Being a big fan of Japan and comfort food and all, I have some pretty serious feelings about ramen. Here is a robot that probably does not have any feelings about ramen at all, judging from the look of the end product:
Mmm, precision snack foods.
A long time ago (well, 30 years ago), in a Midwestern state far, far away (well, 3700 miles away), I was a young boy who dreamed of robots. While my sweet mother bought me an Intellivision (so much better than Atari. Loved that talking B-17 bomber game), what I really wanted was a robot. Not some silly wind up robot. No, a real one. Of course I knew that R2-D2′s level of intelligence was far off, but still, a robot would be cool. And you could get a robot. There was a fantastic Japanese company, Tomy, that made real robots, called OmniBots.
Alas, I never did get an Omnibot and still don’t have one, even though I now own around 200 robots (no really. 14 humanoids alone. Two life-sized R2-D2′s. Twelve omni-wheeled soccer bots. My wife must love me…). But a guy can reminisce. And what with the internets and databases and all, I can surf for all the robots that I missed out on as a kid:
Is it any surprise that the Japanese kick our booty in the field of robotic catwalk supermodels?
Unfortunately, the video links seem to have broken, but here’s the original link and a reasonable translation
I have been inundated with these photos, which are cool, so I am passing the savings on to you:
Lobsterbots, LEMURs, ATHELETEs, Mr. Wu, NASA rovers, Big Dogs, plant putters, dino bots, rescue remedies, warehouse automatons, Philip K. Dicks and mechanical men, from all over the world, rendered in breathtaking technicolor.
If this doesn’t bring it home that robots are already the big thing. . .Mr. Saffo? Any comments?
[Thanks to Scott Beale and RICK! for the links]
RoboGames fave Kazu Terasaki demonstrates an incredibly cute concept in iPhone add-ons: if your phone rings, why should you go fetch it? in this day an age, make it come to you!
Kazu has developed a kit for making just about anything into a walking robot, a la this iPhone, check it out here (some assembly and Japanese language skills required)!
[via robots.net and Norri!]
[Yes, thank you I know video posts are a cop-out. I imagine someone might have something intelligent to say at some point around here, I promise. Many thanks to the adorable and Vienna-bound Head Rotor for holding down the fort for us for a while; it's been hectic around here]
This is not good.
Now the robots are blogging themselves. In particular, it’s that wacky yellow Wakamaru who’s to blame. Yep, she/he/it/whatever’s even on Facebook.
Hey Waka, be nice to us useless humans when you and your yellow plastic buddies take over, ‘K?
Because who does not love light, aerodynamic aerial cuisinarts with minds of their own?
These hellys are already doing tasks in Asia and elsewhere, collaboratively, and with a minimum of breakage and crashing. Collaborative robots are what is going to make Skynet wake up one day, so everybody get on their good side now.
You can even buy one of your very own here from Rotomotion.
[via Dvice and The Lab For Autonomous Flying Robots. Thanks Swarmies!]
Please to meeting delightful friend Pekoppa plant!
“Heal yourself with this plant, which is a good listener!”
Two way interaction most desirable for small plant friend! Say to the plant the loudness! Plant is scary of you and loving sweet word! Pekoppa made with tiny technology for the fun making and happy refreshment!
Hooray Sega!
Robot Evolution, for your watching pleasure, because we’re freakin’ busy over here:
[Thanks Rochelle!]
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:
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.
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