Robot Evolution, for your watching pleasure, because we’re freakin’ busy over here:

[Thanks Rochelle!]

. . .Just says “Chipper-Shredder” to me.

We love the Japanese.

[Thanks Eggshell Robotics!]

So this is all over the place now, but I am spreading the joy of a Kuka-powered trebuchet to you, our extremely bored readers. See the beauty. Watch the innovation. Get all sweaty and hot about Science.

The disclaimer is the really awesome part.

If you’ll remember, that particular Kuka model also has been known to drop phat beats and scrizzatch them mad rhymes.

[via Botjunkie via Hackaday via Manapotions]

Boing Boing gives much-deserved jollies this morning to our favorite Japanese robot kraut-rock art collective, Maywa Denki.

The Head Rotor brought these guys up a while back and we have been obsessive, ravening, drooling fan-slaves ever since.

Above, Nobumichi Tosa, plays the takedamaru at the Taipei nightclub, Luxy. This performance was part of the 2005 B!AS-International Sound Art Exhibition. Pic courtesy Stuff On Fire

Immerse yourself in their prototypical object art-units and be one with the joy.

We’re off to Tokyo University and the fantabulous robot museum today, after visiting every. robot. store. in. Akihabara. Yesterday. Oh man do we gots pics. Here’s some from a nice little gathering thrown by the wonderful Norri of GetRobo.

Here’s Mr. R with the illustrious Lem Fugitt of Robots-Dreams, enlarged because they are just so dang cute:

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Li’l Missy here, working through the obstacle of spotty-ass wifi in the hotel room to get you up to date on what the heck we’ve been doing since we vanquished the forces of entropy and got to Tokyo intact.

We’re here for the International Robot Expo, the largest robot exhibition in Japan. While there are many booths that feature the same old industrial robots and bolt sorting machines and etc, there’s also a ton of stuff that really fails to suck. We’ve been meeting interwebs people in person for the first time, and are having a ball doing it.

Here are a few pics detailing what we are seeing.

This is Tokyo Big Site, a massive convention center where IREX is being held. It’s big. Real big. No, bigger. There are five or six huge conventions going on, as well as lots of interstitial restaurants and vending machines. None of the vending machines contain beer or schoolgirls’ panties, but we will keep looking, don’t you fret.

AIIIEE!!! Teeny winky shuffle bots with the tiny, tiny feets! Teh ky00t! It burns!

These little robots had no wheels, only little vibrating feet that got them hither and thither. they seemed to be directionally controlled, although I could not tell if it was autonomous and human. They also seem to be light-sensitive for light and dark areas underneath them.

Three words: Robo-One Laser Tag. This guy is playing Terminator-style in a cloud of talcum powder, click on the thumbnail to get the full on end-of-the-world-disaster feeling. A bunch of them played against each other for all the glory and the loser bought the next round of beers. It was awesome, and by awesome, I mean totally sweet. Better than ninjas. And nothing is better than ninjas, except for maybe more ninjas.

Creepy? Yes. Highly amusing to watch sober-suited Japanese industrialists squirm as they handle a fussy robot? HELLS yes. The Real Care Baby is a doll that simulates a real child for use in daily life and to find out which reprobate highschooler would do well to never. ever procreate. They cry, they fuss, they do the things babies do. They are all identical. It’s weird in an oddly compelling way.

More in a bit, as our wifi is funky here.

A big huge Hail and Arigato Gozaimasu to all the extremely kind, smart, interesting and beautiful people who sent us a bit of cash to help us out of our jam. We were stranded in the Vienna airport, with our luggage in hock and our credit card maxed out because of a very naughty hotel agency.

After making the hop from Vienna to Paris to Beijing, we have made it to Tokyo. The whole experience was not unlike one of those really high levels of Zelda where you just wander around a whole lot looking for power up and weapons until you get to the end guy. There is always another obstacle. We are finally ensconced in the world’s teeniest hotel room, and are walking out the door to detail for you wondrous tales of the IREX International Robotics Exhibition.

Big ups especially to Charlie Gadeken and Pouneh Mortazavi, our A-Number-One Flaming Lotus Girls (Go to the fundraiser on Friday, it’ll be a hoot)

Mom and Dad Suicidebot also pitched in for their machine obsessed daughter and loose cannon son-in-law. I am hereby sorry for my teenage years.

The fantabulous, good looking and sprightly Trossen Robotics also pitched in to save out collective kiester, no sponsor have ever gone so above and beyond.

Also, Magnus Wurzer of Shifz, our cohort in Vienna, sent us a little dosh, we love you Magnus!

