It can’t make sushi yet, but a human-like robotic hand developed by Kyoto-based factory automation firm Squse is dexterous enough to handle it like a pro.

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The fleshy robot hand, which weighs 340 grams and consists of soft silicone skin stretched over a polycarbonate skeleton, has 22 pneumatically-powered artificial muscles that enable it to bend its fingers like a human hand. The robot can perform 20 different moves, ranging from a delicate two-finger pinch to a full-hand squeeze.

According to Squse, the robot’s delicate grip makes it suitable for a variety of manual labor jobs that require a human touch, such as handling parts in the factory, packing food, or even harvesting crops on the farm. The hand might also be used as a prosthetic limb, say the developers.

After sunset, Tokyo Gundam comes to life.

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While electronic books and texts may be the wave of the future, Japanese researchers have developed a literate, child-sized robot capable of reading old-fashioned paper-printed books.

Ninomiya-kun, a 1-meter-tall, 25-kilogram aluminum-framed robot developed at Waseda University’s Information, Production and Systems Research Center (IPSRC), was unveiled on June 11 at a robot trade fair in Kitakyushu, where it entertained onlookers by reading fairy tales from a book.

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The robot, which was developed jointly with the Kitakyushu National College of Technology and Shanghai Jiao Tong University, reads by training its camera eyes on printed materials placed on a special book stand. Character recognition software installed on a computer in the robot’s backpack translates the text into spoken words, which are produced by a voice synthesizer.

Although Ninomiya-kun still sounds like a machine, the developers are working to give its voice more feeling. After that, they believe the robot will be ready to read books to children and the elderly for a living.

With the ability to recognize over 2,000 kanji, hiragana and katakana, Ninomiya-kun can currently read elementary texts. The developers say they plan to upgrade the machine’s camera eyes to enable it to read more complex characters in the future.

Ninomiya-kun takes its name from Kinjiro Ninomiya, a popular 19th-century agricultural leader and philosopher who was born poor but became a great landowner through hard work and perseverance. Statues of Ninomiya typically show him reading a book while carrying a load of firewood on his back. The android shares Ninomiya’s love of books, but it packs a computer on its back instead of wood.

[Sources: Yomiuri // RKB]

What will automobiles look like 50 years down the road? If they turn out to be anything like these concepts from the design studios of four major automakers, we are in for quite a ride.

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- Mazda Motonari RX

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In Mazda’s vision of the late 2050s, advances in molecular engineering have rendered metal-based manufacturing obsolete. The rise of ubiquitous computing and artificial intelligence drastically accelerates the automotive production cycle. Cars are cheap, lightweight (around 200 lbs, or less than 100 kg), and equipped with intelligent crash avoidance systems that eliminate traffic accidents. However, people still manage to get speeding tickets.

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The Mazda Motonari RX — which takes its name from the legendary Japanese warrior Mori Motonari — interfaces seamlessly with the driver to function as an extension of the body.

The vehicle drives sort of like a street luge. Acceleration and direction is determined by two armrest mounted control points, and the vehicle’s exoskeletal frame shape-shifts in accordance with the position of the driver’s arms and legs when enveloped in the seat.

Omni wheels

Four omnidirectional wheels allow 360 degrees of movement, and the tread expands or contracts to suit the driving conditions.

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A “haptic skin” suit consisting of millions of microscopic actuators enables the driver to experience the road psycho-somatically while receiving electrical muscle stimulation from the onboard AI guidance system (or other remotely located drivers).

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The vehicle’s entire structure is comprised of a 100% reprototypable, carbon nanotube/shape memory alloy weave with a photovoltaic coating, which allows the vehicle to mimic the driver’s body movements while powering the in-wheel electrostatic motors. [More]

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- Toyota Biomobile Mecha

In Toyota’s vision of the late 2050s, cities have developed vertically due to limited area on the ground, leading the transportation industry to develop new vehicles capable of navigating vertical space.

Toyota Biomobile Mecha [+]

Toyota’s Biomobile Mecha, a shape-shifting vehicle with nano-laser wheels, can read and adapt to changes in the environment and travel vertical pathways by means of biomimetic feet with powerful suction.

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In addition, the Biomobile Mecha is powered by pollution. A special skin derives energy from harmful substances in the air, so the vehicle never runs out of fuel (as long as the future skies remain polluted) and restores balance to the environment while it goes.

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The real-time strategic navigation planning system, which reads the environment via a 3D scanner, gives the vehicle “instincts” that enable it to autonomously adapt to the driving environment.

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Advanced nanotechnology enables the vehicle to expand and contract its structure horizontally and vertically as needed, allowing it to serve as a compact commuter, an aerodynamic performance vehicle, or even as a temporary dwelling. [More]

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- Nissan OneOne

In Nissan’s vision of the 2050s, robots have become an integral part of our lives, blurring the line between humans and machines. The Nissan OneOne combines personal mobility with the family robot concept.

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Billed as the ultimate pet, the Nissan OneOne (pronounced “wan-wan,” the Japanese sound for a barking dog) is a friendly, helpful member of the family of the future. Able to operate autonomously without a driver, the GPS-guided vehicle can help out by picking up the dry cleaning, fetching the groceries, and taking the kids to school.

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OneOne propels itself forward by flexing and relaxing synthetic polymer muscles in its “legs,” much as you would if skating on roller blades.

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The vehicle can also assume various positions depending on the driving environment. It reclines to achieve greater speed, and it stands up to increase visibility and squeeze into tight spaces. [More]

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- Honda 124 (One to the Power of Four)

In Honda’s vision of the 2050s, people have flocked back to the suburbs, fueling consumer demand for a truly flexible commuter vehicle.

