Presenting 'Column Gear' a weird named robot developed by Japanese students. This one does not walk or talk but does transform and the transformation is controlled by a motion activated remote control which you have to swing in the air for the bot to move. A rather frustrating experience just to see some shape change....
The university of Tokyo and Keio have developed Bloxels, blocks which emit light in different colors based on the distance from the light sources. Each blocks functions as a single pixel and has a photo diode at the bottom which measures light from the light sources and changes color by measuring distance from other light emitting blocks. [Robot Watch]...
Blue screen of death, errors, and more errors, yes, you are welcome to the world of Windows. As seen in the above video a TV anchor demonstrates Windows 7 on live TV. He tries to zoom in on the Fuji TV studio, but nothing happens. At the end of the failed test, he concludes that Windows 7 is indeed faster than Windows Vista. [One more video after the jump]...
Here is the perfect gift for your little one. A cute puppy which double as a piggy bank. On fluffy's big nose is a motion detector which opens its mouth when you take your hand towards it and then it slowly eats up the coin and swallows it. The coins accumulate at the tray below which can be later opened up to buy junior a well deserved gift. The piggy bank will go on sale in Japan later next...
Here’s a fantastic news for those who always run out of juice. Toshiba have announced the Dynaro, it is the first dynamo fuel cell that will power up portable gizmos. This cool Direct Methanol Fuel Cell (DMFC) has a fuel cartridge that takes a mere 20 seconds to fill up. Once the 14 ml tank is full of methanol solution, it get’s its super-gizmo powers that can charge up USB devices. It can pump up enough power to charge...
To have some fun from mundane employment life, why not try these on a day of board meeting to work? These are called the Pop Up Slippers and are made in Japan. They are very fun looking and insanely crazy. They are simple ovals cut to allow the edges to be folded over your feet and secure with a hole and a metal stud. All you need to really have to make one of these on your own is...
Medicines aren’t apparently the only curers of illness, specifically swine flu. Even a suit can. That’s what Japanese menswear company Haruyama Trading says after unveiling their new anti-H1N1 suit that will help keep you disease-free. It is coated with titanium dioxide, a chemical commonly used in toothpaste and cosmetics, which helps in breaking down when reacting with light and kills the virus upon contact. Also, the suit will retain its protective capability even after being washed multiple times. It...
Fukitorimushi cleaning robot ANOTHER robot… yes, from Japan! Fukitorimushi, meaning wipe-up bug (!!!) is supposed to be a cleaning robot of a very special kind. It is quite spooky. It is actually a robotic pillow that can move around in closed rooms like an inchworm and cleans the floors by making use of the ‘world’s first nano-level superfine polyester fiber’ that it is made of. This cloth can absorb oil and pick up very fine dust particles. Once it...
It’s a wonder… how the Japanese loves being so robotic. Yamaha launched its updated version of their HRP-4C robot at the CEATEC conference in Tokyo. The new robot can sing requests sent to it via iPhone. Why would anyone want to have such a robot at home is something beyond my understanding. You get CDs to listen to your favorite artists, why make a robot sing it? Odd. Yamaha...
We love building huge things as long as they look good, are useful and totally harmless. Now if that were the case, what made the Tetsujin such a lovable freak. Well, it’s a robot that’s taking everyone by storm. Firstly, because of it’s humungous size and secondly because it has some really annoying, bright colors in patches. I mean, if you make something with so much energy, time and money spent, why not make it bold? It’s got a...
At the Amusement machine fair in Japan, Sega demonstrated the Tetris machine which can be played two people and projects on the wall. As seen in the images after the jump it has a huge stick for a control with a button on a tip which can rotate the block. The machine will be operational in arcades around Japan by Winter....
East Japan Railways has had enough of the suicides committed on the tracks. The already over-crowded line doesn’t need any more hindrances in their train services because of silly people who tend to jump in front of trains to end a life that’s not worth living since their dog died. Well, so to keep away all those bad suicidal thoughts, the company has installed blue lights on certain parts of the platforms. It is said that the color invokes...
The French have conceived 'Project Romeo', well it is not for the restoration of the Eiffel tower but a project to develop a 1.2 ~ 1.5m two legged robot to help the visually impaired elderly. Scheduled to be completed in 2011 the aim of the project is to develop Romeo a 30kg robot. As seen in the above video the first prototype is Nao, and by looking at it, you can tell that surely a lot of work remains....
Making a complete encapsulation of all the phones and robots we have seen in the past, bringing them together and getting a smart docking solution for a phone that’s smart enough is what the iida Polaris robot is all about. Developed by Flower Robotics, the robot ‘learns’ how to respond to your ever changing physical conditions and accordingly suggests exercises, recipes and medical advice. Over a period of time the robot learns more about you. What’s more is that...
The advancement of robotics can be seen only in one country and that is Japan. A local company Japan Logic Machine has created 'Regina' a health care robot. The specialty of this robot is that it can lift people as heavy as 200 kg. This robot outperforms its existing peers who can lift only up to 80 kg. The robot is almost in the final stages and will be shipped to Japanese Medical institutions by the fall of 2010. One...
