posted on by Ken Iikura-Gross
We’re getting one step closer to mechs we can pilot
One dream that sci-fi anime fans may have is piloting a mech from an anime. A popular mech, aside from the RX-78-2 Gundam from Mobile Suit Gundam, is the AV-98 Ingram from the Patlabor the Mobile Police franchise. Much like the Gundam, a life size version of the Ingram has been made and exhibited throughout Japan. Unlike the Gundam, fans of Patlabor the Mobile Police will soon be able to pilot the torso of the Ingram. Robot maker MOVeLOT revealed last Friday that the Ingram would be unveiled in August this year with a ceremony in mid-September. While the video in the company’s X/Twitter post suggests fans can sit in the cockpit and pilot the torso of the Ingram, MOVeLOT has not confirmed this.
© HEADGEAR all rights reserved. PRODUCED BY GENCO INC. Tokyo, Japan © 2023 MOVeLOT All Rights Reserved.
MOVeLOT’s announced on its Japanese and English X/Twitter accounts in September 2023 that it was building a real-life pilotable Patlabor EZY.
— MOVeLOT EN (@MOVeLOT_EN) September 30, 2023
MOVeLOT revealed a rudimentary CGI video showing off the cockpit and mobility of its Ingram.
— ROBOT BASE (@MOVeLOT) June 21, 2024
Much like the RX-78F00 Gundam at the Gundam Factory Yokohama, this could be a momentous occasion for the Patlabor the Mobile Police franchise. This is doubly true if fans of the series will be able to physically sit in the cockpit of the AV-98 Ingram and pilot the torso. While a location has not been decided for the Ingram, fans can experience a prototype of the Ingram at the Robot Base Tokyo.
Sources: MOVeLOT’s website (link 2), MOVeLOT’s X/Twitter account (link 2), press release (link 2), Robot Pilot Project YouTube channel, Mainichi Shimbun’s Mantan Web