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The solar-hybrid powered Honda 124 (One to the Power of Four) is an energy-efficient, modular vehicle that can separate into four different fully functional units, each uniquely suited for specific driving conditions.

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A combination of robotics, artificial intelligence and molecular engineering (which enables the body panels to be reshaped according to use) allow each module to instinctively reconfigure itself and operate as a fully functional unit. Two of the modules are suitable for short-distance inner-city driving, while the other two are ideal for longer distances at higher speeds.

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Because the Honda 124 consists of multiple units that can be joined together, carpoolers can take advantage of HOV lanes and share commuting costs. [More]

Surprise

Researchers from Waseda University have teamed up with Kyushu-based robot manufacturer tmsuk to develop a humanoid robot that uses its entire body to express a variety of emotions. (Watch video.)

Named “KOBIAN,” the android integrates features of two previously developed robots — the WABIAN-2 bipedal humanoid and the WE-4RII emotion expression humanoid — into a bipedal machine that can walk around, perceive its environment, perform physical tasks, and express a range of emotions. The robot also features a new double-jointed neck that helps it achieve more expressive postures.

Delight

KOBIAN can express seven different feelings, including delight, surprise, sadness and dislike. In addition to assuming different poses to match the mood, the emotional humanoid uses motors in its face to move its lips, eyelids and eyebrows into various positions. To express delight, for example, the robot lifts its soft rubbery hands over its head and opens its eyes and mouth wide.

Sadness

To show sadness, the robot slouches over, hangs its head down and holds a hand up to its face in a gesture of grief.

Aversion

According to KOBIAN’s developers, the robot’s expressiveness makes it better equipped to interact with humans and assist with daily activities. In the future, the robot may seek work in the field of nursing.

[Source: Nikkei Net // Photos, video: Robot Watch]

Piece by piece, an 18-meter tall, 35-ton full-scale Gundam statue is being assembled in Odaiba, Tokyo to commemorate 30 years of Mobile Suit Gundam. When finished in mid-July, the enormous figure will entertain onlookers by moving its head and shooting light and mist from 50 points on its body. Until then, we have these photos of its magnificent legs and assorted parts.

More photos at Mainichi.

(Thanks, Jerome!)

Here is some awesome turn-of-the-century footage of “Robo Alpha” (noise artist Government Alpha in robot disguise) rocking Detroit. (Best enjoyed at maximum volume.)

[Via: Awesome Tag]

Upon returning to class after the Golden Week holidays, students at a Tokyo elementary school were delighted to find their teacher had been replaced by a robot. The talking humanoid, named “Saya,” was originally developed as a receptionist robot in 2004 by professor Hiroshi Kobayashi of the Tokyo University of Science, but has recently begun taking on work as a substitute teacher.

Amused students poke Saya’s soft face

The robot, which can speak multiple languages, uses facial expressions to facilitate communication. With an array of motors in her head that stretch the soft synthetic skin into various positions, Saya can display emotions ranging from happiness and surprise to sadness and anger.

However, Saya needs to work on improving her classroom management skills. At present, she can’t do much more than call out names and shout orders like “Be quiet.” But that does not make her any less popular with the kids.

“Robots that look human tend to be a big hit with young children and the elderly,” Kobayashi recently told the Associated Press. “Children even start crying when they are scolded.”

[Source: Sankei]

Move over, Roomba. Make way for Fukitorimushi, an autonomous floor-cleaning robot that crawls like an inchworm and uses a super-absorbent nanofiber cloth to wipe up microscopic dust and residue that ordinary vacuums leave behind. Unveiled at the recent Tokyo Fiber Senseware exposition in Milan, Fukitorimushi (lit. “wipe-up bug”) is designed by Panasonic and incorporates nanofiber technology developed by textile maker Teijin, Ltd.

The robot cleans by simply dragging its nanocloth belly across the floor as it slowly crawls around in search of dirt. (Watch the video.)

Fukitorimushi, which moves around by flexing and stretching its body like an inchworm, uses “feelers” of blue-white light to search for floor grime. When it finds a dirty spot, the robot emits a red light and devotes extra effort to cleaning that area. After it has finished cleaning, the machine returns to its charging station to replenish its battery.

Fukitorimushi’s body is covered in Teijin’s Nanofront cloth, which is made of polyester filament fibers measuring 700 nanometers in diameter (about 7,500 times thinner than the average human hair). The nanofibers significantly increase the fabric’s surface area and porosity, giving it superior wiping characteristics and the ability to absorb oil and ultra-fine dust particles less than one micron in diameter. The large surface contact area also increases the fabric’s friction with the floor and makes it resistant to sliding. The robot relies on this increased friction to push itself forward while wiping the floor.

According to its creators, Fukitorimushi is also designed to engage the emotions and foster a closer relationship between humans and machines. The way the machine creeps across the floor may seem a little strange at first, but the designers say people tend to grow fond of the robotic creature after watching it for a while. In addition, the owner must periodically replace Fukitorimushi’s nanocloth cover with a clean one. The designers suggest this task of looking after the Fukitorimushi may encourage a pet-like affection for the machine.

[Link: Tokyo Fiber '09 Senseware Guide (PDF)]

A pair of Robonova-1 kit robots teamed up with “Chi” (Naoki Nokubo) of the defunct pop-idol trio Shūchishin (羞恥心) for a special performance on Fuji TV’s “The Best House 1-2-3″ variety show last night. (Watch it.)

The new trio — named “Robo-Shūchishin” — performed “Shūchishin,” the original group’s self-titled hit single. Although the robot replacements sang off-key and sounded rather robotic, one of the little guys pulled off a surprise by taking its pre-show “break a leg” instructions literally (skip 1:20 into the video).