Here are a few videos demonstrating some of the more diabolical uses of buildup's animatronic panda suit. Be nice to pandas, or be prepared to suffer the consequences.
Tag: ‘Video’
CB2 baby humanoid robot
01 Jun 2007
On June 1, researchers from Osaka University's Graduate School of Engineering unveiled a robot that acts like a human infant, which they hope may one day help scientists better understand the child development process.
The researchers have named the baby robot "CB2," and for now, it is designed to function as a 1- to 2-year-old child, gazing intently at its surroundings, squirming about on the floor and lighting up the room with child-like charm.
The 130 cm long, 33 kg robot features 56 air cylinders that serve as muscles. With cameras for eyes and microphones for ears, and with 197 tactile sensors embedded in the layer of soft silicone skin covering its entire body, CB2 is well-equipped to take in environmental stimuli. When CB2's shoulders are tapped, it blinks as if surprised, stops moving, and turns its gaze toward the person who touched it, and when a toy is dangled in front of its eyes, it appears to devote all its energy to trying to reach for it. CB2 also has a set of artificial vocal chords that it uses to speak baby talk.
The researchers say that once CB2 is equipped with software that gives it the ability to learn, they will be very interested in undertaking the long-term challenge of teaching it how to walk and talk.
[Source: Asahi]
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UPDATE: Check out videos of little CB2 -- whose full name is "Child-robot with Biomimetic Body." Fans of Actroid and Geminoid might recognize one of the faces in the videos -- that of robot designer Dr. Ishiguro.
Video 1: Toward the end of this report, the announcer says that within the next four years, researchers at the Japan Science and Technology Agency (JST) -- who worked with Osaka University to develop CB2 -- hope to create a slightly more advanced version of the robot that has the vocabulary and cognitive skills of a 3-year-old child. At the end of the report, the Osaka University project leader says this type of "soft" robot technology will facilitate communication between humans and robots, which will prove useful for research purposes and for developing robots that can better assist and entertain us in our day-to-day lives.
Video 2: This report also mentions that the research team hopes to eventually create a robot that children can play with.
Video: Gate Vision
31 May 2007
For a quick trip to inner space, check out Gate Vision, a video by Kazuhiko Kobayashi. Using software to convert Shinkansen bullet train footage into a circular image, Kobayashi creates a hyper-psychedelic video mandala that mutates along with the rapidly changing scenery. The first minute shows the train's departure from the platform, and the rest shows the kaleidoscopic scenery from the window as the train cruises toward Tokyo station. To fully appreciate the mind-bending sound of Shinkansen space travel, it is best to view this with powerful speakers (or headphones).
You can check out Kobayashi's website for more videos and visit his scan Gate gallery for lots of awesome photo mandalas.
Video: DUALIS Powered Suit
24 May 2007
The mecha version of the Nissan DUALIS SUV designed by anime creator/mecha designer Shoji Kawamori (Macross) has been spotted in Tokyo. The 3.5 meter tall machine will be on display at the Nissan Gallery (Ginza) from May 23 to June 13 and at the Sony Building (Ginza) from June 25 to July 1. Here are a few videos of the DUALIS Powered Suit in action around town.
At a parking garage:
At a service station:
[Via: IT Media]
Tamanoi Vinegar Robot
18 May 2007
On May 18, buildup Co., Ltd. unveiled the Tamanoi Vinegar Robot, the world's first robot designed to make presentations about vinegar. The robot is scheduled to go to work at the Tamanoi Vinegar Corporation's Osaka office in July.
Relying on pre-programmed speech and gestures to communicate its knowledge of vinegar, the robot features a system of pneumatic servos that control 24 points of articulation in the upper half of its body. The 180 cm (nearly 6 ft), 100 kg (220 lb) machine has a mouth that moves in sync with its voice, as well as a fiber-reinforced plastic outer shell that is colored black -- like Tamanoi's black vinegar -- with an iridescent coating that changes hue according to the viewing angle.
