The Kuratas 2000 is a construction labor featured in the first episode of The Next Generation: Patlabor. It is a "construction variant" of the real life Kuratas design by Kogoro Kurata and Wataru Yoshizaki.
Design & Development[]
Kogoro Kurata stated that mecha anime was the inspiration for creating Kuratas, especially those of the series Armored Trooper Votoms, which he watched as a child. "When I was a kid, I thought there were going to be giant robots in the future. But no matter how long I waited, people were only able to make small robots, like ASIMO. Eventually, I thought 'I can't wait anymore,' and set out to make one myself." Kurata's goal was to create a piece of art that emulated the anime he had watched growing up.
Yoshizaki was brought onboard the project to create the software for the robot's movement and pilot interaction. It can be piloted by one person; the pilot sitting in the "body" of the robot in a seat, with the control device in front of them. The Kuratas can also be controlled externally by remote control. Kuratas sports a four-wheeled, thirty joint exoskeleton. which is controlled by the pilot or can be controlled remotely, the remote operator using a "3g touch screen" phone as the primary interface. The user interface is a Kinect based device. Currently, the Kuratas is not capable of walking, but is able to drive forward and backwards on its four wheels at around 10 km/h. It cannot turn without external assistance. In universe, it is a regular construction labor with a simple claw mechanism instead of manipulators.
Gallery[]
.png "Kuratas (6).png (973 KB)")
.png "Kuratas (8).png (1.01 MB)")
.png "Kuratas (9).png (997 KB)")
.png "Kuratas (7).png (1,007 KB)")
.png "Kuratas (10).png (810 KB)")
.png "Kuratas (11).png (914 KB)")