Japan
July 2012
Japanese launch 4.5-tonne gun-toting robot controlled by smartphone
The Guardian-Jul 30, 2012
Japanese launch 4.5-tonne gun-toting robot controlled by smartphone … The massive robot, called Kuratas, is controlled either by a human pilot in a mid-torso …
Robot Exports Surge as Production Exceeds W2 Trillion
The Chosun Ilbo-Jul 18, 2012
Industrial and household robots played a leading role in exports. While robots were mostly shipped to China, Japan and some Europ
A Robot Sex Doll. From The Future.
Kotaku-Aug 7, 2012
A Robot Sex Doll. From The Future. … An example of the genre – one wildly popular in Japan – is Katawa Shoujo, released earlier this year. Paragon Sexa Doll …
These Robots Install Solar Panels
Mashable-Jul 25, 2012
PV Kraftwerker built its robot from off-the-shelf Japanese components. The machinery consists of a robotic arm mounted on an all-terrain vehicle with tanklike …
Affetto, robot baby, is more creepy than cuddly (VIDEO)
GlobalPost (blog)-Jul 28, 2012
Researchers at the Asada Lab at Japan’s Osaka University are attempting to build the world’s most realistic robot baby, and they have released video of their …
May 2012
Service Robot to Aid Japanese Elderly
04/26/12 — TMCnet—GeckoSystems has recently been working on the release of their new CareBot personal assistance robot, which helps elderly in Japan with most of their daily tasks. Japan recently hit 47,756 in their population of elderly citizens 100 or older. According to GeckoSystems, their CareBot is set to bring safety and…
ADAM Robots Introduced into Japanese Market
05/23/12 — RMT Robotics entered into a sales representative agreement with eepos Japan for the promotion and sale of its ADAM mobile robots in Japan. Eepos Japan will work with RMT to promote and sell the AMR fleets to end users throughout Japan with a strategic focus on the automotive manufacturing and…
Japan’s Most Closely Guarded Secret in Industrial Robotics
The goal: combining the intelligence of the human being with the characteristics of industrial robots for human-collaboration robotics operating in real-life work environments. (May 25, 2012)
Japanese MH-2 Shoulder Robot Wants To Be Your Friend, Literally
Evan Ackerman / Tue, May 29, 2012
Nobody likes being alone, and Japanese researchers from Yamagata University are developing a robot to make sure you’ll never have to be alone again: the MH-2 wearable miniature humanoid lives on your shoulder and can be remotely inhabited by your friends from anywhere in the world.
SunGard Launches New Solution to Help Automate Japanese Securities Lending
PR Web (press release) – May 17, 2012
SunGard has extended its suite of securities finance solutions with the launch of Apex JSFC Trade Manager, which helps reduce the costs and increase the …
Japan Robot Lab Readies Second Prototype for Work at Crippled Nuclear Reactor
PCWorld – May 25, 2012
A Japanese robotics lab has developed a new emergency response prototype that will soon be put to work at the crippled Fukushima Daiichi nuclear plant in…
Robots Get a Makeover in Factories
Wall Street Journal – May 31, 2012
Companies including Japan’s Kawada Industries Inc. and Fanuc Corp. and Switzerland-based ABB Ltd. are developing dexterous robots to perform such …
Scientists in Japan create robot bottom
ITN – May 14, 2012
Scientists in Japan have created a robotic bottom which responds to different touches with “appropriate” vibrations.
Meet Hugvie: The robotic, slightly creepy (and not very pocketable …
Daily Mail – May 1, 2012
The Japanese inventor calls it the Hugvie. Most people would call it just a little bit creepy. The ‘huggable robotic pillow-phone’ has its own heartbeat and internal …
Japanese Humanoid Robot Can Keep Its Balance After Getting Kicked
Erico Guizzo / Tue, May 08, 2012
For some reason, roboticists seem to enjoy testing their creations by kicking them, punching them, shoving them, and even striking them with baseball bats and heavy pendulums. All in the name of science, of course. It wasn’t different with this Japanese pair of robot legs, which as you can see from the photo above, is about to get kicked in the gut.
TinyBot: The MH-2 Mimics Human Actions
05/31/12 — Japanese researchers have taken another step into the dimension of weird for robotics: a wearable miniature humanoid virtual presence. The robot, called MH-2, allows friends or family to virtually interact through the virtual presence device so you do not feel alone. The MH-2 acts as an avatar, or a remote…
June 2012
Smart Dog: Robotic Canine Obeys Smartphone
06/14/12 — Major Japanese toy manufacturer Takara Tomy is developing a new breed of robotic dogs. Similar to the company’s i-SOBOT humanoid robot, the i-SODOG also features several joints fitted with custom designed servo motors and comes with a dedicated remote control. However, the i-SODOG can also be controlled via your smartphone.…
Google’s Robot Auto Has New Rival in RoboCar HV
06/12/12 — ResponseJP—Last year, Tokyo-based robot venture ZMP introduced the RoboCar MEV mini car, single-person, 4-wheeled, autonomous, electric robotic vehicle. For 2012, ZMP has topped itself with robot car that this time really looks like a car. Watch out Google! The Robocar HV, based, according to Response JP, on the Toyota Prius,…
Robot cranks out 2,500 sushi pieces per hour
News – Jun 19, 2012, 6:39 AM | By Tim Hornyak
Suzumo’s latest robot chef can fill your belly with endless tofu-wrapped rice balls for a cool $50,000.
