Mech
The mech or mecha (from the Greek μῆχος mechos ) represents a general generic term in the field of science fiction for today still largely fictional , piloted walking robots and robot-like machines , which can look humanoid , insectoid or avianoid , for example . In the various fictions, these machines are available in different designs and sizes - from slightly superhuman (over two meters) to over 20 meters in size.
Origin and history
The Greek word mechanes (for aid, tool or war machine) and the Latin machina (for machine ) developed from the ancient Greek root μῆχος mechos (for means or possibility ). From there developed u. a. the English mechanical , which eventually became the term mecha in Japanese . The Mecha (pronounced Meka , Japanese メ カ ) generally refers to mechanical objects of all kinds, from cars to machines and firearms to computers. It was only with the loan back into English and the spreading into German, which went hand in hand with the spread of Japanese pop culture in the West, that the meaning was narrowed down. In contrast to mech , the term mecha is used relatively rarely in the German-speaking world today. Here, this term was mainly known through Japanese ( science fiction mecha) anime and manga .
The mech is originally a non-licensed transmission from the mecha anime series Macross or its US version Robotech to the then newly developed BattleTech universe, which was introduced by the founders of the former game company FASA . At that time, some authors and members of and around FASA "copied" some mecha from the mecha anime series Macross , renamed them and made these mechs appear in the BattleTech novels and games in addition to some Macross-inspired self-inventions. The so-copied Mechs (such as the. Marauder / Marauder ; Warhammer / Warhammer ; Sagittarius / Archer ; Firehawk / Phonix Hawk ; Locust / Locust ; Hornet / Stinger , Wasp / Wasp ; Crusader / Crusader or Rifleman / Rifleman ) must today but no longer appear in new games and novels for reasons of copyright protection. The so-called Unseen in fan circles therefore only appear in the Crescent Hawk game series and in the PC games Mechwarrior 1 and 2 . The drawings of these 'Mechs were replaced by the so-called Reseen . This means that new drawings and figures were created for the old 'Mechs, but the names and properties of the' Mechs were retained. The Unseen also appear in fan projects , such as the unofficial Mechwarrior 4 - Mercenaries expansions by MekTek ( Mekpack version 2.1 and higher) and NBT ( Hardcore ). Later this term was in other American robot - Comic used serials and with the BattleTech then spread series in Europe and Germany. The terms mech and mecha are mainly used in science fiction circles and by fans of these fictional (fighting) machines.
These machines are often depicted as extremely agile in mecha animes and often also in close combat. In addition, the mecha are also used a lot more freely in the civil sector, for example by the police or in the construction industry. In the BattleTech universe, however, the Mechs used for military purposes - the so-called BattleMechs - largely dominate.
Demarcation
There are already real running and walking machines which, due to their small size, cannot accommodate a (human) pilot and are therefore not included in the mech or mecha category . And although these small machines are also called mecha in some media, they belong in the respective special categories of androids and walking robots or robots in general .
Real application areas
The Walking Truck ( Cybernetic Walking Machine ) is a four-legged, piloted walking robot prototype and was commissioned by the US Army from General Electric in 1966 , developed by Ralph S. Mosher and delivered to the US Army in August 1970. The US Army wanted a truck for the infantry to move heavy loads over extremely difficult terrain. Eventually the project was stopped because the Army decided to use transport helicopters for the endeavor. The prototype is now in the US Army Transportation Museum in Fort Eustis. In 2005, the idea of a (however unpilotierten) "mule robot" for the US Army was the BigDog taken up again.
Further developed machines of this type have mainly been developed for civil use or for research purposes . For example the walking forest machine PlusJack (English Walking Forest Machine ) from the former Finnish research and development company Plustech Oy - one of the first walking machine prototypes , which was made in the years from 1995 to 1999 (until the Timberjack company was taken over by John Deere ) has been continuously developed.
Machines of this type are mainly used in forestry and forestry (see also timber harvesters ) and occasionally also in construction (see walking excavators ). The strengths of these machines lie in the forms of terrain that are very sensitive to wheeled and tracked vehicles (such as forests and nature reserves ). For these types of terrain, in addition to the first developed prototypes, the first series models in this category are also in use, such as the walking excavators, which could also be referred to as mech or mecha .
See also
Web links
- Will we ever pilot giant robots? bbc.com
Individual evidence
- ↑ Macross and Robotech - two mecha television series from the early 1980s, (unofficially) the forefathers of the BattleMechs
- ↑ Patlabor 1 - first film in a mecha anime and manga series; published in 1989
- ↑ BattleTech , The world of the 31st century - book from Heyne-Science-Fiction -Verlag, from 2002; ISBN 3-453-21366-1 .
- ↑ Cross-sectional technologies, synergy potentials and other trends ( PDF , ≈ 1.4 MB ; 1.4 MB) - Document at Hessen-IT , from November 17, 2004; (see there, p. 51 of 60, with page number 57 )
- ↑ John Deere Forestry luovutti Suomen Metsämuseolle kävelevän Koneen (Finnish) - Press release at John Deere , on February 17, 2011 (accessed on: September 22, 2015)
- ↑ Schreitharvester - at Jacobi22: forest technology and web design ; Status: February 26, 2018; u. a. also with further pictures