We would also like to thank, with kisses and lots of 10-W-30, Li’l Joshy Mehlman (who is of course always free to point and laugh), Danny O’Brien, intrepid defender of our informational rights, Daniel Gaspari our biggest fan, and Erik Stevens of Roboverse, who all pitched in and got us upgraded to eating out of vending machines rather than waiting for the airline food to come along.

T Shirts, stickers, and extra special luuuurve will be sent out next week.

This guy is cooler than you are.

Feroz Ahmed Siddiky of the International Islamic University in Chittagong says his “IRobo” responds to voice commands, has spatial intelligence and is cheap because it’s made from scrap materials he’s collected from electronic shops and car mechanics.

“On completion, this robot will comply with different verbal commands for tasks like shifting objects, cleaning floors and standing guard,” Siddiky told Reuters.

Everybody go to the junkyard and build one for yourself. It’s easy. Okay, go.

[From Reuters via Futuresheet Thanks Evil Signtist!]

South Korea has declared that there will be a robot in every home by the year 2020.

Yeah we’re late on the bandwagon to this, but we thought it was worth reporting since they actually seem to have a chance at success. South Korea is ridiculously wired (they are wifi and cell-coverage saturated) and are famous for being a population of early-adopters and gadget freaks. An example - remember Dog Poo Girl? Never fear, I am sure they use their powers for evil too.

[Via Freshcreation.nl]

A classroom full of gobsmacked schoolchildren was treated to a lesson in English taught by Tiro, a robot developed by Hanjool Robotics Crop and programmed with the will to destroy young minds ability to interact on the fly and keep the kids’ attention completely riveted to their teacher.

Tiro asked in English questions such as: “How many giraffes are there on the board?” It also displayed the name of the next student to participate in a role-playing task on the screen on its chest.

Korea’s dedication to becoming a world leader in the imminent surge of robotics technology should teach a thing or two to the US, who has not yet gotten a clue about robotics in any really meaningful government-supported way. Korea’s building a whole freakin’ district for robots, called “Robot World” and aims to have a robot in every home by 2020. We’re talking Rosie the Robot here, kids.

They also have nationwide free wireless. What a country.

[via Robots.net]

It seems there is a new concept car out there that has a wee robot built in to the dash:

The robot is PaPeRo, a cute little dude we have mentioned before. Papero automatically makes your driving experience better just through the sheer volume of Cutrinos* he emits.

The three-seated electric car has a cabin that can rotate all the way around, eliminating the need for backing up. As for Papero, he keeps tabs on you, saying things like “You look tired. There’s a coffee shop 500 meters ahead on the left” and “You’re so wasted, I can’t believe you’re driving drunk again.”

Just like Uncle Herman on family road trips, only this time you really can grab him and throw him out the window, as per your fantasies.

[Via Sci-Fi Tech]

*Cutrino: The Official Scientific Term for the cuteness of a robotic object. The Rotor will explain the equations.

The University Of Tokyo’s Lab for Intelligent Systems and Informatics has created Mowgli, a pneumatic frog:

So stable. So sexy. So delicious with tartar sauce.

Artificial muscles run by compressed air are nothing new, but this is a nice adaptation and it just jumps. . .so. . . high. . .

There’s a nice article that is not in Japanese here on Tech.co.uk

[Via The Raw Feed]

Did we do it? Did we *actually* scoop Lem Fugitt this time? Whoa.

Oishii!!!!!

Courtesy Wired NextFest, here is a completely adorable video of Keepon the dancing robot boogeying his way through Tokyo.

Beware: Hot Gothic Lolitas, Japanese Vending Machines, and Robot Dance Offs.

[Thanks Karen!]

Kawada’s HRP-2 (aka Promet) has been programmed to reproduce dance steps with the practiced grace of an electronic geisha.

So far the 128-pound (58-kilogram) dancebot has been taught the fluid motions of the Aizu-Bandaisan—a traditional Japanese folk dance—as well as more mundane tasks such as serving tea, carrying a table, and standing up from a prone position.

OK - now it should be noted, that I am the most jaded American roboticist I know. Been there, done that, flown half way ’round the world to see it, too.

The following video is the single coolest thing I’ve seen in robotic movement. Ever.

Better than Asimo.
Way better than Qrio.
And yes, even better than the micro-electronic hand that could grab the tobiko egg.

Watch this video and be awed.

I think Promet ought to call out Asimo to some seedy back alley in Shinjuku (filled with indigent tour-bots and broken down vacuums) and bitch slap him.

Of course, Lem knew about it ten months ago.

the arm bone’s connected to the, shoulder bone…

Mr. Robotics’ favorite game in the whole world is winning at “oh, you can too get toys from a claw machine.” The RoboBunker proves this with hundreds of plushies won from claws. But now, nirvana has reared it’s pretty head:

The robots come from MechaTrax, a Japanese android company.