Tag: ‘Tokyo’

Tokyo stereographic projections

21 Apr 2009

Photographer heiwa4126's "Stereographics" photoset on Flickr is an eye-bending collection of "little planet" panoramas and ultra-wide fisheye images shot mostly in Tokyo.

Ultra-wide fisheye image of Tokyo station --
Tokyo Station [heiwa4126]

Wee planet stereographic projection of Tokyo --
Ueno Station [heiwa4126]

Microplanet stereographic projection of Tokyo --
Shin-Arakawa Bridge [heiwa4126]

Little planet stereographic projection of Tokyo --
Higashi-Ayase Park [heiwa4126]

Mini-planet stereographic projection of Tokyo --
Shibaura [heiwa4126]

Panoramic stereographic projection of Tokyo --
Adachi Ward [heiwa4126]

Stereographic panorama of Tokyo --
Katsushika Ward [heiwa4126]

Stereographically projected panorama of Tokyo --
Ueno Station [heiwa4126]

3D panorama of Tokyo --
Tokyo Dome City [heiwa4126]

Spherical panorama of Tokyo --
Shiodome Sio-site [heiwa4126]

Check heiwa4126's photoset for over 150 more high-resolution stereographic projections, and see gadl's "Wee Planet" set for background information and instructions on how to make your own.

Dreamy time-lapse video of Shinjuku

13 Apr 2009

Only rarely does Shinjuku look as magical as it does here in this time-lapse video shot over the course of a year from various locations. The dreamy ambient track is from Cliff Martinez's score for the movie Solaris (2002).

(Thanks, Sam!)

[Links: YouTube, Vimeo]

Terminator robots in Tokyo (pics)

30 Mar 2009

In conjunction with the upcoming release of Terminator Salvation (T4), an exhibit featuring the cyborgs from the Terminator series is now on display at Miraikan (National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation) in Tokyo.

T-600 endoskeleton from Terminator 4, exhibited at Miraikan --
T-600 endoskeleton from Terminator Salvation [+]

Entitled "Terminator Exhibition - Battle or Coexistence? Robots and Our Future," the exhibit purportedly aims to inspire visitors to think about the relationship between humans and machines. Mostly, though, it offers a unique glimpse at the models and costumes used in the filming of the movies, along with details about the makeup and special effects.

T-800 exhibited at Miraikan, Tokyo --
T-800 endoskeleton [+]

In the first Terminator movie, which takes place in Los Angeles in 1984, a T-800 cyborg assassin is sent back in time from the year 2029 by Skynet, an artificially intelligent military computer system that rules the world under an army of cyborgs. Its mission is to erase the existence of John Connor, who in the future becomes the leader of the human resistance forces against the machines. To alter the course of history in Skynet's favor, the T-800 must terminate Sarah Connor before she gives birth to her son John.

Terminator exhibited at Miraikan, Tokyo --
T-800 endoskeleton [+]

The T-800 cyborg -- played by Arnold Schwarzenegger in the first three Terminator movies -- consists of a metal endoskeleton under a layer of living human tissue. The robot has excellent learning capabilities, enabling it to understand and adopt human behavior and phrases. It can also mimic voices once it hears them. A slightly improved version of the T-800 -- the T-850 -- appears in Terminator 2 and Terminator 3.

T-800 on display at Miraikan, Tokyo --
T-800: Hasta la vista, baby [+]

In Terminator 2, Skynet sends the latest Terminator model -- the T-1000 -- to Los Angeles in 1994 to eliminate the 10-year-old John Connor. At the same time, the resistance forces send a hacked T-800 from the future to protect John. The T-1000, which is much more advanced than the T-800, has no endoskeleton and consists of a shape-shifting liquid metal. The T-1000 is not displayed in this exhibit.

T-800 exhibited at Miraikan, Tokyo -- T-X Terminator at Miraikan, Tokyo --
T-800 [+] // T-X [+]

In Terminator 3, the T-800 (T-850) is again sent from the future to protect John Connor. This time it does battle with the T-X, a super-powerful Terminator that combines the exoskeleton of the T-800 with the shape-shifting liquid metal of the T-1000.