The robot's first duties will be to entertain guests at Tamanoi's "Cyber Trip" amusement theater located in the company's new head office in Osaka. In addition to the robot, the theater will feature a 12-minute high-definition video on vinegar, also produced by buildup.
Watch video of the robot HERE.
[Source: BCN]
Animated Hifana videos
17 May 2007
KEIZOmachine! and Juicy -- together known as Hifana -- began as belly dance percussionists in the late '90s, but now they rely on electronics for their sample-heavy, scratchy hip-hop/breakbeat sound. They have some wild animated videos created by "hybrid" music label W+K Tokyo Lab.
Wamono -- From their "Channel H" CD+DVD, 2005
Fatbros -- From their "Fresh Push Breakin'" CD, 2003
Vintage vampire video by Osamu Tezuka
11 May 2007
This vintage live action/animated vampire video is the opening sequence for the pilot version of Vampire (Banpaiya), an old TV series created by Osamu Tezuka. Originally broadcast in Japan in the late '60s, the 26-part series centers around a vampire (looks like a werewolf) who comes from a vampire village to Tokyo and lands a job as an animator with Osamu Tezuka (who plays himself). Doubtless the freaky live action/animated style blew a few minds.
Movie QR code and kung fu high school girls
26 Apr 2007
Hakuhodo DY Group i-Business Center and IT DeSign have developed "movie QR code," a type of QR code that incorporates moving video into the design.
QR code is a type of two-dimensional barcode that has grown popular in Japan in recent years, because it provides a simple, automated way for users to enter data into their mobile phones. By using mobile phones to scan QR code that appears in an outdoor advertisement, for example, users may be directed to a website containing more detailed product information.
To personalize the appearance of printed QR code, which looks like a chaotic arrangement of tiny black and white squares, IT DeSign recently developed "Design QR," which incorporates static images of logos, characters or photos into the code. Movie QR code takes this concept a step further by incorporating moving images into the design, thus optimizing it for use on video screens, where it promises to be more effective in attracting the attention of potential scanners. Seriously, how will anyone be able to resist scanning a bit of on-screen QR code if, for example, it contains a cute, bug-eyed critter that literally begs you to scan it?
Movie QR code works just like standard QR code -- any user armed with a reader-equipped cellphone can scan it.
On May 21, the companies plan to launch a new type of advertising service built around the use of movie QR code. Details of the service will be announced soon.
Interestingly, a commercial video containing QR movie code has been circulating the web for a while. The video, called "Kung Fu High School Girls" (Kanfuu Joshi-kousei), begins with two high school girls talking about Black Jack (the famous manga character), who they both think is cool. Things quickly turn ugly when the girls disagree about whether Black Jack is a foreigner or Japanese, and a full-on kung fu battle ensues. After a while, a boy wearing a giant QR code headpiece arrives on his bicycle and urges the girls to stop. By scanning his face, he explains, they can find the answer to their question and settle their dispute. (This is a cue for the viewer to scan the computer screen with a cellphone QR code reader.)
Scanning the movie QR code takes you to http://aniful.jp/pr/ (which appears to be accessible only by keitai), where there is a link to another video that contains the answer. For some reason, the Pink Tentacle keitai is having problems downloading that video, so we may never know the truth. Is Black Jack Japanese? Or a foreigner?
[Sources: IT Media, "Kung Fu High School Girl" video (non-YouTube version)]
Video: Vintage robot rampage remix
13 Apr 2007
Old-school anime bots go wild in this video pieced together from the robot battle scenes in Toei's 1965 animated film Gulliver no Uchuu Ryokou ("Gulliver's Space Travels" or "Gulliver's Travels Beyond the Moon"). The video was created by Steven Wagner of Astropolitan Pictures, and the soundtrack is Japanoise band Melt-Banana's "Alpha Boost," which was remixed for Salvo Beta's Evil Against Evil compilation.