The Robocalypse is near: Osaka-based Hajime Research Institute is working on a humanoid that will stand 13 feet (4m) tall, which is much taller than most other existing robots of its kind (the latest version of Honda’s Asimo, for example, is just 130cm high). It will also sport a built-in cockpit.
Hajime Sakamoto, president of the institute, is on a mission. After having successfully developed… → Read More
We’re getting closer and closer to the Robocalypse: Osaka-based industrial equipment maker Muscle Corporation and a few other Japanese companies have developed a humanoid that can climb up (and down) ladders all by itself. Considering how hard it still is to create robots that can walk smoothly, this is quite an accomplishment.
The so-called “Dream Robo” was actually showcased last year during… → Read More
We’re one step closer to the Robocalypse: Japan-based Kawada Industries has developed a humanoid robot that’s specifically designed to work alongside human beings. The so-called Nextage is certainly not the first robot of its kind, but his specs are pretty impressive, and he’s already commercialized, too.
Nextage is equipped with a high-speed stereo-camera and two arms that have 12 joints each… → Read More
Simroid, a super-realistic dental training robot developed in Japan, caused quite a splash in news outlets worldwide when it made its debut in 2007. The level of realism was pretty high back then, but it’s even higher in the new version that was showcased in Tokyo a few days ago.
The basic idea is that Simroid simulates a human patient during a dental check-up by moving and speaking as… → Read More
We’ve shown you many Kinect-based hacks and applications over the past months, and here is a new one from Japan: major robot maker Yaskawa has developed a humanoid that can be remote-controlled using a Kinect interface. Dubbed SmartPal VII, the telepresence robot can be used to communicate with other people over a distance or even help them cleaning up rooms, for example (by controlling the… → Read More
Most robots that are labeled “humanoids” still have a common problem: they can only walk in a slow, mechanical and chopping motion. Even HRP-4C, in my opinion the most realistic humanoid ever created, wasn’t an exception – until now.
Even though she could sing and later even learned to dance, walking was never her strong suit (the first version couldn’t move her legs at all). But its maker… → Read More
Honda has been very silent about Asimo, its super-advanced humanoid robot, in recent years. After introducing the first version in 2000, Honda showed several versions through 2005, until the company finally took the wraps off a new version earlier today in Tokyo. This model is the thinnest, fastest, and most “intelligent” Asimo yet.
At 48kg, the Asimo that was shown today is 6kg lighter than… → Read More
We’ve shown you robots completing various tasks in the past, but this new model, a small hobby humanoid, can ride a bicycle like a human being. It’s not the first of its kind (Murata’s robot and Panasonic’s EVOLTA robot come to mind), but the model that’s pictured on the left costs just US$2,220 in its standard configuration.
Dr. Guero [JP] from Japan modified KHR3HV, a bipedal robot made by… → Read More
Do you remember Actroid-F, the super-realistic humanoid that we’ve shown you last year? Her makers, robot venture Kokoro and Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), have apparently been working hard since then to create a “brother” for her.
According to AIST, people kept asking the institute why it only manufactured a female robot, and they not only did… → Read More
Robots these days, especially humanoids, have one problem: it doesn’t feel nice or life-like when you touch them. This is where an invention by Japanese robot startup Touchence comes in. Their so-called ShokacCube, made of polyurethane, is the world’s first soft touch sensor specifically designed for robots. → Read More
We’re one step closer to the Robocalypse: a research team at Japan’s Kagawa University has developed a robot that’s able to “speak” like a human being. While talking robots are not new by any means, this model isn’t using software but a set of mechanical, human-like vocal organs, for example artificial vocal chords or a tongue and lips that are made of silicone. → Read More
Professor Eduardo Bayro-Corrochano from the Research and Advanced Studies Center of the National Polytechnic Institute of Mexico has achieved what no one before him achieved: he created Mexico’s first humanoid robot. Aptly named Mex-One, the little guy stands 105cm tall and weighs 15kg. → Read More
Remember HRP-4C? I saw her once in real life with my own eyes, and I am still not sure what to think of one of the most realistic humanoids out there. Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology developed the fembot two years ago, and she keeps getting better and better - at singing and dancing. → Read More
The Robocalypse, it’s coming nearer and nearer. Case in point: POLYRO (short for “oPen sOurce friendLY RObot”), a mini humanoid that apparently costs less than $2,000 to produce, all parts included. Developed by American robot researcher Timothy Payne, the little guy is meant to be used to explore human-robot interaction and can be built following these instructions. → Read More
