Electronic Components & information: April 2009

Loving the Machine

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U.S., Japan go separate ways in robots

Wednesday, March 25, 2009, 1:16:33 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Here's an excerpt from an article I wrote for The Japan Times based on my interview with PW Singer, author of a provocative new book about U.S. military robots, Wired For War.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the MQ-1 Predator, developed by California-based General Atomics, circle the skies of Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan gathering intelligence and taking out targets with Hellfire missiles. Tireless and devoid of emotion, UAVs have proven remarkably effective.... So comprehensive is the automation of the military that, under the $230 billion Future Combat Systems program, brigades will have more unmanned vehicles than manned vehicles by 2015.

The United States is creating a grand robotic army.

"Military robots are an even more revolutionary technology than the atomic bomb," says Singer. "The robotics revolution in war has a critical difference — it affects the 'who' of war, not only the warriors' experience, but the very identity of the warriors themselves."

Life-size Gundam coming to Tokyo

Monday, March 23, 2009, 3:12:58 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Besides Godzilla, there's one more big "g" known throughout Japan and I'm not talking about gomi. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Gundam anime franchise, and a life-size, 60-foot model of the RX-78-2 star robot will touch down in a Tokyo park to mark the occasion.

The giant bot will tower over groveling fans of the space opera in Shiokaze Park in Odaiba, an artificial island on Tokyo Bay, in July and August. Light and mist will emanate from the fiberglass statue, which will have a moving head. Far more impressive than the replica of the Statue of Liberty that stands nearby. Perhaps a duel is in order.

via New York-Tokyo

Robot fish to sniff out pollution

Thursday, March 19, 2009, 7:40:16 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

The first school of autonomous robotic fish designed to detect pollution around the world will soon be released into the ocean, according to BMT Group. The robot carp developed in the UK are equipped with "tiny chemical sensors to find the source of potentially hazardous pollutants in the water, such as leaks from vessels in the port or underwater pipelines."

The fish will be released off northern Spain. They'll report on pollution via wifi when returning to their charge station - operating time is about 8 hours.

"While using shoals of robotic fish for pollution detection in harbours might appear like something straight out of science fiction, there are very practical reasons for choosing this form," said Rory Doyle, senior research scientist at BMT Group.

"In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years' worth of evolution which is incredibly energy efficient. This efficiency is something we need to ensure that our pollution detection sensors can navigate in the underwater environment for hours on end."

Japan unveils gov't funded fashion bot

Wednesday, March 18, 2009, 2:41:54 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

The Japanese government has spent a whopping $2 million developing a female "fashion" robot that was shown of by the state-run AIST research lab near Tokyo.

The HRP-4C was shown off to reporters ahead of a fashion show in the Japanese capital starting March 23.

4C looks like a combination of AIST's HRP series and the popular Actroid android made by entertainment company Kokoro. Powered by 30 motors, 4C is designed to walk and look like a typical Japanese woman - ignore the silver body armor - and can perform a variety of facial expressions such as surprise.

Reports say AIST will sell 4C body frames for $200,000 apiece.

TV show gets robot mascot

Thursday, January 22, 2009, 3:59:38 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Tokyo model maker Kyosho has unveiled a new robot based on its popular Manoi PFO1 kit. Posuto-kun (Little Postman) is a machine mascot for a Japanese TV show whose name is so long it leaves one breathless.

The MBS TV show is called Chikyu Kando Haitatsunin Hashire! Posutoman Run! Postman Run! and it's about celebrities who are charged with delivering mail overseas.

Posuto-kun comes with over 30 original motions and may hit stores between February and March, with a price tag of $3,500.

Via Robot Watch

Steampunk China farm bot making headlines

Saturday, January 10, 2009, 6:58:48 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

PLEN maker Akazawa goes bust

Wednesday, January 07, 2009, 6:51:15 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Systec Akazawa Co., a key player in the Osaka robot scene and maker of the PLEN desktop hobby robot, has gone bust.

The aircraft parts manufacturer is set to declare bankruptcy with liabilities of about 700 million yen ($7.4 million), according to Nikkei Net, which cited a sharp decline in orders.

The company has apparently ceased operations, and its website is offline. The family-run firm was headed by President Ryohei Akazawa, known for his involvement with RoboCup champions Team Osaka. The team won the RoboCup championship in its division five times.

In 2006, the company introduced PLEN, a $2,600 Bluetooth-controlled hobby bot that could rollerskate and skateboard. There was no word about how the bankruptcy will affect users on the PLEN website.

PLEN won't be the first robot to be hit by hard economic times (q.v. Sony's Qrio), but Akazawa's collapse will hit the Osaka scene hard. I expect other robot ventures to succumb to the recession as well.

