Music (& film) posters by Tadanori Yokoo

23 Jun 2008

Tadanori Yokoo, one of Japan's most prolific and internationally recognized graphic designers, has created a number of psychedelic posters for notable musicians.

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Earth, Wind & Fire, 1976 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Santana - Lotus, 1974 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Beatles, 1972 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Emerson, Lake & Palmer concert poster, 1972 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Tangerine Dream, 1976 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Beatles - Star Club, 1977 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Cochin Moon, 1978 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Holst - The Planets, 1979 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
Earth, Wind & Fire, 1993 [Enlarge]

* * * * *

Yokoo is also known to have designed the occasional movie poster, including these three psychedelic beauties for Roger Corman's "The Trip."

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Trip, 1968 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Trip, 1968 [Enlarge]

Poster by Tadanori Yokoo --
The Trip, 1968 [Enlarge]

Space wedding

19 Jun 2008

Space wedding --

Space transportation provider Rocketplane Kistler Japan has teamed up with wedding planner First Advantage to begin hosting weddings aboard the Rocketplane XP suborbital spaceplane. A cool 240 million yen ($2.2 million) buys you a wedding ceremony aboard a 1-hour space flight that reaches an altitude of more than 100 kilometers (62.1 miles), as well as a photo and video album, original dress, wedding certificate and other ceremonial items. The otherworldly price tag also includes the cost of transportation to and from the launch site, accommodations, a live broadcast of the ceremony to friends and family at a reception hall on the ground, and 4 days of rehearsal. The space wedding services are scheduled to begin in 2011, but the group will start accepting applications early next month.

[Link: Space Wedding]

Emergency mask for office safety

19 Jun 2008

Smoke Block Emergency Mask --

In an unsettling sign of the times, the new "Smoke Block" emergency mask by Tokyo-based Rescuenow, Inc. is being touted as an effective means of protection against hydrogen sulfide, the trendy "detergent suicide" gas created by mixing household cleaners, which has claimed hundreds of lives across Japan in recent months. The mask has a special three-layer filter that keeps your lungs clean for up to 20 minutes, allowing you ample time to flee from smoke and/or toxic fumes. A full-face mask sells for 20,000 yen ($185) and a half-face version goes for 14,000 yen ($130).

[Source: Iza!]

Video: Telesurgical origami crane

18 Jun 2008

Origami crane folded via daVinci Surgical System --

In this video, Dr. Norihiko Ishikawa of the Department of Telesurgery and Geomedicine at the University of Kanazawa demonstrates the precision of the daVinci Surgical System by using the device's remote-control robot arms to fold a penny-sized origami crane. (Watch it.)

[Via: DVICE]

Zero Emission House

17 Jun 2008

Zero Emissions House --

Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) has released a few details about the "Zero Emission House," a state-of-the-art green home under construction at the site of the upcoming Hokkaido Toyako G8 Summit, where environmental issues will be high on the agenda.

Incorporating the latest in sustainable building technology, the 280-square-meter (3,000 sq ft) Japanese-style home is designed to have a small carbon footprint. A 14.5-kilowatt solar array and a small 1-kilowatt wind generator provide power to the home, which is equipped with next-generation energy-saving appliances, thermal insulation glass, vacuum insulated panels and a green roof. The interior is illuminated by a system of light ducts and OLED lamps.

Zero Emissions House --

Honda's Asimo humanoid robot -- whose exact carbon footprint size is unknown -- will be on hand to serve tea to guests, who are welcome to test-drive the electric vehicles in the driveway and soak their feet in the fuel cell-powered foot bath.

Construction of the 200 million yen ($2 million) home is scheduled for completion at the end of June, at which time it will be unveiled to the foreign press. After the summit, plans are to transport the house to another location, where it will be opened to the general public.

[Source: METI]

Mazda to unveil new Nagare concept car

17 Jun 2008

Mazda concept SUV --

Mazda has released sketches of a new concept crossover sport utility vehicle to be unveiled at the 2008 Moscow International Automobile Salon in late August.

