Castrol, an official sponsor of the 2010 FIFA World Cup™ in South Africa, has launched a project to create the world’s fastest kicking machine and has engaged a Japanese team to develop it.
Castrol FIFA World Cup South Africa
The kicking machine is known as Castrol Ichi-Go and the project is the world’s first engine-driven free kick machine with super human power. It aims to produce an engine that has a steel leg that will deliver a free kick in excess of 200 km/h per hour.
Castrol Ichi-Go
Initially, the team were thinking of simply ‘placing’ a free kick machine in front of the goal. But then Castrol’s partner, Kogoro Kurata, joined the team. Kogoro is an artist who produces prominent, iron-made machines, robots and objects and has a policy to ‘create anything’ and is ‘more interested in creating difficult things than easy ones’.
When introduced to the project Kogoro said ‘I feel like I’m being set up. Right, damn it, if everyone is saying it’s impossible, let’s just do it. Why not give a try?’ and then he increased the scope of the development into creating a machine that runs the field, stands up in front of the goal and free kicks with its steel leg.
Below is an artist’s impression of what Castrol Ichi-Go will eventually look like.
Castrol Ichi-Go, an artists impression
The video below shows a test kick that clocked in at over 100 km’s per hour. A good start.
The following graph shows how this ambitious task compares to current world record for the fastest free kick by a human. Apparently the fastest recorded free kick by a human is 129 km/h.
Comparing to the Fastest Recorded Free Kick in History
And finally, here is the concept movie for the Castrol Ichi-Go Project:
For more information visit the Castrol Ichi-Go Project or follow them on Twitter.
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Wow, must admit, that would look pretty cool seeing a machine run up the length of the field and then kick a ball that fast! the crowd would go nuts!!