RI-MAN, an autonomous lifestyle-support robot developed at RIKEN’s Bio-Mimetic Control Research Center (Nagoya, Japan), now has soft skin. If put to work in care facilities, RI-MAN’s soft arms and chest will enable it to perform delicate work that present-day robots are not allowed to do, such as lifting patients up into its arms.
The robot, which […]
Cutting-edge technology meets art at Electrical Fantasista, an exhibit and series of events held at BankART Studio NYK in Yokohama (Feb 24 – Mar 14). The exhibit is divided into four zones that explore the future of modern lifestyle.
ZONE 1: Positive Living
Artists and scientists from Japan have created robots and machines that rely on IT […]
As Japan’s harsh winter takes its toll on zoo animals by causing problems from chapped feet to appetite loss, zookeepers do what they can to deal with the cold weather.
At Tama Zoo (Hino, Tokyo), where the temperature is about 3 degrees Celsius (5 degrees Fahrenheit) lower than central Tokyo, zookeepers keep the Bornean orangutans indoors […]
An unusual chocolate exhibit at the Yokohama Curry Museum may provide the perfect opportunity for gag gift shopping, whether it’s for your despicable boss or for yourself. The exhibit features a selection of around 70 varieties of novelty chocolate, alcoholic chocolate, fruit chocolate, and joke chocolate, all of which are available for purchase. The exhibition […]
On February 21, Toshiba announced the possibility of postponing the spring 2006 release date for its next-generation flat-screen SED (Surface-conduction Electron-emission Display) TV until next year. Toshiba has worked with Canon to develop SED TV technology.
At a press conference on February 21, Satoshi Niikura, vice president of Toshiba’s digital media operations, said, “Because SED is […]
Outcrops of combustible ice, or methane hydrate (also known as methane ice or methane clathrate), which many view as a potential source of fuel in the future, have been discovered on the ocean floor near the coastal city of Joetsu in Niigata prefecture. According to a statement made by scientists on February 20, the methane […]
On February 17, Swedish brand Absolut Vodka, in cooperation with ICEHOTEL and Carrozzeria Japan (Chuo ward, Tokyo), opened the Absolut Icebar Tokyo near Gaien Nishi Dori (Nishi-Azabu 4-chome, Tel: 03-5464-2161). Everything in the icebar — from the walls and bar counter down to the drinking glasses — is made from ice, which is transported to […]
On February 15, the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) exhibited the first photographic images captured by the Daichi advanced land observing satellite launched in January. Daichi is equipped with the three types of sensors, including the world’s first Panchromatic Remote-sensing Instrument of Stereo Mapping (PRISM), which simultaneously captures images from three directions to create 3D […]
In a tradition that stretches back 700 years, local farmers in Hanamaki, Iwate prefecture measure the circumference of the frozen waterfall at Taroshi Falls to predict the yield of the year’s rice crop.
According to the conservation group that has kept track of the measurements since 1975, the largest measurement on record is 8 meters, […]
Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) has developed a device that uses lasers to project real three-dimensional images in mid-air. The institute unveiled the device on February 7 in a demonstration that showed off the device’s ability to project three-dimensional shapes of white light.
AIST developed the projector with the cooperation of […]
