If Reavers actually existed, what kind of work would they do in the field? Report on the third session of "Patlabor Juku," a web seminar to study "Patlabor" academically: "How to use the Reaver properly" (Japanese only)

The third session of the web seminar "Patlabor Juku," an academic examination of the social environment in Japan in the near future, 10 years after that depicted in "Mobile Police Patlabor," was distributed online on April 9, 2022.

The theme of the third session was "The Right Way to Use Reavers." The talk was centered on "Cities Living with Reavers" and deepened the discussion on how to use Reavers in the real world.

The cast included regulars Toshio Yabe (Media Planning Department, Planning and Planning Division, Urban Development Division, Mori Building), Azusa Kobayashi (actress and announcer), and Michitaka Hirose (professor emeritus at the University of Tokyo). In addition to these three guests, Takayuki Omata, Director of Public Relations and Investor Relations, Brand Communications Division, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co.

The program began with a review of the previous webinar, "Will the Tama area of the future city become the stage of PATLABOR? The session started with a review of the

Citing the "Digital Rural City State Concept" actually proposed by the Kishida Cabinet, Mr. Yabe said, "In 'Patlabor' (Tokyo), (cities) are depicted with a centralized focus, but in reality, the trend is that we need to bring cities to the countryside from now on," "However, we cannot suddenly create a If we were to create a city of the future in the world of "PATLABOR," Tama would be the stage.

This brings us to the main topic of the third session, "How to use the Reaver correctly. Since the setting of the play "Reaver," a robot developed from a civil engineering machine (......), was present, the audience discussed the depiction of reavers in the play and how reavers will be depicted in the future, comparing them to real heavy machinery and work machines.

Guest Mr. Omata is a direct descendant of the generation that was greatly influenced by "Mobile Police Patlabor" when he was in high school. Comparing the Reavers in the movie, Mr. Omata said, "Graubear and Tyrant have large arms, so they have hands that are used to hold heavy things. These gradually evolved and became boxers. The coloring is the same as that of actual heavy machinery, and the colors stand out. I think the design is very realistic.

The group also talked about various topics while replaying scenes from the anime in which the reavers are in action. Among them, Mr. Omata was particularly interested in the scene in the first movie in which the reaver destroys and demolishes a wooden house with its arms.

He said, "Why do they have two arms and destroy the house in such a rough way? In reality, he removes the structural members one by one, such as removing roof tiles and grabbing beams to move them out of the way (for the purpose of sorting waste). This is unnatural," Yabe replied, "In the 1980s, there was still no separation of garbage, so they were tearing down buildings with a "Se-no! and they were tearing down buildings. I think the next time they make a new film, they will depict the demolition in more detail," he followed up.

The late 1980s, when the anime was produced, and the late 1990s, as depicted in the play. The gap between the late 1980s, when the anime was produced, and the late 1990s, as depicted in the play, and the present day, 2022, only adds to the flavor of the work.

In addition, regarding the scene in which the Tyrant's coolant leaks out when Officer Ota shoots Ingram Unit 2, Mr. Omata considers the scene from an engineer's point of view: "The drive system must be constantly cooled," and "That means there is a superconductivity system built into it," he says.

When he mentioned that the maintenance scene of the Griffon is depicted in the comic book version as if it were a freezer, Professor Hirose said that the depiction of the coolant may have been created because "superconductivity was a hot topic at the time.

The talk also showed how "PATLABOR" was a scientific and technological production that incorporated the latest technology and trends of the time.

When the topic of the talk turned to crawlers used for the undercarriage of real heavy and earth-moving machinery, and whether a leg-like structure like Reaver's could be realized, Omata replied, "In the past, it was impossible (technically). In that sense, it is natural that crawlers are used (today)," he said, adding that the advantage of the leg structure is that the user can choose where to have the legs installed if the conditions underfoot are complex.

He also expands on the advantages of the raver by discussing Astaco, a heavy machine developed by Hitachi Construction Machinery that has two manipulators like a raver - a dual-arm specification machine.

Mr. Omata points to the removal of earthquake debris as an example of where Astaco has been put to good use. For example, with a typical hydraulic excavator with a single arm, it is sometimes difficult to clear debris that is intricately entangled. However, Astaco can lift debris with one hand while cutting with the other, making delicate work possible.

In such a situation, a leg structure that allows the operator to choose which scaffold is safest is more advantageous than a crawler, and if the Reaver were real, it could be expected to play an active role in disaster recovery.

In addition, Mr. Omata says that the next step for Hitachi Construction Machinery is "automation. The educational computer-like system that is also installed in Ingram has already begun to be installed in actual heavy machinery and work equipment, and the goal is for the AI to learn the habits of each operator and realize efficient operation, ultimately allowing the computer to take charge of recognition, judgment, and operation.

Mr. Yabe then goes on to make a proposal in light of current technology: "In the next work, there could be a drone near the Patlabor, and what happens from this side (the drone's point of view) could be seen from a different perspective, assisting the Reaver itself, or moving the viewpoint. He also commented on the current technology.

He also made a suggestion in light of current technology: "Right now, I am thinking of a reaver as an extension of the human body. As Prof. Hirose said at the end of the lecture, "In the new work, we will think of (Reavers) as different physical beings." The delivery made us think that when a new "Patlabor" film is made in the future, a new form of Reaver may be created that has never been seen before in response to real technological developments.

For the next installment, they are in the process of approaching multinational companies like "Shaft Enterprises," which appeared in the play, to appear on the show.

We can expect another in-depth discussion.

The third broadcast can be archived until 23:59 on April 23, 2022 (Sat.). Tickets for the broadcast will be available until 23:59 on April 22 (Fri.), 2022, so if you haven't watched it yet, don't forget to do so!

[Distribution Information

■Patlabor Juku Vol. 3: "How to Use a Reaver Properly

Date and time: Saturday, April 9, 2022, 15:00-17:00 (tentative)

　　　　　*Archived viewing is also scheduled.

　　　　　　After the live broadcast ends, until 23:59 on Saturday, April 23, 2022

　　　　　Tickets for viewing will be sold until 23:59, April 22 (Fri.), 2022.

Venue: Fanbeats Patlabor Juku ( 3rd) web seminar viewing page

Performer:

Michitaka Hirose (Professor Emeritus, The University of Tokyo)

Takayuki Omata (General Manager, Public Relations & Investor Relations Department, Brand Communication Division, Hitachi Construction Machinery Co.)

Azusa Kobayashi (Actress, Announcer)

Toshio Yabe (Media Planning Department, Urban Development Division, Mori Building)