Workers in Japan have built a 60-foot statue of famous cartoon robot Gigantor in the city of Kobe. The statue is an actual-size replica of the hulking robot depicted in numerous manga and anime. It's known as Tetsujin 28 in Japan.
Towering over Kobe's Wakamatsu Park, the statue weighs 50 tons and cost some 135 million yen ($1.5 million) to build. It took about six weeks to erect.
The body parts were made earlier this summer. Here's a neat video showing manufacturing at a factory in Kishiwada City, Osaka.
Gigantor follows the construction of another 60-foot robot statue in Japan. An incredibly detailed, life-size replica of the fictional Gundam robot was built in a park in Tokyo in June, and it could shoot light from its body.
Designed as a permanent tourist attraction, the Gigantor monument was organized under the NPO Kobe Tetsujin Project to honor the work of the late cartoonist Mitsuteru Yokoyama, a Kobe native and the genius behind such manga classics as Sally the Witch and Giant Robo.
Gigantor is also a symbol of the rebirth of Kobe after it was devastated by the 1995 earthquake that killed more than 6,000 people. January 2010 marks the 15th anniversary of the tragedy.
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Giant Torayan heated up Tokyo earlier this year.
(Credit: Video screenshot by Tim Hornyak/CNET)A giant, fire-breathing robot has taken over part of Osaka's city hall.
Its baby face makes it the perfect instrument for striking terror into the hearts of the 2.6 million residents of this Japanese metropolis.
The metal monster is called Giant Torayan and it stands over three stories tall. It can spew 20-foot-long jets of flame from its infant lips. See the video below.
Constructed of steel, aluminum and brass, the robot is the brainchild of Japanese artist Kenji Yanobe, who describes it thus: "This Giant Torayan doll is the ultimate child's weapon, as it sings, dances, breathes fire, and follows only those orders given by children."
Torayan's remote control unit also looks like a baby's head. It contains a computer that only recognizes voice commands issued by kids, according to Yanobe. It can flail its arms about, turn its head, and utter a high-pitched wail.
The robot has been exhibited at different venues in Japan in recent years, including Tokyo's popular Roppongi Hills complex in March, as seen above.
Torayan is a stock character in Yanobe's works and was originally inspired by a puppet that belonged to his father, a ventriloquist.
It's slated to stick around city hall until October 12 as part of the Aqua Metropolis Osaka 2009 festival, a celebration of the city's canals and rivers.
This seems to be the year for giant robot construction projects in Japan, with a 60-foot Gundam robot built in Tokyo, and a monument to Gigantor going up in Kobe.
Whatever are the Japanese planning?
(Credit:
ThinkGeek)
At first we weren't sure who would want a 15-inch digital picture frame, but then it occurred to us: You know those people who have life-size wedding portraits in the hallway because they're too big to fit above the fireplace or anywhere else? Mystery solved.
The suitably named "Gigantor Digital Photo Frame," shown here with an equally suitable mugshot of Godzilla, will dominate your desktop not only with a huge LCD but also with its built-in speakers. And its $250 price is surprisingly un-gargantuan given its dimensions, which dwarf those puny 7- and 8-inchers on the market today.
Perhaps it's just another example of LCD makers trying to peddle their wares before they're eclipsed by new display technologies. After all, it's certainly better than some of the alternatives.
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