Special effects studio Tsuburaya Productions has released some video of a fancy new animatronic Gomora suit being tested in a parking lot.

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The Gomora suit — the first in Tsuburaya’s new line of “Dekaiju” giant animatronic monster costumes — stands 3 meters (10 ft) tall and measures 6 meters (20 ft) long from nose to tail. In addition to moving its head, mouth and arms, the glowing-eyed monster can shriek and spit vapor. The studio plans to unleash the new and improved Gomora at promotional events for the upcoming movie “Mega Monster Battle: Ultra Galaxy Legend.”

Electronics giant NEC has reportedly developed a wearable optical device that interprets foreign languages and projects a real-time translation directly onto the retina, enabling the wearer to communicate with other language speakers without an interpreter.

The prototype device — called “Tele Scouter” — consists of a tiny retinal display and microphone mounted on an eyeglass frame. The microphone picks up the conversation and transmits it to a small computer worn on the waist, which converts the speech to text and translates it into the user’s native language.

The retinal display projects the text directly into the user’s peripheral vision, allowing them to maintain eye contact with their conversation partner while reading the translation. According to the developers, the Tele Scouter can be used for hours on end without eye strain, because the wearer does not have to focus their eye on the displayed text.

Although NEC plans to put a version of the Tele Scouter on the market in 2010, the company admits the device’s translation capabilities are insufficient for real-world applications. So for now, the initial plan is to market the device as a wearable data display for employees in factories and shops.

According to the company, the device can provide instant hands-free access to data such as diagrams and operating instructions, allowing workers to perform tasks more efficiently and accurately. Other possible future applications include car navigation systems and video games.

[Source: Yomiuri]

“Miruko,” a wearable eyeball-shaped robot with a built-in camera and wi-fi capabilities, is designed to augment human perception by sensing and reacting to objects that cannot be seen with the naked eye.

In this video, Miruko’s creators demonstrate how the robotic eyeball can be used as an interface for a virtual monster-hunting game played in a real-world environment.

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Worn on the player’s sleeve, Miruko’s roving eye scans the surroundings in search of virtual monsters that are invisible to the naked human eye. When a virtual monster is spotted, the mechanical eyeball rolls around in its socket and fixes its gaze on the monster’s location. By following Miruko’s line of sight, the player is able to locate the virtual monster and “capture” it via his or her iPhone camera.

Other skills, such as the ability to recognize and track specific faces or objects, suggest the Miruko robotic eyeball interface could be put to use in a variety of navigation, surveillance, and augmented reality entertainment applications.

HRP-4C, a female humanoid robot created by Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST), made her first professional runway appearance at a fashion show in Osaka today.

Here comes the robot bride — HRP-4C models a wedding dress

The chic robot, who stands 158 centimeters (5 ft 2 in) tall and weighs 43 kilograms (95 lbs) with her batteries installed, wore a wedding dress by designer Yumi Katsura.

Although much less hurried than her flesh-and-bone catwalk peers, the HRP-4C strolled smoothly up and down the 10-meter runway, struck various poses, and gazed sidelong at the delighted audience.

The positive response of the crowd shows the robot may have a future in entertainment, just as her creators suggested at her unveiling in March. At that event, they claimed HRP-4C’s realistic looks had the potential to draw crowds at amusement parks and promotional events.

Developer Kazuhito Yokoi, who appeared at today’s fashion show in a tuxedo, expressed his wishes for the robot’s future. “We hope she can work in fashion and entertainment,” he said, staring pensively at the stage.

Then, as if seeing his creation in a bridal gown had stirred his emotions, he added, “Like the father of a bride, I feel both happy and sad.”

[Source: Chunichi]

Here’s a peek at some of the forthcoming T-shirt designs spawned by the rumored collaboration between legendary Tokyo streetwear brand BAPE (A Bathing Ape) and the Pokemon media empire.

[Via: World Famous Design Junkies]

Unfortunately, the stylish denim face masks pictured in these old Wrangler ads (designed by Tycoon Graphics) are not available at the local department store.

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Casual clothing brand Uniqlo has created the most captivating web calendar ever, featuring a random assortment of stop-motion tilt-shift imagery from locations across Japan and charming background music by Fantastic Plastic Machine. Highly addictive.

[Link: Uniqlo Calendar]

Sushi gets a high-fashion makeover in these savory print ads for Issey Miyake’s Pleats Please line of clothing. Created by Taku Satoh Design Office.

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[Link: Graphis]

Nothing says “marriage or bust” quite like the Marriage-Hunting Bra (Konkatsu Bra), a new concept lingerie by Triumph International designed to help the marriage-minded woman find a husband by displaying how much time remains until she hopes to tie the knot. (Watch video.)

In addition to the easy-to-read LED display that shows the number of days until the wearer’s ideal wedding date, the white lace bra — which has the look and feel of a wedding dress — features a ring holder and convenient pockets for a pen and official stamp seal, which will be needed when filling out the marriage license application.

Triumph, which unveils a new concept bra every six months, hopes the Marriage-Hunting Bra will encourage more people to get hitched, even though it is not for sale. The creators were inspired by Konkatsu-Jidai (”The Times of Marriage-Hunting”), a recent best-seller by Toko Shirakawa that looks at Japan’s declining marriage rate and the growing difficulty that people in their 30s and 40s face when seeking marriage partners.

Recent statistics indicate that 47 percent of men and 32 percent of women in their early 30s are unmarried. These figures appear to be on the rise as people focus more on career than on family, and as people increasingly view marriage as a personal preference, not an essential part of life.

[Source: Sankei]

More concept bras by Triumph:
- Shopping Bag Bra
- Solar Power Bra
- My Chopsticks Bra
- Voter Turnout Bra

Illustrator Yoriko Yoshida has dreamed up dozens of colorful face mask designs that are sure to keep you looking cool and feeling safe as fears of swine flu spread across the globe.

The mask of Octopus beard

The mask of Rising sun

The mask of Skull

The mask of Wild boar

The mask of Mt. FUJI

The mask of Beauty

[Link: Yoriko Yoshida's surgical masks]