Japanese Robot Never Loses Rock-Paper-Scissors
ABC News (blog) – June 30, 2012
(Image Credit: Ishikawa Oku Lab via YouTube) In the ongoing battle between man and robot, the robot seems to have the upper hand when it comes to the …
Robot cars in less than a decade?!
The Japan Daily Press – 3 days ago
Wouldn’t we all like to relax, read a newspaper, and drink a cup of coffee from the comfort of our own passenger compartment on our commute to work? Well …
Jan.- April 2012
Japanese Robot Manufacturers Realize Increase in Sales in 2011
RobotWorx Posted 01/20/2012
Despite the most devastating disaster in Japan since WWII, industrial robot manufacturers based in Japan saw their sales increase in the first three quarters of 2011. About one-third of all industrial robot orders originate in Japan, largely due to highly robotic automotive assembly lines. Industrial spot welding robots, such as the Motoman UP165 pictured, are a common sight in automotive factories. Yaskawa Robotics (the parent company for Motoman Robotics), FANUC Robotics, and Kawasaki’s robot division made up the three industrial robot manufacturers that saw the largest sales increases. Yaskawa’s sales were up 46% from the previous fiscal year. FANUC saw a 6% increase, and Kawasaki also saw significant gains.
Japan’s Robots Defy Trade Trend
01/25/12, WSJ
Japan’s grim trade data make it easy to miss the success stories—like export-dependent industrial-robot maker Fanuc, which…
Picture Japan: Asimo Demo, Electric Car Debut, Monti Meeting
03/29/12, WSJ
Chile’s president takes in Japan’s robot technology, SIM Drive debuts its new electric car, Italian Prime Minister Mario…
Toyota aims to put robots to use early next decade | Reuters
Reuters UK – Mar 9, 2012
Unveiling two new robots called the “mobility robot” and the “violin-playing robot,” Japan’s top automaker said it would step up research and development in …
A robot suit for use in nuclear power plants
Feb. 12, 2012, NHK
Science Watcher John Gathright zeroes in on news of a new robot suit that can be used inside the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant disaster site. It was developed by a startup company in Tsukuba City, Ibaraki Prefecture. This suit was originally developed for augmenting the mobility of the elderly and the disabled. How was it modified for nuclear clean-up? It’s actually very simple: workers at the nuclear accident site have to wear heavy radiation-blocking protective gear, and its weight and bulk limits the amount of time they can work. But wearing the robot suit…
On the front lines of Robot utilization
Mar. 11, 2012, NHK
tmsuk in Fukuoka prefecture is a small business that is inventing robots on the same level as major corporation. With only 30 employees, this company continues to announce new, useful robots for a wide-ranging product line, such as guide robots for shopping malls and hospitals to rescue robots being used by fire departments.
SushiBot Rolls Out 3600 Pieces Per Hour
Wired News – Apr 6, 2012
Would-be sushi moguls take note: Suzumo has a line of sushi robots that might fulfill your 24-7 maki-making fantasies. The Japanese company is displaying …
Japan’s Economy May Stink, But Its World-Class Firms Are A Bargain
Forbes – Feb 23, 2012
For most investors the Japan story is the definition of ugly: a devastating … 31, 2011, while exports increased 45% thanks to China’s automation push. …
Toyota’s latest processes have less automation and more…
Economic Times – Feb 6, 2012
Carmakers globally increasingly believe that automation is the way to keep longterm … The Japanese carmaker, whose famed production system has won many …
GeckoSystems Introduces Service Robot to Aid Japanese Elderly
GeckoSystems has recently been working on the release of their new CareBot personal assistance robot, which helps elderly in Japan with most of their daily tasks. Japan recently hit 47,756 in their population of elderly citizens 100 or older.
Making the future: How robots and people team up to manufacture things in new ways
Apr 21st 2012, The Economist
BACK IN THE 1980s, when America’s carmakers feared they might be overwhelmed by Japanese competitors, many in Detroit had a vision of beating their rivals with “lights-out” manufacturing. The idea was that factories would become so highly automated that the lights could be turned off and the robots left to build cars on their own. It never happened. Japan’s advantage, it turned out, lay not in automation but in lean-production techniques, which are mostly people-based. Many of the new production methods in this next revolution will require fewer people working on the factory floor. Thanks to smarter and more dexterous robots, some lights-out manufacturing is now possible. FANUC, a big Japanese producer of industrial robots, has automated some of its production lines to the point where they can run unsupervised for several weeks. Many other factories use processes such as laser cutting and injection moulding that operate without any human intervention. And additive manufacturing machines can be left alone to print day and night.
Heavy metal: Japan working on 13-foot robot
Dec 21, 2011, Bonnie Cha
If there’s one thing the world needs, it’s a 13-foot robot. Thankfully, a Japanese company is on the case.
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