and lifting bulldozer plow would be placed. Then, mounted on either side of the torso were a pair of lightweight mechanical arms, each with one of the company’s own ‘Guzzilla’ hydraulic shears attached at the ends. With the addition of seating and a control system, and then a good paint & decal job, the result was named ‘Super Guzzilla’.

Weighing in at a whopping 15 tons, its heft can be attributed to the huge tires and motor at the back of the machine, plus its majority-steel construction. As a result of using an established mass production chassis, its top speed is 16 miles per hour, similar to that of a normal Wheel Loader. Its dimensions are also similar, at 22 feet in length, 10 feet in width, and 11 feet in height. The Guzzilla arms themselves are capable of rapid movements, and are rather nimble and maneuverable, though they are powered by an off-chassis electric generator. One of the demonstrations used for the mech was for it to dance, moving its arms in time to music.

To top the demonstration off, Taguchi had prepped for people to climb into the cockpit, to take the bot itself for a drive... but not in the way you’d think. Ahead of the Odaiba Dream Summer Festival, there was a secondary mode installed into the mech, that disabled control of the physical robot itself, but enabled people to pilot a virtual version of the same machine, in a VR game purpose-made for the Super Guzzilla itself. Using an Oculus Rift, people could sit down, and take control of a virtual Super Guzzilla wired to the mech’s actual controls, piloting the robot through a virtual mission that involved plenty of demolition. The pilot’s seat is even motorized, shifting and jostling in time to the motions in-game.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Over the ensuing years Taguchi Industrial Co has brought the Super Guzzilla out to the Odaiba Dream Summer Festival, as well as other festivals throughout the year, inviting people to watch and play with the mech, and advertising their products at the same time. At current, the company’s headquarters in Okayama is the assumed current location of the Super Guzzilla. Its completely enclosed cockpit makes driving the machine a challenge, but there are rumors that a second unit may be in construction, one more self-contained and drivable than the current unit.

This article will be updated if more information becomes available.

Videos of the Super Guzzilla in action.

References:

Sora News 24, ‘You can take this 33,000-pound robot for a virtual test drive, watch it dance to J-pop‘, circa July 19, 2015. http://en.rocketnews24.com/2015/07/19/you-can-take-this-33000-pound-robot-for-a-virtual-test-drive-watch-it-dance-to-j-pop-%E3%80%90video%E3%80%91/

Engadget, ‘Go inside a giant Japanese concrete-crushing robot’, circa Aug 7, 2015. https://www.engadget.com/2015/08/07/go-inside-a-giant-japanese-concrete-crushing-robot/

 ASCII.JP, ‘ Yabata Heavy Equipment "SUPER GUZZILLA" Which came 30 km / h Why was it possible?’, circa June 6, 2016. http://ascii.jp/elem/000/001/171/1171413/