Japanese scientists have created a device that controls a mini toy Gundam robot using the human mind, turning one of the anime’s most exciting technological concepts into reality.
The researchers customized a Zaku Gundam robot toy available through Bandai’s Zeonic Technics, but buyers have to manually program their robot using a smartphone app.
The prototype is a joint venture between Tohoku University and Hitachi, where they developed a version that moves in response to brain activity.
The innovation is based on Psycommu, a control mechanism in the Gundam metaverse’s Universal Century timeline that allows Newtype pilots to mentally manipulate their mobile suits.
The headband device created by the NeU researchers measures three different levels of brain activity, each of which is linked to a particular movement sequence.
Gundam fans may some day be able to witness a life-sized Gundam robot piloted via mind control in the near future.