#tmsuk

ROBÔS DE INVESTIGAÇÃO TMSUK

T-52 ‘ENRYU’ Hyper Rescue Robot, Tmsuk Co, Fukuoka, Japan.

In 2004, after collating decades of data on the frequency of natural disasters, the Japanese robotics company Tmsuk partnered up with the Kitakyushu Fire Department and Japan's National Research Institute of Fire and Disaster, as well as Kyoto University, and their robotics department ‘ROBO-GARAGE’, headed by Tomotaka Takahashi, to build a machine that had the ability to clear away heavy rubble and debris very quickly. The result was the world’s first commercially-viable and production-ready piloted robot, the T-52 Enryu, or ‘Rescue Dragon’.

The Enryu was built with disaster relief and safety firmly within the crosshairs. Measuring at 3.5 meters in height and length, with a compact width of 2 meters, the bot weighs in at 5 tons and is powered by diesel. A bulldozing plow is mounted in front of its treaded base, and it can rotate on top of said base, with 22 degrees of freedom. Its arms were built with manipulating heavy rubble in mind, and are powered with hydraulics capable of each lifting 1100 pounds. With both limbs working together, it can lift a car clean off the ground and toss it to the side.

A key distinguishing feature about the Enryu is the fact that it can be either piloted, or operated remotely. In the event of radiation or chemical hazards, the pilot can control and operate the mech from a safe location. And not with simple mouse or joystick either. An armature allows them to direct the movements of the arms, and a 6.8 megapixel CCD camera system mounted in the ‘head’ of the mech keeps them apprised of their surroundings.

The mech was finished in 2006, where it displayed its abilities before a watching crowd. This was the first mech that was professionally designed from the ground up for a practical non-military application, and as such has special recognition as the first ‘Worker Mech’ in the entire world.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

Tmsuk is believed to still possess the original T-52 either at their headquarters in Munakata-City, or in a warehouse nearby. As of yet the Enryu has not been called into action, but Tmsuk has not been content to rest on their laurels. In 2007 they unveiled the T-53, a ‘little brother’ to Enryu that is half its size, but is much faster and dexterous, not to mention street-legal, with brake lights and turn signals. Read about the T-53 HERE.

This article will be updated if more information becomes available.

Videos of the T-52 Enryu in action.

References:

Robotics Today, ‘Enryu Series: T-52 Enryu’, circa 2011. http://www.roboticstoday.com/robots/enryu-t-52-description

Plastic Pals, ‘Enryu T-52′, circa Nov 24, 2009. http://www.plasticpals.com/?p=88

下水道的維修是一件辛苦的工作，新聞報導也時常傳出下水道的工安事件。日本機器人公司 TMSUK 開發一款檢查下水道蜘蛛機器人「SPD1」，可以幫忙檢查維修下水道，藉此減少維修人員的工作量。 (more…)

T-53 ‘ENRYU’ Rescue Robot, Tmsuk Co, Fukuoka, Japan.

The little brother to the bigger and older T-52, this new iteration of the Enryu series was designed with the help of Japan’s National Fire Department. Tmsuk rolled out the T-53 in 2007, just in time for the mech to be put to actual work in the aftermath of the Kashiwazaki City Earthquake, giving it a chance to prove itself right out the gate.

This more compact iteration of the Enryu is 9 feet tall, with its base only taking up 5 feet in both length and width. It is also lighter and faster than its predecessor. The arms are not as powerful, but with a combined max weight-lifting capacity of 440 pounds, it’s still nothing to sneeze at. Plus, they are more dexterous than those of its big brother.

Notable in this iteration is the fact that the cockpit is located in the back, with an open-air canopy, giving it an appearance similar to that of construction equipment. It still has a ‘head’ on top which boasts the same camera systems the T-52 possesses. This is because the T-53 can also be controlled remotely from a safe location, in the event of nuclear or chemical contamination, and can operate untethered on a charge lasting 6 hours.

In addition to these features, the little red mech possesses brake lights and turn signals, making it street-legal. Combined with a lifting bulldozer-plow on its front, all-steel treads for rough terrain, interchangeable arm attachments, and heavy-duty lights mounted on both arms, the head and lower torso, and you have a compact rescue robot ready to take on almost any situation.

The mech was made with mass production in mind, and Tmsuk was looking to produce and sell additional units towards not just the rescue industry, but to the construction and waste disposal industries as well.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW?

When the Tohoku Earthquake hit the Fukushima Nuclear Plant in 2011, the T-53 was moved to the Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, north of Tokyo, following a request from the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry. From there it was presumably moved to J-Village, a site near the disaster area for decontaminating machines exposed to radiation. The cleanup of the land is estimated to take around 30 to 40 years, so we assume that the T-53 and any additional units that Tmsuk has produced is busy, and will be kept busy, for years to come.

This article will be updated if more information becomes available.

Videos of the T-53 Enryu in action.

References:

Robotics Today, ‘Enryu Series: Enryu T-53′, circa 2011. http://www.roboticstoday.com/robots/enryu-t-53-description

C|net, ‘Enryu rescue robot gets Fukushima mission’, circa Apr 23, 2011. https://www.cnet.com/news/enryu-rescue-robot-gets-fukushima-mission/