{"id":68136,"date":"2026-06-12T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2026-06-11T15:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/?p=68136"},"modified":"2026-06-11T17:00:29","modified_gmt":"2026-06-11T08:00:29","slug":"japanese-scientists-develop-mobile-suit-gundams-beam-saber-inspired-plasma-technology-that-could-help-grow-and-fertilize-crops-in-space","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-scientists-develop-mobile-suit-gundams-beam-saber-inspired-plasma-technology-that-could-help-grow-and-fertilize-crops-in-space\/","title":{"rendered":"Japanese scientists develop Mobile Suit Gundam\u2019s Beam Saber-inspired plasma technology that could help grow and fertilize crops in space"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

As arguably one of the most influential mecha franchises ever, Mobile Suit Gundam <\/strong>has been a long-time inspiration for both sci-fi enthusiasts and actual scientists \u2013 so much so that in Japan, they\u2019ve recently even started a project to launch a fully-functional talking robot based on the series\u2019 mascot character Haro<\/a> into orbit. And on June 9, Japanese media reported on a brand-new development in the field of potential Gundam-inspired scientific breakthroughs.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As reported by The Japan Agricultural News<\/a>, a team of scientists at the School of Engineering of Tohoku University is currently conducting research<\/a> that focuses on applied use of technology based on the Beam Saber \u2013 a fictional weapon wielded by mobile suits in the Gundam universe \u2013 in lunar agriculture. Specifically, they are exploring ways to utilize Beam-Saber-inspired plasma technology to promote plant growth and its resistance to pests and diseases, and (hopefully) enable humans to grow crops on the Moon.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The project is headed by professor Toshiro Kaneko, who is a longtime fan of the Gundam franchise and has been involved in many Gundam-related projects, one of them being Mobile Suit Gundam Universal Century vs. Modern Science, a book exploring the scientific feasibility of Gundam technologies in real life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Space<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In Gundam, Beam Sabers are weapons based on high-energy Minovsky particle (a fictional substance which many of the in-universe technologies are based on) plasma shaped by an electromagnetic field. In the real world, plasma is a state of matter that results from gases (and other states of matter) undergoing high ionization, leading them to release charged particles.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Of course, the plasma in Tohoku University\u2019s research is not being used for making deadly weapons, but for nurturing crops. Last year, the research team demonstrated that dinitrogen pentoxide (N2O5) generated using plasma technology promotes rice growth, having the same fertilizing effect as nitric acid. The technology also helped reinforce the immune system of thale cress plants, making them less susceptible to diseases and pest attacks. Additionally, they are currently testing its potential effect on strawberries using a device that generates plasma through solar cells.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Gundam<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

According to Kaneko, plasma technology can be further applied to agriculture in space. Specifically, he explains that, if scientists could create plasma-generating devices on the Moon, it would significantly reduce potential costs that would go into transporting actual fertilizer from Earth. During the last year\u2019s Osaka Expo, Kaneko\u2019s research on lunar plasma agriculture, titled Space Agriculture Using the Beam Saber<\/a>, was showcased as part of the Gundam Next Future Pavilion.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Related articles:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile Suit Gundam\u2019s legendary mecha designer Kunio\u00a0Okawara\u00a0to design\u00a0real-life\u00a0sightseeing train\u00a0in Japan\u00a0<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Mobile Suit Gundam creator Yoshiyuki Tomino\u00a0thinks\u00a0many\u00a0of his fans are just military geeks\u00a0who\u00a0\u201cdidn\u2019t get the\u00a0message\u201d\u00a0\u00a0<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Tohoku University scientists recently revealed new developments on their scientific research based on Gundam’s fictional Beat Saber.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":79,"featured_media":53812,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_gspb_post_css":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[3,65],"tags":[17,66],"class_list":["post-68136","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news","category-nongaming-news","tag-japan-related-news","tag-non-gaming-news"],"blocksy_meta":[],"yoast_head":"\nJapanese scientists develop Mobile Suit Gundam\u2019s Beam Saber-inspired plasma technology that could help grow and fertilize crops in space - AUTOMATON WEST<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"Tohoku University scientists recently revealed new developments on their scientific research based on Gundam's fictional Beat Saber.\" \/>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/automaton-media.com\/en\/news\/japanese-scientists-develop-mobile-suit-gundams-beam-saber-inspired-plasma-technology-that-could-help-grow-and-fertilize-crops-in-space\/\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Japanese scientists develop Mobile Suit Gundam\u2019s Beam Saber-inspired plasma technology that could help grow and fertilize crops in space - 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