Mecha

:For the Chicano Student organization, see MEChA.

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In some works of science fiction, mecha (singular or plural) or mechs (singular: mech) (sometimes referred to as giant robots) are piloted or remote-controlled limbed vehicles. The key difference between mecha and robots (in the English usage of these terms) is that a mecha has a pilot or controller. The term is derived from the Japanese abbreviation for the English term "mechanical", although English speakers have repurposed the term to mean only the vehicles described above. The original Japanese term of mecha has the broader denotation of all mechanical objects, including cars, guns, computers, and other objects without pilots or limbs.

Related Topics:
Science fiction - Vehicle - Robot - Mechanical

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Mecha are generally war machines, sometimes mass-produced, and are seen as a component of a whole military body and do not act alone in their conflicts, although it is common that only mecha fight mecha, much in the same way tanks and fighter planes do, even in large scale battles.

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A large, bipedal machine is not the most flexible of designs, and aside from occasional use in things like heavy construction work, mecha are most often built for combat purposes. As such, their status varies widely between different settings, from one type of unit among others to the undisputed rulers of the battlefield.

Related Topics:
Bipedal - Combat

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The distinction between smaller mecha and their smaller cousins (and likely progenitors), the powered armor suits, is blurred; according to one definition, a mecha is piloted while a powered armor is worn. Anything large enough to have a cockpit where the pilot is seated is generally considered a mecha.

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The first occurrence of mecha in fiction is thought to be the novel The War of the Worlds by H. G. Wells where the Martians use tripod walkers very similar to mecha.

Related Topics:
The War of the Worlds - H. G. Wells - Martians - Tripod

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Rarely, mecha has been used in a fantasy convention, most notably in The Vision of Escaflowne and Maze animes. In those cases, the mecha designs are usually based on some alternative steampunk technology or 'lost' science-fiction technology from ancient times.

Related Topics:
Fantasy - The Vision of Escaflowne - Maze - Anime - Steampunk

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