Archives: March 2006

Space-age brewers count down to April product launch

09 Mar 2006

Space sakeFinal preparations are being made for the April 1 launch of Tosa Space Sake, a Japanese rice wine made with a batch of yeast that spent 10 days in space last October aboard a Russian Soyuz rocket. At a March 6 press conference held in Kochi city, the labels for the space sake, which will hit shelves across Japan next month, were displayed to the public.

Each of the 17 participating brewers from Kochi prefecture has their own marketing plan. Five of the companies? labels show an image of the earth floating in blue space. Another label was created by Dehara Yukinori, a "figure illustrator" native to Kochi city, whose design features a comical depiction of an astronaut, sake brewer, and farmer. A separate label for the?Tosa Space Sake (Tosa Uchu-shu) logo is also affixed to each bottle.

All that remains now is the final taste check. Then, on April 1, the world's first space sake will take off.

[Source: Kochi Shimbun]

[Further reading: Asahi Shimbun (English)]

Laser-powered aircraft tested at Osaka Dome

08 Mar 2006

Laser-powered aircraftAn unmanned aircraft powered by a ground-based laser was demonstrated at Osaka Dome on March 7. The aircraft is the work of a Kinki University research team led by Professor Nobuki Kawashima (aeronautical engineering). The researchers expect the aircraft to be used for gathering information in the event of a disaster.

The aircraft measures 78 cm (30 in.) long, weighs 800 grams (1.8 lbs.), and has wings like a kite. A disc-shaped solar panel attached underneath powers the propeller when struck by a ground-based laser.

A battery powered the aircraft?s propeller at takeoff, but once it reached an altitude of about 50 meters (165 feet) -- near the ceiling of the dome -- the aircraft switched to laser-powered flight. The laser remained on target (error less than 1 cm) throughout the 20-minute flight around the dome. Observers say the aircraft looked like a kite flying on a string of light.

Flight time with this technology is unlimited as long as the laser can reach the aircraft, as opposed to a 5-minute flight time when powered by battery. Researchers envision this type of aircraft being used to get an understanding of areas devastated by earthquake or flood, or to serve as flying communication relay stations. Leisure-related applications are also possible.

"We would like to extend the tracking distance and increase the size of the aircraft," says Kawashima. "Hopefully we can make it commercially available in about 2 or 3 years."

[Source: Asahi Shimbun]

Size matters for Citizen’s Eco-Be!

07 Mar 2006

Eco-Be!On March 6 in Osaka, Japan, Citizen Watch Co., Ltd. (Tokyo) unveiled a mini-robot driven by a small wristwatch motor.

The two-wheeled robot -- called ?Eco-Be!? -- is 1.8 cm wide and 2.5 cm tall and is operated via infrared remote control.

At the unveiling, the tiny robot demonstrated the ability to move forward and backward, as well as turn smoothly from side to side. Eco-Be!, which is powered by watch batteries and features low power consumption, will make an appearance at RoboCup 2006 in Germany this June.

Citizen president Makoto Umehara says he hopes Eco-Be! will prove useful in the development of smaller and lighter weight robots. The company will conduct further research with Osaka University to improve the robot?s performance.

[Source: Hokkaido Shimbun Press]

KOTOHANA communicates emotions from afar

03 Mar 2006

NEC, NEC Design and SGI Japan have teamed up to develop KOTOHANA, flower-shaped terminals that use LED light to remotely communicate human emotions.

Each KOTOHANA set consists of two flower-shaped terminals equipped with LEDs that change color according to the emotions of the person who owns the counterpart. Each flower contains a microphone that captures voice data for processing, the results of which are sent via wireless LAN to the other terminal, where it is expressed as LED light.

KOTOHANA

KOTOHANA's Sensibility Technology (ST) emotion recognition engine, which was developed by SGI Japan with the cooperation of AGI, detects joy, sorrow, calmness and excitement in speech patterns. Happiness is expressed as yellow, sadness as blue, calmness as green, and excitement as red. Changing emotions are expressed through subtle color gradations and variations in light brightness.

The product is still in the prototype stage, with the ST engine running on a separate computer connected to KOTOHANA. NEC plans to showcase KOTOHANA at CeBIT, the international trade show for information and telecommunications technology to be held from March 9 to 15 in Hannover, Germany.

[Source: Yahoo! News Japan via japan.internet.com]

Camera system for the ultimate narcissist?

02 Mar 2006

Cosmetics giant Kao has developed a "multi-perspective image analysis system" that captures facial images from a variety of angles and under various lighting conditions, for the purpose of analyzing skin characteristics such as tone and sheen. The system's ability to perform detailed analysis of make-up finish means it will likely play a role in cosmetic product development.

Kao's multi-perspective image analysis system

At 3 meters (10 feet) in diameter, the semi-spherical apparatus consists of 20 cameras and 50 lights, enabling users to observe subtle changes in how the skin looks under a wide range of indoor and outdoor lighting conditions.

Some captured images

In addition to the frontal view that you see in the mirror, the system records lateral and diagonal images, allowing you to check how the face appears to others. Make-up finish and the beauty of bare skin can be quantitatively analyzed.

Kao says the system was used in the development of its new foundation, Sofina Raycious Perfect Angle Powder, which went on sale at the end of February.

[Source: IT Media]

Robotic Maetel lands job at airport

02 Mar 2006

MaetelA robot modeled after Maetel, the heroine of Leiji Matusmoto?s legendary Galaxy Express 999 (Gingatetsudo 999) anime, will go to work as a guide at the New Kitakyushu Airport, which is scheduled to open on March 16. The android was unveiled on February 28.

The 170 cm (5 ft 7 in) tall Maetel, who was developed by the Kyushu Institute of Technology, will stand duty in the airport terminal?s tourist information center. She is programmed to respond verbally and non-verbally (with gestures) to 200 types of questions about airport facilities, transportation and local accommodations.

Leiji Matsumoto, a native of Kitakyushu, says he hopes to see the airport connect Kitakyushu to the rest of the world. However, the airport will provide no international service when it opens.

At the moment, Maetel is only able to respond to questions posed in Japanese.

[Source: Asahi Shimbun]