For a quick trip to inner space, check out Gate Vision, a video by Kazuhiko Kobayashi. Using software to convert Shinkansen bullet train footage into a circular image, Kobayashi creates a hyper-psychedelic video mandala that mutates along with the rapidly changing scenery. The first minute shows the train’s departure from the platform, and the rest […]
Ever wondered what custom vans look like when they sprout wings? Buckle up and check out these photo links for a glimpse into the world of Japanese vanning.
- Satoshi Minakawa: Incredible studio shots by Satoshi Minakawa. (Go to the “Conceptual 02″ gallery and scroll to the right. Be patient with the Flash interface — […]
On May 24, Sony unveiled what it is calling the world’s first flexible, full-color organic electroluminescent display (OLED) built on organic thin-film transistor (TFT) technology. OLEDs typically use a glass substrate, but Sony researchers developed new technology for forming organic TFT on a plastic substrate, enabling them to create a thin, lightweight and flexible full-color […]
The mecha version of the Nissan DUALIS SUV designed by anime creator/mecha designer Shoji Kawamori (Macross) has been spotted in Tokyo. The 3.5 meter tall machine will be on display at the Nissan Gallery (Ginza) from May 23 to June 13 and at the Sony Building (Ginza) from June 25 to July 1. Here are […]
Hitachi has successfully trial manufactured a lightweight, portable brain scanner that enables users to keep tabs on their mental activity during the course of their daily lives. The system, which consists of a 400 gram (14 oz) headset and a 630 gram (1 lb 6 oz) controller worn on the waist, is the result of […]
The Ice Aquarium in the port city of Kessennuma in Miyagi prefecture looks like an interesting place to chill out. The frosty cold aquarium houses an arrangement of 40 large ice blocks containing 450 specimens (80 varieties) of local marine life — including squid, crab, bonito and saury — which are frozen in perpetual mid-swim. […]
On May 18, buildup Co., Ltd. unveiled the Tamanoi Vinegar Robot, the world’s first robot designed to make presentations about vinegar. The robot is scheduled to go to work at the Tamanoi Vinegar Corporation’s Osaka office in July.
Relying on pre-programmed speech and gestures to communicate its knowledge of vinegar, the robot features a […]
KEIZOmachine! and Juicy — together known as Hifana — began as belly dance percussionists in the late ’90s, but now they rely on electronics for their sample-heavy, scratchy hip-hop/breakbeat sound. They have some wild animated videos created by “hybrid” music label W+K Tokyo Lab.
Wamono — From their “Channel H” CD+DVD, 2005
Fatbros — From their “Fresh […]
Researchers at Gifu University’s Graduate School of Medicine have developed a robotic patient that can respond verbally to questions about how it feels and move its body in ways that exhibit the symptoms of its ailment. The researchers, who developed a less sophisticated “sick” droid last year, claim this robot patient is the world’s first […]
This vintage live action/animated vampire video is the opening sequence for the pilot version of Vampire (Banpaiya), an old TV series created by Osamu Tezuka. Originally broadcast in Japan in the late ’60s, the 26-part series centers around a vampire (looks like a werewolf) who comes from a vampire village to Tokyo and lands a […]
