Footage captures moment gigantic Japanese Gundam robot takes its first step

Incredible footage has emerged from Japan of a gigantic Gundam robot actually taking steps in what is believed to be an early test walk.

The robot, which is for a new attraction in the Port of Yokohama that is inspired by the popular anime series Mobile Suit Gundam as well as it's many successful spin-offs was due to open this summer but has been delayed until October because of the coronavirus pandemic.

However, when it is fully open to the public it will feature a 60ft Gundam robot which will actually move and early footage that has been shared on social media from the Gundam Factory website shows the robot taking its first steps.

A YouTube series, named Gundam Central has been updating fans on the challenges that the engineers have faced in creating the 60ft tall robot, with the website adding:

At Gundam Factory Yokohama, which will be established at Yamashita Pier, in addition to allowing visitors to see a life-sized 18m-tall Gundam move, we will also be able to share with them, and let them experience, the development processes up until the point where it is ready to move.

The 18-metre tall Gundam will be able to move, but we are yet to know just by how much, but it will be surrounded by a 25-metre tall dock which you can see in the above video.

There were plans for the public to see a special preview of the Gundam between July and October, where they could have seen the robot at its eye leve but that has had to be postponed due to coronavirus, as reported by Time Out.

A statement on the Gundam website said:

We have made the difficult decision to cancel the Special Experience preview event scheduled to begin this July and postpone our grand opening scheduled for October 2020. We expect to have our grand opening within the year. Details will be announced as available.

This decision was made to ensure the health and safety of our fans and employees in response to the worldwide spread of Covid-19. We apologise to all of our fans who were looking forward to our grand opening and ask for your understanding. In the meantime, we will be making preparations so that all of our visitors can enjoy themselves in safety.

The Gundam will remain open to the public for just one year with the attraction also featuring a cafe, shop, exhibition as well as an Academy where anyone with an interest in robotics can learn more about the technology and how they are designed.

This is far from the first true-to-size Gundam that has been erected in Japan. The RX-0 Unicorn Gundam statue in Odaiba, Tokyo stands at a staggering 19.7 meters tall and was unveiled in 2017, replacing a RX-78-2 statue (the same model that will be on show in Yokokahama) which had stood in the same spot since 2012.