Fucking trash article. Every single outlet reporting on this is calling it a Gundam. Clearly we wouldn't know what a 15 foot tall robot is without someone comparing it to a 100ft bipedal machine with massive guns and lightsabers that looks totally different than what they're describing.
There are plenty of instances in anime where mechs (I guess not specifically Gundam) have wheels or skates/wheels, like Code Geass. I think its mostly so they don't have to animate walking on the ground or draw different leg movements/positions.
The demands of space exploration weight reduction, weight reduction, compactness and weight reduction.
The demands of disaster relief are probably all terrain mobility, strength and stability.
Those attributes are polar opposites.
Every time someone gets all self righteous and posts stuff about how this isn’t “practical” or “cost-effective” or “actually useful in a real world scenario, where efficacy is needed”.
They always forget the critical important factor:
Mech Suits are Awesome!
No, it's not for space exploration, and no, it wasn't unveiled by the nation of Japan. Hyperbole to the extreme, shame on you, Independent.
Some Japanese bloke built it after learning how to weld, and said he thinks it'd be cool if something like it could be used for space exploration one day.
There's no story here, just a guy doing simple DIY metalwork robotics.
Yeah it is wasteful or worthless. The designer even said "we made it to look like anime". Mechs are incredibly impractical in anything in the real world. There's a reason why they haven't been made (and that reason isn't "lack of technology")
This is a hobby for a man-child with more money and time than sense. I bet you the speed that the arms move in the video is the max they're capable of.
This will never be useful for any actual work. Someone might eventually buy it for a publicity stunt.