Researchers from the University of Tokyo have teamed up with members of the Japan Origami Airplane Association to develop a paper aircraft capable of surviving the flight from the International Space Station to the Earth’s surface.
The researchers are scheduled to begin testing the strength and heat resistance of an 8 centimeter (3.1 in) long […]
Photographer Kimiko Yoshida transforms herself into the brides of the world in an ongoing series of self-portraits taken over the last seven years.
The Sakura Bride, 2006
The Cyber Bride, 2003
The Green Tea Bride, 2006
The Mao Bride, 2006
The Pokemon Bride, 2002
The Tamates Bride, Vanuatu, 2003
The Afghani Bride with a Bukhara Cap, 2005
The Shinto Bride, 2002
Browse the entire […]
A portable subway strap that sells for 525 yen (about $5) is featured on the cover of the fall/winter issue of Tsuhan Seikatsu, a mail order catalog with a readership of 400,000. The primary purpose of this male-targeted commuter strap is not to provide support when the train lurches, but to show other passengers — […]
Tokyo-based educational company Gakken is recalling 10,000 of their electronic talking Smart Globes following a rash of customer complaints about a mislabeled Taiwan. On the globes, Taiwan — a self-governing nation that split from communist China in 1949 during a civil war — is labeled as “Taiwan Island,” and the globe’s smart pen reader, which […]
Otaku idol Shokotan (Shoko Nakagawa)’s obsession with sand dollars has resulted in a new type of sweet bun, called Sukashikashipan, which is scheduled to hit Lawson convenience store shelves nationwide at the end of January.
Since Shokotan began drawing attention to sand dollars (known as sukashikashipan in Japanese) on her popular blog last April, she […]
Ever wondered how much it would cost to build a working, life-sized Gundam robot? At least $725 million for the parts and materials, according to an estimate published on the SciencePortal website run by the Japan Science and Technology Agency. The price tag for this giant humanoid, which would stand 18 meters (60 feet) tall […]
As Japan’s dwindling ranks of farmers grow old, scientists are developing new ways to lighten their physical load and keep them productive. At the Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology, a research team led by professor Shigeki Toyama has developed a wearable power-assist robot suit designed to boost the strength of farmers working in the […]
From Frederic Gautron’s Urbano-vegetal series of digital photomontages.
[Link: Made in Tokyo]
In a development that brings superdense memory devices and molecule-sized machines a step closer to reality, scientists at Japan’s Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (RIKEN) have succeeded in creating 1-nanometer-thick electric wires with a layer of insulation. According to a January 2 RIKEN press release, the researchers grew the insulated nanowire crystals through a […]
The promo video for “ILL MACHINE (x ULTRA BRAiN),” a track off the recently released Nu Riot CD by Wagdug Futuristic Unity (a project involving Kyono of the Mad Capsule Markets), is set in a world 50 years hence (according to Kyono’s blog), where heavily armed gas-masked clones battle giant machines that assemble themselves from […]
