Archives: April 2006

Robo Garage unveils FT mini-fembot

07 Apr 2006

FT, the feminine robotOn April 7, Robo Garage, a venture company of Kyoto University, unveiled a slender and agile biped female robot.

Named FT (short for "Female Type"), the robot has a plastic and carbon fiber body, weighs 800 grams (1.8 lbs.), and stands 35 centimeters (13 inches) tall. Her 23 joints enable her to perform a range of fashion model type moves, like arching her back and swinging her hips as she walks, as well as runway-style turns. FT's components were designed and arranged to create a feminine body line.

Robo Garage, who spent about one year working to realize its dream of creating a feminine robot, has not yet determined whether FT will be made commercially available.

"In developing FT, we also sought the advice of pro models," says Tomotaka Takahashi, head of Robo Garage. "I hope that by evoking a sense of familiarity and comfort, FT can expand the potential of robots."

[Source: Nishinippon Shimbun]

Through the (zero-reflection) looking glass

07 Apr 2006

MetamaterialWhen light passes through material such as glass, a portion of its energy is lost as it reflects off the material's surface. Researchers at Japan's Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) have come up with a theoretical design for preventing this phenomenon from occurring.

The researchers have designed a prism of engineered material -- metamaterial comprised of an arrangement of nano-coils of precious metals such as gold or silver -- embedded in a solid glass-like material. The prism structure has a negative refractive index, which makes it truly transparent to light, allowing it to pass freely through with no reflection.

In the future, this type of metamaterial prism could lead to improvements in low-loss fiber optic communications, the development of telescopes and cameras well-suited for dark subjects, and the emergence of optical equipment we have never seen before.

[Sources: Jiji, Riken press release]

Japan Railways to test world’s first fuel cell-powered train

05 Apr 2006

On April 4, the East Japan Railway Company reported progress in the development of the world's first fuel cell-powered train. With the prototype nearing completion, the company announced plans to begin trial runs in order to collect data before putting the train into commercial service.

According to officials, the test train consists of one car and is powered by two 65kW fuel cells that enable speeds of up to 100 kph (60 mph). The train is an upgraded version of JR's New Energy (NE) train -- an experimental diesel-electric hybrid developed in 2003 -- whose diesel generator has been replaced with fuel cells. The new fuel cell-powered NE train is scheduled to begin service in the summer of 2007 on the rural, non-electrified Koumi Line in Nagano and Yamanashi prefectures.

Hydrogen stored in a tank aboard the train is supplied to the fuel cells, where it reacts with oxygen to produce electricity. Unused electricity and electricity generated during braking is stored in a secondary battery, which is used as an auxiliary power source. In addition to being energy-efficient, hydrogen fuel cells emit no carbon dioxide (a contributor to global warming), only water.

[Source: Fuji Sankei]

ITR robot seeks place in the home

04 Apr 2006

ITRRobot developer Speecys Corporation has unveiled its ITR ("Internet Renaissance") robot, a compact droid capable of downloading Internet content via wireless LAN. The company announced plans to begin selling developer evaluation kits (limited to 300 sets) to content developers at the end of May. The consumer version of ITR is scheduled to hit shelves at the beginning of September with a price tag of 190,000 yen (US$1,600).

ITR, which Speecys is billing as the world's first humanoid robot to be integrated into the family, connects to a dedicated server via the Internet to download "robot content" that it presents to the user with its voice and movements. ITR uses Speecys' own Robot Transaction Markup Language (RTML) as a protocol, and the company appears to be moving forward with plans to establish RTML as the standard protocol for robot communication. With an adaptor, the IEEE 802.11g compatible bot will be able to download content from a mobile phone web browser.

Initial plans call for 12 channels of content ranging from news and weather to children's programming, variety and music programs. Features such as a "motion browser" and a library function for storing emotional expression motion data enable ITR to use sound and motion to communicate the content to the user.

ITR's hardware includes an RPU-50 CPU manufactured by Futaba Corporation, Speecys' own NetBSD-based OS (Speecys OS Rev. 2.0), and Futaba's RS301CR servo motors. ITR is outfitted with a pair of speakers and a total of 168 LEDs in its chest and hands. The robot is powered by a built-in rechargeable lithium polymer battery, and is equipped with USB and serial ports, a Mini SD slot and audio connection port. ITR is 30 cm (12 inches) tall and weighs 1.5 kg (3.3 lbs).

With dreams of seeing ITR enjoy widespread adoption in the general household, Speecys hopes ITR will follow in the footsteps of radio, TV, PC, and mobile phone to become the fifth major form of household media.

[Source: Impress Watch]

Soccer ball-shaped safe homes

03 Apr 2006

BarrierAn assortment of model "safe" homes shaped like soccer balls are on display at a home exhibition in suburban Gifu. The homes -- named "Barier" by manufacturer Kimidori Kenchiku -- are 32-sided polyhedrons encased in stainless steel. According to the company website, Barier's bulletproof construction is resistant to earthquake, typhoon, fire, and terrorist attack, and its ability to float in water makes it floodproof. When buried underground, Barier can be used as a tornado or bomb shelter. The price tag includes a mini-kitchen, a bed and two 15-inch LCD TVs, so you can be sure to catch all the World Cup action no matter what transpires outside.

[Source: Jiji, Kimidori Kenchiku]