FYI.

This story is over 5 years old.

Tech

Watch This Industrial Robot Learn to Be a Master Swordsman

Because giving a robot a katana is a great idea.

Industrial bots are underrated. It's easy to think they're all about manufacturing. But just watch as Motoman-MH24, normally found assembling or packing products, takes on a new lease of automaton life and become a badass sword fighter.

Motoman-MH24 is a 286kg high-speed industrial robot made by Japan's Yaskawa Electric Corporation. The Yaskawa Bushido Project is a short video clip showing Japanese master swordsman and five times world record holder Isao Machii teach Motoman-MH24 the way of the sword. The company have made this promotional clip to celebrate what they dub "manufacturing spirit" as they near their 100th anniversary.

Advertisement

To date, Machii has demonstrated some pretty radical feats with his blade: slicing a flying shrimp pelleted at him at 80mph in half, and a neon ball flung at him at 150mph, are just some of the things the dude can do.

The Yaskawa researchers analysed Machii's sword techniques in 3D. Next up, they got Motoman to reproduce the very same movements, and the results are first-class. In a showdown between master and robo-apprentice, the pair first demonstrate a four-directional cut in perfect sync. Then Motoman-MH24 imitates each of Machii's cuts down to a tee.

Things start really heating up when the robot actually looks like it's gaining an upper hand over its human master. While Machii horizontally slices one orange Motoman-MH24 takes down six in one go. The most epic scene is probably the one where Motoman splices a really thin pea pod in half.

While Machii looks visibly tired towards the end of the final "1000 cuts" scene, his mechanical counterpart could probably go on for at least an extra 2000.