Via Nikkei Net

Ad for Saturn, German electronics chain

Thursday, January 01, 2009, 3:07:51 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Creepy robot to monitor seniors

Saturday, December 13, 2008, 12:54:26 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

The University of Tokyo, one of Japan's leading robot developers, recently unveiled a prototype elder-care bot called Mamoru that is designed to keep tabs on those prone to having senior moments.

The prestigious school's Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative (IRT) unveiled a slightly creepy granny robot called Mamoru ("to protect") that reminds forgetful users where they left their glasses or the remote control, or when to take their medicine.

The system makes use of a wide-angle camera and image-recognition software to monitor the locations of objects that have been registered by the user.

Toyota Motor, Fujitsu and other major firms helped out in the project, which aims at commercialization within 10 years.

From Robot Watch

If only Japanese kitchens were this big

Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 6:44:59 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

A new experimental home robot unveiled by the University of Tokyo and partner Toyota Motor is designed to clean floors, clear serving dishes, pick up clothing and do a variety of other drudgery that will surely inspire a robot revolution one day. But can it be anything more than an expensive demo?

The Home Assistant Robot (HAR) moves around on a wheeled base, has six-jointed hands and laser range finders and stereo cameras to understand its environment; a failure detection function helps it learn from its mistakes. The robot can manipulate furniture and is pretty mean with a sponge mop. Unfortunately, ordinary Japanese kitchens are only a quarter the size of the one in the demo photo, so HAR would have to slim down from its 130 kg (286 lbs) to tackle the real world.

Honda took the wraps off Asimo eight years ago now, and last year its lead engineer told me it would be another decade before it goes to market. HAR would not be commercialized for another seven years, according to the research consortium, and my guess is it would be extremely expensive if that ever happens - so maybe the people who could afford one will have really big kitchens.

More HAR pics here.

Spotted: Ancient robot blueprint

Wednesday, October 29, 2008, 3:09:53 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

This rare manuscript was published in 1796. It contains instructions on how to make karakuri ningyo, the clockwork dolls regarded as Japan's first robots.

I was surprised to stumble upon it at a very interesting place in Nagano called the Matsumoto Timepiece Museum. Opened in 2002, the museum has over 300 classic timepieces including Chinese, British, German and French clocks, marine chronometers, pocket watches, and clocks from Japan's Edo period (1600-1867), known as wadokei. The latter include some rather exotic shaku-dokei (pillar clocks) and candle clocks.

The manuscript is called Karakuri Zui (sometimes read as Kikou Zui) or "Illustrated Machinery." It was written by Hanzo Hosokawa, a mechanical engineer, astronomer and inventor from the domain of Tosa on Shikoku Island. The three-volume treatise details how to make four kinds of wadokei clocks and nine types of karakuri dolls including the famous tea-serving doll. Known as Japan's oldest mechanical engineering manuscript, the book has meticulously written notes on how to dress the dolls in kimono.

In Japan, proper engineering has always looked good - even in 1796.

HAL power suit to be sold in Europe

Tuesday, October 07, 2008, 10:23:25 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Robot venture firm Cyberdyne Inc. plans to market its strength-boosting HAL power suit in Denmark and elsewhere in Europe, officials announced Tuesday at its new R&D center in Tsukuba northwest of Tokyo.

The firm plans to begin mass-production of a lower-body version of the Hybrid Assistive Limb this month, and will market the boosters as a healthcare apparatus to hospitals and other care facilities. It aims to open a subsidiary in Denmark in fiscal 2009 and focus on leasing the exoskeleton in northern Europe, which has large populations of elderly like Japan.

A demonstration at the press event marks one of the few times that HAL has been worn by people other than Cyberdyne's usual user, who appears in all the publicity shots. I'd heard that HAL takes an extremely long time to calibrate so that it can pick up muscle nerve signals that can be detected in the skin. The calibration seems a big obstacle to commercialization.

I'd asked Cyberdyne about whether reporters would be allowed to try HAL ahead of mass-production, but was told no. Instead they suggested visiting a new promotional facility, the Cyberdyne Studio, slated to open at the end of this month in a shopping center in Tsukuba. I'd like to see the product being used in real-world situations.

Via Nikkei Net

Yokohama hosts big bot fest

Saturday, September 27, 2008, 12:55:15 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Yokohama will host a three-day robot extravaganza in October 2008 that will showcase many of Japan's most high-profile machines.

The sensibly titled Robo Japan 2008 will feature Honda's Asimo, Mitsubishi's Wakamaru, Robo-Garage's Chroino and others at Pacifico Yokohama October 11-13. Participants will include 28 companies, seven schools and seven groups. The theme will be "robots in everyday life."

It'll be a fun event for kids, but most of the robots on display have been around since at least the 2005 Aichi Expo.

