It seems as though SpaceX founder and Tesla CEO Elon Musk is a big fan of anime films, as he went on to tweet about how now’s the time to create a “Mecha”, which in the world of science fiction stands for basically a giant fighting robot.
This past weekend, Musk tweeted out a trailer for a Japanese anime movie called ‘Your Name’. He then followed that tweet up with one that simply said: “It is time to create a mecha.”
Now, whether he just thinks that it would be cool to finally see one in real life because mankind finally has the technology (hypothetically) to attempt such a project, is one thing. However, if he actually meant it as an announcement for something that he’ll be overseeing, well, that’s another thing altogether.
It is time to create a mecha
— Elon Musk (@elonmusk) October 14, 2018
Would it be interesting to see a working giant robot in real life? Sure, why not. Yet, what would be the point of one? In both movies and cartoons, such machines are used exclusively to fight off giant monsters or alien invaders. Last time we checked, we had neither of those here on Earth – unless Elon knows something we don’t.
In the real world, governments spend billions on defense programs every year, buying everything from tanks to fighter jets, aircraft carriers and so on. We’ve yet to see a government official declare that a giant robot would be in any way more efficient than something that can neutralize its target from a distance. Of course, there’s a reason why some things are just meant to remain in the realm of science fiction, as giant robots just aren’t that practical.
In the end, odds are Musk was just joking around, or simply wanted to let his followers know how much he’d like to finally see a Mecha in real life. He has however come through before on seemingly lighthearted propositions, such as when he first announced The Boring Company.