Terminatrix at Miraikan, Tokyo --
T-X (a.k.a. Terminatrix) [+]

The T-X, also called "Terminatrix," takes the shape of a beautiful woman and incorporates a variety of weapons into its endoskeleton. In addition to conducting DNA analysis by tasting blood, the shape-shifting assassin can remotely control other machines and Terminators.

Cameron Phillips (TOK715) at Miraikan, Tokyo --
Cameron Phillips (TOK715) [+]

Other items on display include a reproduction of Cameron Philips (TOK715), a reprogrammed Terminator from the "Sarah Conner Chronicles" TV series.

The exhibit also includes a few props and movie trailers from the forthcoming film.

Terminator exhibited at Miraikan, Tokyo --
T-600 endoskeleton [+]

Set in the year 2018, Terminator Salvation will prominently feature the T-600, an early Terminator prototype. Unlike the T-800 portrayed by Schwarzenegger in the previous films, the more primitive T-600 features an endoskeleton covered in synthetic skin instead of living human tissue. At 8 feet tall, it is also much bulkier.

Terminator exhibited at Miraikan, Tokyo --
Moto-Terminator [+]

Also on display is the Moto-Terminator, a motorcycle-based death machine, as well as the Hydrobot (not pictured here), a menacing eel-like underwater robot.

The final section of the exhibit introduces a variety of Japanese robot technology, mostly in the form of text-heavy exhibits (Japanese only). However, an Actroid -- smartly dressed in a skin-tight black jumpsuit -- is on hand to liven things up.

Actroid exhibited at Miraikan, Tokyo --
Actroid [+]

Actroid exhibited at Miraikan, Tokyo --
Actroid [+]

The exhibit runs until June 28, 2009.

Giant baby robot spits fire on Roppongi (pics)

29 Mar 2009

Giant Toryayan at Roppongi Art Night --

Sculptor Kenji Yanobe's Giant Torayan robot, a 7.2-meter (24-ft) tall mechanical baby that sings, dances and spits fire, was sighted in Tokyo's Roppongi district last night. The fire-breathing robot spent the night on center stage at "Roppongi Art Night," an all-night event featuring installations and performances by dozens of artists at various venues in the area.

Giant Toryayan at Roppongi Art Night --
[+]

Giant Toryayan at Roppongi Art Night --
[+]

Giant Toryayan at Roppongi Art Night -- Giant Toryayan at Roppongi Art Night --
[+] // [+]

Giant Toryayan at Roppongi Art Night --
[+]

Giant Toryayan at Roppongi Art Night --
[+]

Toshiba tests phone-controlled billboard game

26 Mar 2009

Mobile phone-controlled billboard game in Akihabara

To promote its laptops and showcase digital signage technology capable of utilizing real-time data over the Internet, electronics giant Toshiba tested an interactive digital billboard in Tokyo last weekend that allowed YouTube users and pedestrians with mobile phones to play video games against each other. (Watch a video of the game action.)

Played on a digital billboard above the entrance to the Yodobashi Camera superstore in Akihabara, each game involved up to six players in a 90-second race to paint squares on a grid and hunt for Toshiba's cuddly Pala-Chan mascot. Mobile phone players followed the action on the billboard and used the number keys on their handsets to control the game's paint brushes, while YouTube players on computers used the arrow keys on their keyboards. (More video.)

To participate, pedestrians in Akihabara called a phone number displayed on the billboard before the start of each game, while YouTube users simply clicked a button on Toshiba's toshibanotepc channel (where the game is still available).

Winners who played via mobile phone in Akihabara received Pala-Chan parkas from Toshiba representatives stationed near the billboard site.

The company plans to use similar interactive billboard games to promote other products around town in the future.

[Source: Nikkei]

Cautious cosplay: Shokotan in hazmat suit

16 Mar 2009

Shokotan in hazmat suit --

"I am in danger. You are in danger. Japan is in danger. Protect yourself with yellow."

Shoko Nakagawa in hazmat suit --
[+]

So reads the text on a billboard advertisement at the west exit of Shinjuku station, the latest in a series of Norton Symantec security software ads starring multi-talented otaku idol Shokotan.

Shoko Nakagawa in hazmat suit --
[+]

Yellow suits her well.