The Japanese don’t call them androids but actroids or geminoids: robots designed to exactly look like humans. We’ve spent multiple posts over the last years on these robots before covering the first geminoid from outside Japan earlier this month. And now we have a video that shows the 3 most famous geminoids out there in a meeting in Nara, Japan – together with their human counterparts. → Read More
The world’s first robot marathon, which was started on Friday in Osaka, Japan, ended on Sunday evening, with mini humanoid Robovie PC emerging as the winner. Mini humanoid Robovie-PC stands 40cm tall, weighs 24.kg, and has 20 joints. → Read More
Last week, we reported about Japanese robot maker Vstone’s plan to start the world’s first full marathon [JP] for humanoids, and that race started today at 10am Japanese time. It will take the 5 participants until Sunday to complete the full marathon (42.195km) in Osaka, and thanks to Ustream, you can see them running live until the very end. → Read More
Toyota isn’t just a car company: as we reported multiple times over the last years, it produces quite cool robots, too. The company’s music playing robots are particularly amazing, and the latest versions were presented over last weekend in Tokyo. → Read More
We all knew this day would come, and we all knew this would happen in Japan: robot maker Vstone has announced what it says is the first full marathon [JP] for humanoids on February 24 in Osaka. The group of five mini robots will “run” (rather walk) around a 100m long course exactly 421 times plus another 95m to complete a marathon (42.195km). → Read More
Japan continues to be the world’s number 1 robot nation: the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA), the University of Tokyo and advertising agency Dentsu are ready to develop a humanoid that’s able to support astronauts at the International Space Station and post new information on Twitter. → Read More
The Robocalypse is coming closer and closer: a team of researchers from the Italian Institute of Technology and Tokyo City University, led by Dr. Petar Kormushev, has “taught” Fujitsu HOAP-2, a mini humanoid, how to clean a whiteboard. In the amazing video embedded below, you can see a human showing the little guy what to do, followed by him replicating the actions. → Read More
Do you remember the impressive and extremely agile humanoid HRP-2 we’ve shown you in December last year? Its makers, a group of researchers working at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, apparently used the last few weeks to teach the robot a new trick. → Read More
As if mini humanoid PALRO wasn’t awesome enough already, he now can speak English, too. I always thought he was being marketed as a “male” robot, but Tokyo-based maker Fuji Soft gave PALRO a female voice (not that it really matters). → Read More
Seems like we will be getting Kinect-controlled robots on a monthly basis from now on. This time, it’s Japan-based Asura Engineering (known for its real-time robot control system V-Sido), which made a pretty cool video of a Kinect-controlled mini humanoid. → Read More
Japan has many advanced home robots, but this one is a bit different: the so-called THKR-4 has been made by an individual who used just off-the-shelf parts. The humanoid isn’t the most elegant of his kind, but he’s able to perform quite a few rather complicated (for a robot) moves. → Read More
One weak point many humanoid robots have in common is that they move too slow, including most super-advanced models. But a robot event, which recently took place in Japan, shows that there are some exceptions. → Read More
Usually, one way to determine how sophisticated robots are is to look at how they deal with obstacles standing in their way. Some are able to avoid them, some simply jump over them. But Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology has developed a humanoid that can make use of obstacles. → Read More
We’ve covered Fujisoft‘s mini humanoid PALRO twice this year already, but the Tokyo-based company keeps updating the little guy. It now not only walks, dances, looks, “listens”, and “speaks” but also “remembers” objects and places it has previously been to. PALRO stands at 40cm, weighs 1.6kg and is equipped with 20 joints, 5 mics, a 3MP camera, and Wi-Fi. → Read More
Japanese robot maker Kondo today announced [JP] a new mini humanoid, the so-called “KHR-3HV Black”. As the name suggests, this limited edition robot comes in black, which is a very good choice, given how cool the little guy looks. → Read More
Hiroshi Ishiguro, one of Japan’s most famous robot makers, caused a splash back in April, when he unveiled Geminoid-F, one of the most realistic humanoids ever. Last month, a variation of the robot, which is named Actroid-F, was shown to the public (Actroid-F is supposed to one day take on the role of a robotic nurse in hospitals).
And over the weekend, the android was used as an actress for… → Read More
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