March 29, 2005

the Actroid

Japanese Energy Technology company NEDO presented the Actroid at the World Exposition 2005 in Aichi, Japan. i4u reports the Actroid understands naturally spoken words and can carry on a conversation with a guest, answering in a natural voice. The Actroid speaks Chinese, Korean, English and Japanese. When communicating with a guest the ACTROID responds with natural gestures such eye movement and smiling. More

March 16, 2005

Emiew

Hitachi unveiled the "Emiew," its first humanoid robot, on Tuesday, saying it was the world's quickest-moving robot yet. The Emiew is designed to help people in their movements and will basically serve as a help for people who have difficulties walking.

We aimed to create a robot that could live and coexist with people," Toshihiko Horiuchi, project leader at Hitachi's Mechanical Engineering Research Laboratory Robotics Technology Project, told a news conference.

Hitachi built the two Emiews -- Pal and Chum -- for the World Expo, which will take place beginning later this month in Aichi prefecture, about 205 miles west of Tokyo.

Emiew, which stands for "excellent mobility and interactive existence as workmate,"can run as fast as 3.7 mph, compared with Honda Motor Co.'s celebrated Asimo, whose top speed is a pokey 1.86 mph.

Hitachi said the Emiews, which currently have a vocabulary of about 100 words, still need to be trained before they are fit for practical office and factory use in five to six years.

Height 130cm
Weight About 70kg
Quickness Maximum acceleration 4m/s2
High speed 6 km/h in maximum running speed

akihabaranews.

By Fabien Montique on March 16, 2005 1:45 PM | Permalink

Robart III

Space and Naval Warfare Systems Center's Robart III prototype is a mechanical rent-a-cop replacement -- designed to detect intruders, and cap 'em with a "pneumatically powered six-barrel Gatling-style weapon that fires simulated tranquilizer darts or rubber bullets," reports Defense Tech.

ROBART III uses "head-mounted sensors, including two Polaroid sonar transducers, a Banner near-infrared proximity sensor, an AM Sensors microwave motion detector, and a video surveillance camera" to spot infiltrators. .

Papero Personal Robot

NEC is showing off the Papero Personal Robot designed to interact with people and be programmed for human-like interactions and tasks. Papero can check email, tune the TV to your favorite channel, and even dance with your children. This egg-shaped robot knows your favorite football team and searches the Internet for the day's lineups and scores when you get home. It will also develop a personality depending on how you treat it.

PaPeRo "hears" with four microphones, understands 650 phrases, and speaks more than 3,000. Its improved speech-recognition software works well in realistic environments, including noisy and hectic homes. PaPeRo's technology derives from proven NEC applications in telephone directory systems that use speech recognition, and in foreign language translation software for PCs and PDAs.

PaPeRo also identifies people it knows, using face-recognition technology and two cameras for eyes.

The new robot will perform a demonstration at the World Exposition, which runs in Japan's central Aichi region for six months from March 25 and is expected to draw around 15 million visitors.
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March 4, 2005

Artificial muscle that works like fingers

JapanToday.com - A group of Kyoto-based researchers, today unveiled an artificial muscle, that is capable of holding objects like real fingers do. The human-like material was developed by Nobutaka Tsujiuchi, a professor of mechanical dynamics at Doshisha University, and the Kyoto-based software development company Squse.

The part of the artificial muscle enclosing a controlling device is made of a natural rubber measuring 0.5 centimeter in diameter and 3 cm in length. The artificial muscle, which is about the same size as the real muscle found in human fingers, is wrapped in a polyester net and comes with a compressor about the size of a syringe.

Osaka firm release 2-legged robot modeled after Gigantor

Vstone Co, Japan, today released a two-legged robot modeled after the popular comic book robot hero, Gigantor, introduced in 1956. The remote-control robot, which is 38 centimeters high and weighs 2.5 kilograms, moves its arms and legs smoothly and walks like a human being, Vstone said. price tag of 351,750 yen. Japantoday.com