(Thanks, randomcommenter, for the translation tip!)

Stairways to ammonite heaven

16 Feb 2009

Walk the stairwells of some of Tokyo's oldest department stores and you will find some remarkable ammonite fossils embedded in the marble walls.

Ammonoid in Mitsukoshi stairwell --
Mitsukoshi (Shinjuku)

Ammonites are hard-shelled, squid-like creatures that inhabited the world's oceans for nearly 350 million years, until they died out with the dinosaurs about 65 million years ago. They are known only from the fossilized remains of their spiral-shaped shells.

Ammonoid in Mitsukoshi stairwell --
Artist's reconstruction of ammonites

The fossil-rich marble staircases at the Shinjuku Mitsukoshi department store, built in 1929, are embedded with numerous ammonite specimens, some of which are indicated with arrows and labels.

Ammonite in department store stairwell -- Ammonite in department store stairwell --
Mitsukoshi (Shinjuku)

Ammonoid in department store stairwell --
Mitsukoshi (Shinjuku)

Likewise, the magnificent marble staircase at the Nihonbashi Mitsukoshi department store, constructed in 1914, is also loaded with ammonite fossils.

Ammonite in department store stairwell --
Mitsukoshi (Nihonbashi)

Ammonite in department store stairwell --
Mitsukoshi (Nihonbashi)

Ammonite in department store stairwell --
Mitsukoshi (Nihonbashi)

Still more fossils can be found in the marble stairwells and columns inside the Nihonbashi Takashimaya department store, constructed in 1933.

Ammonite in Takashimaya stairway --
Takashimaya (Nihonbashi)

Ammonoid in department store staircase -- Ammonite in department store stairwell --
Takashimaya (Nihonbashi)

Ammonite in department store stairwell --
Takashimaya (Nihonbashi)

The Ueno Matsuzakaya department store, built in 1929, includes marble staircases, but there is no trace of ammonites.

Ammonite in Matsuzakaya stairwell --
Matsuzakaya (Ueno)

However, a rare fossil of what is believed to be a type of brain coral is embedded in the wall near the third floor.

Photos: Yoichiro Kawaguchi’s robot designs

02 Feb 2009

More photos of Yoichiro Kawaguchi's robot designs on display at Yushima Seid? temple in Tokyo:

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design -- Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design -- Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design -- Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design -- Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

Yoichiro Kawaguchi robot design --

‘Organic’ robots to mimic primitive life

27 Jan 2009

Primitive lifeforms as robots --

A University of Tokyo research team led by professor/computer graphic artist Yoichiro Kawaguchi is developing robots designed to imitate primitive life forms. Mockups have been put on display at a Confucian temple in Tokyo, and working versions of the robots are scheduled for completion in two years.

According to the researchers, these robots are being developed as a way to explore artificial life and gain insights into how living things survive in a world governed by the law of the jungle.

Primitive lifeforms as robots --

Kawaguchi and his team are developing a basic reflex system for the primitive artificial life forms, as well as a visual processing system equipped with eyes that recognize and instinctively track certain objects.

In addition, the researchers are working to create powerful biomimetic actuators for locomotion. As part of their research, Kawaguchi and his team have conducted computer simulations to investigate the use of neural oscillators in a locomotion system that imitates the way centipedes crawl. They are also working on simple, mechanical tentacles that extend and contract to move the robot in a specified direction. If all goes according to schedule, they will have a fully functional robot in two years.

Primitive lifeforms as robots --

With a more thorough understanding of how primitive life forms survive, the researchers believe they can provide robots with a better ability to move, hunt, sense danger, and escape. They suggest that strong survival and hunting skills can be put to use in applications ranging from security guard dog robots to swarm robots tasked with exploring the surface of an alien planet.

Primitive lifeforms as robots --

Kawaguchi, a professor at the University of Tokyo Graduate School of Interdisciplinary Information Studies, has become known for creating artistic computer graphics programs that exhibit "lifelike" behavior such as self-organization and self-propagation. The robot mockups, which are three-dimensional models of his previous computer graphics work, will remain on display at Yushima Seid? temple until February 8.

[Source: Robot Watch]

UPDATE: More photos HERE.