Robot Taekwon V gets new life and rocket feet

Robot Taekwon V

He rocked three decades ago and he’s ready to roll again.
You know him, you love him ― Robot Taekwon V.
Measuring 20 centimeters (8 inches) in height, the 31-year-old cartoon character has been reborn as an action figure and will be sold to the public starting Wednesday.
The new Taekwon V, however, is not from a toy company. Rather the firm Roy n’ Block planned, developed and manufactured the figure.
“Our company is not a toy maker, but a robot maker,” said Lee Daesuk, president of the firm. “The most important part was to change the illogical mechanism of the imaginary cartoon character to make mechanical sense in all reagrds.”
“When Taekwon V was created, scientific, mechanical logic was not supported by animated cartoons,” Lee said. “We had to figure out how to build a robot that would make sense.” He initially made the robot just as it looks in the cartoon, but its torso was too high, and the two-legged Taekwon V couldn’t stand up. The straight legs made it difficult to balance. So Lee pulled the head forward and moved the shoulders back.
The waist was pulled forward and the hips were set back. This zigzag configuration enables the robot to stand on its two feet. The joints in the arms and neck let it move freely.

Lee Daesuk

“Taekwon V flies in the motion picture, but there is no explanation of how it does, or what kind of power it uses,” Lee said.
So Lee designed the robot with a rocket propeller in each foot.
“To accommodate the engines, the suspension and the hydraulic equipment, the calves had to be thick enough,” he said.
This doesn’t mean that the actual equipment is placed in the legs, but Lee wanted the size to be as if it was.
“This type is just the start and the others to come will also help form the ultimate design,” Lee said.
“Action figures are very effective in establishing a standard design.” The first prototype needed 200 million won ($216,000) for design and another 500 million won to finish.
Established in 2001, Roy n’ Block is the first company to have robot technology as its foundation.
The company combines industrial design in developing robot-related products.
The firm employs six workers with backgrounds in planning, design, development, manufacturing and marketing.

By Lee Kyong-hee JoongAng Ilbo
[enational@joongang.co.kr]