Tatsuya Matsui - Robot Design Seminar

Written by: Michael Keferl on February 19, 2009 at 11:57 am | In DIGITAL LIFE | No Comments

Robot designer Tatsuya Matsui is known for his innovative humanoid robot creations Posy and Palette, the former having appeared in Lost in Translation and the latter (a robotic mannequin) featured in a Louis Vuitton shop in Paris.

©Flower Robotics Inc.

His company Flower Robotics, is actively working with robotics for real life. Whether for communication between man and machine, or for interactive retail installations, Flower Robotics is at the cutting edge of design and technology, both of which are crucial to making robots that humans can not only use, but connect emotionally with. Without design, the connection is lacking.

©Flower Robotics Inc.

The above photo is a CG rendering of the upcoming head pieces for Palette, which is expected to become a mass-produced item used in retail. After years of development, perhaps it’s now time for robotics to take center stage as both an example of Japan’s innovative power and as the next Big Technology that will further our lives.

Metropolis covered Matsui’s creations for an exhibition back in 2007 in a pretty good overview.

©Flower Robotics Inc.

On Monday, March 2nd at 7 p.m. Tatsuya Matsui will be giving a Robot Design Seminar at the Design Hub in Tokyo Midtown. To reserve a spot go to this link , and we’ll be there as well to get our own glimpse of our robotic future.

Tags: Events, Robotics, Technology
Category: DIGITAL LIFE
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Bacarobo 2008 - Stupid Robot Competition (VIDEO)

Written by: Michael Keferl on December 8, 2008 at 4:15 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE | 1 Comment

Last Saturday was the the long-waited finals of Bacarobo 2008, the “Stupid Robot” championship that made a name for itself last year.

Organized by Yoshimoto Kogyo and hosted by comedian Yama-chan, Bacarobo pit six ambitious (and arguably not stupid) creators of idiotic robots to amuse us all.

The qualifying rules are pretty sparse, but aside from some minor size requirements, the robots must be mechanical, useless to society, and and make people laugh. The problem, of course, is that for every stupid robot there’s someone who thinks quite the opposite, but this year’s entries were pretty stupid (despite having complicated innards/backends at times).

The winner (in the center) was YKRN, an “Idol Robot” that used facial scanning technology and leaned in to faces it liked. To be fair, it seems like there’s some sophisticated technology behind it, and the creators from Tokyo University had the geek credentials to prove it.

My personal favorite was the “Jointed Samurai Robot” that could detect lies of the wearer by being wired into his vitals. Seems he has a thing for schoolgirls! It was nice to see a foreign entry as well with a couple of “Perverted joke-telling” robots by a Swedish creator and his language algorithm.

A team of high school girls made a cute robot group that, frankly, I never quite understood fully, but for some reason the manner of the girl feeding the pig is hilarious.

Be sure to check out the video below and, if you have a stupid idea for a stupid robot, start getting ready for next year!

Tags: Bacarobo, DIY, Events, Robotics, Technology
Category: DIGITAL LIFE
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS

Super-appliances from Toshiba

Written by: Rebecca Milner on June 3, 2008 at 9:26 pm | In DIGITAL LIFE | 1 Comment

Okay, its not as impressive as the “Shower Clean Suits,” but the new Lacoo steam iron from Toshiba Home Appliances does promise to get out all the wrinkles from your clothes without having to remove them from the hanger.

With twice as many steam holes and an innovative new shape, the steaming capacity of the Lacoo is five times that of the typical steam iron, meaning a simple one-over should do the trick. Prettier than the average iron (which has been long overdue for a makeover), it also promises to freshen cloth and reduce static electricity and even has an automatic switch-off function, for those of us who always forget to turn off the iron. The only thing more efficient would have to be a robot!

Come to think of it, the microwave could do with a face lift as well. To that effect, Toshiba has just announced the release of a “Super heating, steam based, healthy cooking and infrared ray, stone kiln microwave oven.” Yes, that was direct from the press release.

The super heating function allows for food to be steamed at temperatures of up to 250C, with the claim of keeping vitamins intact while causing fat and salt to drop away. Meanwhile the stone oven function promises to make perfect French bread. Sounds to good to be true!

Both super-appliances will be available from June, prices yet to be determined.

Tags: appliances, Home, Technology, Toshiba
Category: DIGITAL LIFE
Other categories: MARKETING IDEAS, LIFESTYLE / FASHION, PRODUCT INNOVATIONS