Robot balances on unicycle

Friday, September 26, 2008, 4:32:36 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

The latest star in the Japan robot circus: Kyoto precision parts maker Murata Manufacturing has unveiled a unicycle-riding robot called Seiko-chan.

The 50 cm-tall robot can go forward and back on one wheel and come to a full stop without toppling over.

It uses the same gyro sensor and flywheel technology that went into Murata Boy, the firm's popular bicyclist robot. Kids who saw the biker asked the firm to create a unicyclist, and a female employee designed its look.

The diminutive performer can be controlled via Bluetooth, and is also equipped with an obstacle sensor and a video camera.

Four Seiko-chan robots have been created and they will be shown in Japan and overseas. They will also be loaned to schools for use as a teaching aid. There are no plans to market it as of yet.

The name recalls megastar Seiko Matsuda, a 1980s pop idol after whom industrial robots were sometimes named.

Gallery: Unusual Asimo pics

Wednesday, September 03, 2008, 7:55:04 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

New robot anime stamps on sale

Friday, August 22, 2008, 10:05:16 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Japan Post today released its latest edition of stamps featuring robots from popular anime series.

The stamps show characters and robots from manga and anime series Patlabor, which deals with a Tokyo police division that uses huge mecha robots for law enforcement. The mecha feature the designs of Yutaka Izubuchi, who also did the exterior design for the HRP robot series being developed by the government.

JP is issuing 15 million Patlabor stamps in denominations of 80 yen that come in 10-stamp sheets.

The issue is part of JP's Anime Heroes and Heroines series that began five years ago with stamps honoring perennial robot icon Astro Boy.

Others include Gundam, Doraemon and Neon Genesis Evangelion. Karakuri clockwork dolls, the ancestors of modern Japanese robots, have also been celebrated with Japanese stamps.

Check out the Japan Post anime series page here (in Japanese).

The face that launched a thousand robots

Thursday, August 21, 2008, 4:50:01 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

I recently visited the Osaka Science Museum, where a new working replica of Japan's first modern robot has been put on display.

The quirky machine is called Gakutensoku, and it was originally created in 1928 by a biologist named Makoto Nishimura (pictured below). According to accounts, the massive Buddha-like robot could write Chinese characters, puff out its cheeks as though breathing and look up to the heavens for inspiration. It apparently disappeared while on a tour of Germany in the 1930s.

Here's an excerpt of an article I wrote for the Japan Times on it:

"R.U.R." was staged in Tokyo in 1924; in 1927, Fritz Lang's film "Metropolis" with its evil robot Maria opened overseas; and in Britain and the U.S. respectively, two early mechanical men were unveiled as curiosities.

The former was called Eric and resembled a suit of armor; it could stand up from its seat and relay the voice of a remote operator to "speak" to audiences. Westinghouse Electric Corp.'s Mr. Televox consisted of telephone-switching equipment and a crude cardboard anthropomorphic frame. It was able to activate electrical equipment upon receiving commands made on a whistle.

These early robots in science fiction and reality prompted discussion among Japanese intellectuals. When Nishimura learned that the Mainichi Shimbun would mount an exhibit at the 1928 Kyoto Fair, he suggested building a jinzo ningen (artificial human), as robots were first called in Japan.

But instead of being a synthetic slave worker like Capek's robots, it would be an artistic statement.

Quest for practical robots

Sunday, August 17, 2008, 4:07:35 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

A recent article in Newsweek quotes me as saying that Japanese are too in love with robots.

It's a point that is seldom discussed - while U.S. firms like iRobot have turned out hit mass-consumer products such as Roomba that are pragmatic, Japanese companies are still obsessed with building bipedal machines that are very cool but pretty useless.

It's the Astro Boy complex at work. The idea of building a humanoid robot just like the machines of science fiction makes for some very slickly designed robots, but many are marketplace failures.

As the article points out, it's no surprise that Roomba the robot vacuum cleaner has sold over 3 million units, but Mitsubishi Heavy Industries sold only a few dozen of its humanoid communication robot Wakamaru. Granted, the latter was over one hundred times more expensive.

But Japanese engineers are learning that things called "robot" should be practical too. Earlier this month, Toyota unveiled its Winglet electric scooter, similar to a Segway and incorporating robotics technology from Sony's Aibo lab. The automaker calls it "a personal transport assistance robot." Toyota's other robots include a band of humanoid musicians - impressive but nowhere near practical yet. The Winglet, though, is a brilliant fusion of design and functionality.

New soccer robot unveiled

Tuesday, July 15, 2008, 4:06:16 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Team Osaka, a group of robot-related concerns, has unveiled a new soccer-playing humanoid robot that will compete in the RoboCup tournament opening this week in Suzhou, China.

Vision Vgos stands 455 mm (18 inches) tall, has 21 degrees of freedom (moving joints) and is covered with a soft material to absorb shocks. The exterior was designed by Tomotaka Takahashi of Robo-Garage in Kyoto.

