Giant Gundam Robot Is Going To Play Rock Paper Scissors Against The Public
A giant Gundam will play Rock Paper Scissors with museum attendees in Japan this Spring.
The Rock Paper Scissors game is about to change forever, courtesy of none other than a giant freakin’ robot! According to a report from Anime News Network, a life-sized Gundam robot has learned the iconic gesture-based game and is ready to begin taking the fight across tournaments. Giant robots such as these have been featured in several popular films and television programs, such as Power Rangers, Pacific Rim, and Transformers, but now the engineers in a Yokohama factory have brought the mechanical creatures to the real world.
As scientists and engineers continue to progress technology at a rapid pace across the globe, we’re seeing a sudden uptick in incredible news stories such as this one. Whether it’s self-driving cars, NASA spacecraft, or Gundam robots trained in the art of Rock Paper Scissors, humanity is constantly testing the limits of what robots are capable of. The Gundam in question is a robot with the model number RX-78-2, which expresses great dexterity with its complex hand movements, producing the necessary timing and ability to play the classic playground betting game.
Gundam robots are generally classified as fictional military robots utilized in several anime series’ owned by Bandai Namco Filmworks, though scientists have made an effort to bring elements of the fictional machines to the real world. Towering at a staggering 59 feet tall, the fully moving Gundam was first presented for public viewing in December 2020, with the facility set to remain open to the public through at least the end of March 2024. In the time since the Gundam first became operational, engineers have been hard at work tweaking the fine details, ensuring that the robot is as dexterous as possible.
While throwing Rock Paper Scissors with a real mech may be a terrifying thought to some potential visitors, the facility is encouraging anyone brave enough to attend their tournament on May 5th. The Gundam is set to play everyone in attendance, should they be so brave, with the prize of a commemorative photo in a closed-to-the-public portion of the facility offered to any challengers able to best the bot in hand-to-hand combat. While the source didn’t explicitly state what would happen to the losers, it’s thankfully based on anime, and not Squid Game.
The Yokohama Gundam factory has also created plans to rerun the Minovsky Flight demonstration to the public from April 29th to May 7th, inspired by the 2021 film Mobile Suit Gundam: Hathaway. During this event, an aptly titled “Gund Arm Inc. Open Cafe” kitchen car, inspired by the anime series Mobile Suit Gundam: The Witch from Mercury, will be selling themed drinks to the adoring public. This event offers visitors the once-in-a-lifetime chance to get absolutely destroyed in a game of Rock Paper Scissors while sipping on a cool refreshing Miorine’s tomato soda.
At this time, there is no word on how advanced the Gundam could truly become, with rumors of the bot learning a greater breadth of dexterity with each passing day. Before we know it, the robot could progress to more advanced hand gestures, such as sign language, or even Rock Paper Scissors Lizard Spock.
