What is ARCHAX and who built it

ARCHAX developed by the Tokyo-based startup Tsubame Industries, was showcased at the Japan Mobility Show 2023 held in Tokyo. At the show the robot was displayed to the public and its upper-body movements demonstrated.

ARCHAX also uses component-procurement support from a platform called meviy, which helped accelerate its production by streamlining parts procurement.

ARCHAX is not a toy or conceptual art piece. It represents one of the first serious efforts to build a human-scale, piloted robot for real-world heavy labour and hazardous environments. With its ability to carry human-like manipulation and mobility — plus a fully electric battery-driven system — ARCHAX aims to blur the line between science-fiction mecha and practical industrial or disaster-relief machinery.

Key Specifications and Features

• ARCHAX has a humanoid upper body with two arms and a hand at the end, with five articulated fingers — allowing grasping and manipulation.
• It uses a cockpit in its chest from which an operator controls the robot using joysticks, pedals, display screens, and camera feeds.
• The robot has 26 joints (degrees of freedom) for flexible motion.
• It supports two operation modes: “Robot Mode” (upright humanoid posture) and “Vehicle Mode” (wheeled driving). In vehicle mode, it can reach a top speed of 10 km/h.
• Power comes from a 300-volt battery system.

Purposes and Potential Use Cases

According to Tsubame Industries, ARCHAX is intended for heavy-duty or dangerous tasks where human presence is risky or impractical. Specifically, they mention:

• Disaster search and rescue
• Large-scale demolition or structural teardown
• Nuclear decommissioning
• Ground testing for future lunar base construction
• Other environments where replacing human workers with a piloted robot could improve safety or capability

Sources: tsubame, reutersconnect, prnewswire