The bipedal bot boasts faster reflexes, better dribbling skills and better responsiveness during play than its predecessors. Team Osaka has been developing the little footballers since 2003, winning several championships in RoboCup. There is a clip of Vision going up against German robots in 2007 here; those are significantly faster and more coordinated than when I saw them in 2005!

The goal of RoboCup is to create a team of soccer-playing robots that can beat the best humans in the sport by 2050.

Tickle-me Tichno

Wednesday, June 04, 2008, 10:38:36 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Osaka robotics startup Vstone and Japan Remote Control Co. recently unveiled a kid-sized robot called Tichno that can play soccer, albeit slowly, balance on one leg and do calisthenics.

It came out a winner at the RoboCup Japan Open in Numazu last month.

At 130 cm tall (4.2'), Tichno is designed to be the same size as a third-grade Japanese elementary school student. It weighs 26 kg (56 lbs) has 22 degrees of mechanical freedom. He also has newly developed knee servo motors for exceptional stability. It has the same controller as Vstone's Robovie-X tabletop humanoid and can be manipulated with a gamepad.

Vstone plans to equip the bots with voice-recognition technology and sell them to companies as marketing gimmicks. They'll be available for rental at a daily fee of around $5,000.

Via Robot Watch

Asimo conducts Detroit Symphony

Wednesday, June 04, 2008, 10:37:20 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Fujitsu robot learns to cook

Monday, May 05, 2008, 4:24:52 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Fujitsu's humanoid robot HOAP-3 can do lots of nifty tricks like write its name and do acrobatics, but now it can add cooking to its repertoire.

Sylvain Calinon and other researchers at the Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne in Switzerland have used imitation learning and probabilistic models to teach HOAP to help make omelets. Through direct human guidance, it learns to whip eggs, cut ham and grate cheese, focusing on the most essential part of each task and ignoring irrelevant events. It automatically adapts when a mixing bowl is moved.

As the longer video below shows, the silky-voiced HOAP recognizes objects through visual markers, and researchers answer its queries with a Wii remote. They also curse it when it screws up!

Foolishly, the researchers armed the robot with a sharp knife - but they survived the experiment.

The HOAP cooking show is part of the European Commission's Cogniron project to create helpful humanoids. HOAP, or Humanoid for Open Architecture Platform, was designed as a research platform and was marketed back in 2001.

Farmer hails strawberry-picking robot

Sunday, April 20, 2008, 4:32:28 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Oldster farmers in Japan face increasingly tough times - few younger Japanese are willing to go into agriculture, and finding a successor to help out on the farm can be very difficult.

So robots are being developed as power suits - and as fruit pickers.

In Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, venture firm Romobility Youto is working on a robot that can perform the labor-intensive task of picking strawberries, and at least one farmer is enthusiastic, Nikkei Net reports.

The robot moves through a greenhouse scanning the strawberries with its color-sensitive camera eye.

When it detects a ripe one, its arm reaches out to cut the fruit and place it on a tray. Ambient light doesn't affect performance.

"Measuring... Oh, I found one. Starting to pick," Nikkei quoted the machine as saying. It's still pretty slow, picking only one berry every ten seconds.

Still, the farmer who owns the greenhouse was sanguine.

"Strawberry harvesting requires a great deal of both time and labor as delicate differences in color must be identified with the naked eye," Nikkei quoted him as saying. "If it is reasonably priced, I will consider buying one."

Romobility aims to commercialize the machine in two years.

There's a video if it in action here.

Source: Nikkei Net

"The power of suits"

Friday, April 18, 2008, 11:15:54 AM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Speaking of power suits, here are some eye-popping ads for the Nissan Dualis, also known as the Qashqai, a robot-friendly compact crossover SUV. The first was on TV today.

Mass production of robot suits to begin

Wednesday, April 16, 2008, 1:31:58 PM | noreply@blogger.com (Tim)

Cyberdyne Inc. has begun construction of a new lab (image below) that will mass-produce 400-500 robotic power suits every year starting in October, and tens of thousands of units in the next few years, the venture firm announced.

The suits, known as HAL for Hybrid Assistive Limb, are designed to help people with disabilities including patients with muscular dystrophy.

They work by detecting electrical signals in the skin and boosting limb strength through the attached power units. The battery charge lasts about two hours and forty minutes.

The suits will be available for rent to individuals for less than $1,000 a month, and to medical groups for less than $2,000 monthly.

The business will begin in Japan, but the firm has plans to expand internationally.

The lab/plant is located in Tsukuba, Ibaraki Prefecture, home of high-tech groups like humanoid robot developer AIST and the University of Tsukuba, where Cyberdyne head Yoshiyuki Sankai teaches.

via Kyodo News

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