Japanese designer realizes his dream by creating 28-foot tall robot

SHINTO, Japan, April 13 (Reuters) - Japanese engineer Masaaki Nagumo had always dreamed of suiting up as a robot from "Mobile Suit Gundam," his favorite animation series growing up. Now he has made it a reality by creating a giant humanoid inspired by the science fiction franchise. Developed at Sakakibara Kikai, a maker of farming machinery, LW-Mononofu is an 8.5-meter (28-feet) tall, two-legged robot weighing in at more than 7 tonnes. It contains a cockpit with monitors and levers for the pilot to control the robot's arms and legs. "I think this can be turned into a business opportunity," Nagumo, 44, told Reuters, noting the popularity of the iconic series that has spawned movies, manga, video games and more. Sakakibara Kikai has developed other robots and amusement machines alongside its main agriculture equipment business and rents them out for about 100,000 yen ($930) an hour, for kids' birthday parties and other entertainment, he said.