Mazda concept SUV --

The concept vehicle is designed especially for the SUV-hungry Russian market, one of Europe's fastest growing markets.

Mazda concept SUV --

The show car, whose name Mazda intends to announce soon, is the latest addition to the automaker's line of Nagare concept vehicles, which include the Nagare, Ryuga, Hakaze, Taiki and Furai.

[Source: Response]

Previous Nagare concept cars:

Mazda concept SUV --

Mazda concept SUV --
Nagare

Mazda concept SUV --

Mazda concept SUV --
Ryuga

Mazda concept SUV --

Mazda concept SUV --
Hakaze

Mazda concept SUV --

Mazda concept SUV --
Taiki

Mazda concept SUV --

Mazda concept SUV --
Furai

Astro Boy made from recycled train tickets

14 Jun 2008

A 3.2 x 2.1 meter (10 x 7 ft) work of Astro Boy pixel art made from 138,000 recycled Tokyo Metro tickets is on temporary display at the Shinjuku Takashimaya Department Store (2nd floor) to mark the opening of Tokyo's new Fukutoshin subway line. Created by volunteers from Takashimaya and other Shinjuku-area businesses, the work depicts Astro Boy, Uran, Professor Ochanomizu and Higeoyaji (Mr. Mustachio) in Shinjuku along with the new Fukutoshin train.

Astro Boy made from recycled train tickets --
Enlarge

Astro Boy made from recycled train tickets --
Enlarge

Astro Boy made from recycled train tickets --
Enlarge

Astro Boy made from recycled train tickets --

See also: Mona Lisa from recycled train tickets

Industrial-strength dog bath

13 Jun 2008

Wan Love Yu --

Control device manufacturer IDEC has developed a high-tech dog bath system called Wan Love Yu ("Dog Love Bath"), which eliminates the need for shampoo by relying on technology typically found in industrial water treatment systems. Wan Love Yu features a special shower head that discharges water containing approximately 600,000 tiny air bubbles per cubic centimeter. At 20 microns in diameter (5 times smaller than the width of a human hair), the air bubbles are small enough to penetrate the dog's skin and hair follicles to effectively remove dirt and odor. The high-tech jacuzzi system, which consists of a special shower head and suction hose attached to a 27.5 x 27.5 x 43 centimeter main unit, is designed for use with ordinary bathtubs. The system will go on sale June 20 at a price of between 600,000 and 700,000 yen (around $6,000 to $7,000).

[Source: Fuji Sankei]

Superconductor electric vehicle

12 Jun 2008

Car powered by superconductor motor --

Sumitomo Electric has developed what is being called the world's first automobile powered by a superconducting motor. The electric passenger sedan (a modified Toyota Crown Comfort), which is powered by a high-temperature superconducting motor cooled by liquid nitrogen, was unveiled in Osaka on June 12 and will go on display at the Hokkaido Toyako G8 Summit on June 19.

Superconductors -- energy-efficient materials that can carry electrical current without resistance -- are used in applications ranging from medical devices to linear motors for trains. Until now, however, they have never been used to power an automobile, says Sumitomo, who developed an ultra-powerful 365-kw superconducting motor last year.

Superconductor motor used to power car -- Sumitomo's motor uses high-temperature superconducting wires instead of the copper wire typically used in the coils in electric vehicle motors. When cooled to -200 degrees Celsius, electrical resistance and current loss are reduced to nearly zero, so the motor can operate with greater energy efficiency and torque -- in other words, the motor uses less electricity to do the same amount of work. The company says the prototype vehicle can travel more than 10% farther than conventional electric vehicles running on the same type of battery.

The development comes as demand for electric vehicles grows, and as manufacturers step up efforts to improve battery and motor performance to increase the distance that vehicles can travel on a single charge.

Sumitomo intends to further improve the motor with the aim of putting a vehicle on the market in the not-too-distant future. The company is looking to develop superconductor motors for buses and trucks as well.

[Sources: Nikkei, Yomiuri]