Gundam Robots in Real Life

A conceptual sketch by designer Vitaly Bulgarov / 来自Vitaly Bulgarov的概念草稿

Like something straight out of science fiction, a gigantic humanoid robot has recently been unveiled by the South Korean company Hankook Mirae Technology. Dubbed as the Method-2, the current iteration of this larger-than-life bipedal mech suit is a collaborative project between Moldovan designer Vitaly Bulgarov and the mysterious South Korean robotics company.

韩国韩泰未来科技公司最近推出了一个巨型的人形机甲，看上去就像是从科幻小说里走出来的一样。这个代号为Method-2的巨型双足机甲是摩尔多瓦设计师Vitaly Bulgarov和这家神秘的韩国机器人研发公司之间的一个合作项目。

Large robots piloted by a human isn’t a new concept, at least in popular sci-fi shows and films. They’ve appeared in Japanese animes, such as Gundam , in the form of combat-ready mobile suits; in the video game series Metal Gear as weaponized bipedal tanks with nuclear weaponry, which often appear as the final boss; and more recently, in Western movies like Pacific Rim where the humanoid mechs are used to combat kaiju, or monsters, that emerge from the sea.

由人工驾驶的大型机器人早已不是什么新概念，至少在主流科幻节目和电影里，这是一个出现已久的概念。比如在《机动战士高达》一类的日本动漫里，它们是能够战斗的机甲人；在视频游戏系列《合金装备》中，它们被当作拥有核武器的双足机甲武器，在游戏里它们往往以终极大BOSS的身份出现；而在最近《环太平洋》这类欧美电影中，人形机甲被用来对付从海上出现的“kaiju”－即怪物。

Unlike the robots depicted in many of these sci-fi movies and games, Hankook’s 13-foot-tall robot isn’t intended for military use. In the short term, the robot has been envisioned for industrial applications where it can remain tethered to a power source. It’s even said that they plan to release an alternate version of the robot, with only torso and arms on a wheeled foundation, to assist in cleanup at the Fukushima disaster site.

与大多数科幻电影和游戏中所描绘的机器人不同，韩泰未来科技公司打造的这个近四米高的机器人并非用于军事用途。在短期时间内，这个机器人将被使用于工业领域，并需要一直保持电源的连接。甚至有传言称，他们计划为这个人形机甲造一个只有躯干和手臂的替代版本，安装于装有轮子的底座之上，用于协助在日本福岛核灾难现场的清理工作。

Video Courtesy of Vitaly Bulgarov

无法观看？前往优酷

A scientist at work inside the Hankook Mirae Technology robotics lab

A group of scientists at Hankook Mirae Technology fine-tuning a robotic joint

Robotics experts have expressed skepticism towards the authenticity of the entire project, citing a combination of many reasons: Bulgarov’s background with working in Hollywood blockbusters, such as the upcoming Ghost in the Shell movie that takes place in a post-cyberpunk world with a cyborg protagonist; the immaculately clean state of Hankook Mirae’s robotics laboratory, as seen in their newly released photos; the sloppily leaked images and videos, which initially only appeared on Bulgarov’s personal social media; and the mysterious nature of Hankook Mirae Technology, a company that didn’t even have a website or any web presence until just recently are just a few of the eyebrow-raising issues that have been pointed out over the last few weeks.

有机器人专家对整个项目的真实性持怀疑态度，并列举了很多原因：首先，设计师 Vitaly Bulgarov 参与了好莱坞电影拍摄的工作，譬如即将上映的电影《攻壳机动队》，这部电影讲述了一个发生在后赛博朋克（post-cyberpunk）世界的故事，主人公是一个半人类半机械的改造人；其次，在韩泰未来科技公司新发布的照片中可以看出，这家公司的机器人实验室竟然干净得一尘不染；还有，那些随意泄露的照片和视频。在最初，这些照片只出现在 Bulgarov 的个人社交媒体上；最后是韩泰未来科技公司的神秘背景，这一家公司直到最近才慢慢出现在互联网上并建立属于自己的网站。在过去的几个星期里，对于这个人型机甲，外界类似上面这样的质疑还有很多。

Photo of an earlier prototype from inside Hankook Mirae Technology

A pilot inside the cockpit of a shell-less robot suit at Hankook Mirae Technology

Bulgarov has insisted these robots are authentic while Hankook Mirae Technology has remained silent, unresponsive to our media inquiry. Whether these robot-powered suits are real or an elaborate hoax remains to be seen. Either way, Bulgarov’s conceptual 3-D sketches are quite impressive to look at.

Bulgarov 一直坚称那些都是真真正正的机器人，而韩国韩泰未来科技公司则一直对此保持沉默，也未接受我们的媒体访问。至于这些人形机甲到底是真实存在，还是只是一个精心设计的骗局，让我们拭目以待。无论怎样，Bulgarov的3D概念草图看上去仍然很震撼人心。