University of Tokyo’s JSK Robotics Laboratory is working on an advanced android that has a musculoskeletal (muscles and spinal column) body that is comprised of tendons and synthetic bones. The result is a robot that eerily moves like a human –think Aliens. More »

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One of the easiest ways into a geek’s heart is through the gift of technology. Here, I present to you my 5 list of what I would want as Valentine’s Day gifts. More »

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I will admit that I did not deem the Super Bowl XLIV match-up last night worth my time to watch, especially since I had an early class this morning. I did, however, manage to browse through the ads uploaded onto YouTube this morning, and the tech/gadget ad that I liked the most was the Intel ad for their new processors. More »

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From Rekuru: What do you buy a geek who already has every cool gadget? How about a $3,300 wireless programmable robot, care of Fujisoft. More »

From Akazawa, PLEN is a 9″ robot that is powered by a 33 MHz ARM7 processor and can be controlled by Bluetooth from your computer or Android smartphone. If you have $2999.99, then you can import this “Desktop Hobby” droid from Japan. More »

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From Ningin: The Japanese have finally done it. They’re created a human looking Cylon, and it only costs $220,000. More »

From Ningin: The age old question will finally be answered. Who would win in a boxing match, man or machine? The answer is surprisingly mundane. More »

When I was in high school, we used sacks of flour for that unavoidable home ec assignment that aimed to teach you responsibility in parenting. Apparently, nothing said responsibility to high school teachers in the 90s quite like watching a sack of flour. Sounds a little sad, but it was the 90s. Japan has since taken things a step further by creating Yotaro, a baby simulator designed to teach people or aspiring parents how to care for a child and recognize it’s needs based on facial expressions, movements, and physiological traits associated with babies. More »

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Adorable robots are a big weakness of ours, and adorable useful robots? We’re instantly smitten. Well, this could be love. As part of the three-year, $3.9 million DustBot research program, this helpful trash-eating robot prototype rolled through the streets of Peccioli, Italy this summer, chomping trash and recyclables. Sort of like a real-life Wall-E, the bot gathers rubbish and sorts it into recyclable, organic (hopefully to be composted), and waste. Then it whisks it off to a waste management facility, finding its way using pre-loaded maps and sensors to avoid obstacles. More »

From Ningin: Konnichi wa, Jinra-san desu! Boy, do I have a puresento (present) for you. Actually, since I’m feeling extra nice, I’ve got two. The first one is Rekuru, our new Japanese entertainment site. Aside from Ningin, Rekuru will be your destination for the best in anything from Anime to Zen. The second one is, you guessed it — the Ningin Japan-a-thon. In support of Rekuru’s launch, we’ve got a special schedule filled with blog posts dedicated to The Land of the Rising Sun. More »

There are so many robots out in the world doing the simple tasks that we are too lazy to do. The latest robot helper is dubbed “Project Romeo”, which is being created to help the visually impaired and elderly. This project is in its early stages but the plan is to create a 1.2m ~ 1.5m two legged robot.

The project, scheduled for completion in 2011 will end with a 30 kg robot name Romeo, armed with helping ability. As you can see in the video (after the break), what looks like a cross between Megaman and a Panasonic toy, is actually a prototype, currently called Nao. More »

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Robots from Nagoya, Japan cook up a bowl of ramen noodles in under two minutes, serve 80 bowls of noodles a day and when not in business, perform a show of spinning plates for the customers. Bet you’ve never seen that before. The video is a must see and reminds us of the quirky movements and enjoyable comedy of our beloved Wall-E. More »

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Canal City Mall of Fukuoka, Japan is way ahead of most nations when it comes to robotics and this latest one is nothing new. Alsok’s Guard Robot D1 multi-tasks pretty well. It acts as a tour guide during the daytime and helps out visitors in a range of four languages(Japanese, English, Chinese, Korean) in the mall at night. More »

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The Pentagon is working with a Maryland Company, Robotic Technology Inc., to develop a robot that feeds on organic material on the battlefield. The robot, also know as Energetically Autonomous Tactical Robot (EATR) will consume anything organic from grass, wood, and even dead bodies to power itself. Yeah, the good old human flesh. More »

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Robots have been taking over Japan, from the Noodle making cook to drug dealing hospital helpers, but the six legged octopus robot (six legged octopus?) has to be one of the coolest robott yet. It looks like something out of the Transformers movie, does tricks, and even dances. Creepy yet amazing. (Check out the videos after break, they’re worth it) More »

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