For years I have railed about Japan’s humanoid robots that don’t actually have any useful function: Japan hits a dead-end for robots (3Yen | 2010-07-17, as quoted by The Independent newspaper, UK).
Finally, there’s some good news about Japanese robot industry, which normally wastes its efforts on useless anthropromorphic robot love dolls* and silly robo-companion toys**.
Canon eyes robot-only production for cameras
The Associated Press | May 14, 2012—Canon Inc. is moving toward fully automating digital camera production in an effort to cut costs…
…Canon began using the “cell” production method, in which a team of workers or one worker puts together a major part, rather than doing a simple task over and over. In recent years, robots have become so much a part of this cell production, Canon calls it man-machine cell.” “Eventually, human involvement will be phased out…machine-only production will likely be completed in the next few years, perhaps as soon as 2015 …more…
Although this may sound like bad news for Japanese workers, it isn’t. They have been all have been fired as Japanese manufacturers have moved production to move to China and India to eascape damage from the soaring yen. A fully-robotic manufacturing lines would stem the hollowing-out of Japan Inc. as higher paying jobs would be created in the robot R&D, manufacturing and maintance.
In case you haven’t seen Japan’s latest Invention, a tri-lingual Vacuuming Robot, check out the following YouTube of it in action…
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Play…
However, I prefer the twitter comment about it from the parody Daily Yomiuri newspaper…
Here go again with Japanese hand jobs…
Osaka University has developed a robot hand for tele-handshaking with the goal of “communicating” grip force, hot-body temperature and that special touch. Ri-i-i-ight.
Previous 3Yen reports on robo-hand jobs include:
. . • Handroid — robo-hand (3Yen / 2011-09-03)
. . • Fist of Japan (3Yen.com / 2009-06-30)
And your all-time favorite…
. . • Wanker Expo↓ (3Yen.com /2007-08-01 )
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According News.Livedoor.com (Mar 22, 2012 / Google Translate) researchers at Kyoto University have develed a futuristic vehicle with wheels that can move in all directions.
The picture on the left shows Associate Professor Masaharu Komori of Kyoto University’s Graduate School of Engineering, riding his “Permoveh” (Personal Mobile Vehicle). The Permoveh’s drive wheels move sideways and diagonally allowing it change the direction or rotate on the spot.
Professor Komori said that these innovative drive wheels will make easier for equipment like wheelchairs to move narrow spaces such as elevators and crowded offices. In addition, since the Permoveh can move in any direction in the same way as people walk, it can be used as a personal mobility vehicle can move in harmony with people around it. Other possible applications could be conveyors and transport for factories and warehouses.
Ms. Kara is SONY’s latest fembot (not) who exhibits all the pathos the Japanese otaku would love to have…and who would be much more enjoyable than the previous post of ‘Asian’ love (3Yen / 2012-03-14) .
Other 3Yen fembot reports include:
• We are the robots, boop, beep, beep, beeeeep…
(3Yen / 2010-10-18)
• Japan forces fembots to sing for their supper
(3Yen / 2010-10-15/)
• ‘Fashion model robot’ without clothes
← (3Yen / 2009-03-17)
photoDayLifeAP2012/Mar/1—There’s a new driving force for Japan’s flagging automotive industry: Teddy Bears take to the drivers seat of electric vehicles.
The above photo shows the newest one-seater made by Mitsuoka Motors‘ Micro Vehicle Lab* that can run 40 km/ 25 miles a day on its lithium-ion battery with a blazing top speed of 50 kph/ 31 mph. As the charming micro-engrish of Mitsuoka described an earlier version of this electric car as: “It delivers the feeling of being stoked to you as the Santa Claus does (3Yen / 2010-09-21).”
This is one of many alternative electric vehicles that are being shown at the current Battery Japan exhibition in Tokyo running from February 29 to March 2.
Immediately I thought of Japanese engineering possiblities when I saw this morning on the Boing Boing site a call for, “photoshop remixes for the invite graphic” to Apple’s, “new product launch on March 7.”
BoingBoing.net | 2012/Feb/28
I noticed all those water drops on the interface of the new mystery product photo above and that got me thinking…If the Apple was a Japanese company, the obvious new product would be: The iToilet.
Luckily, Steve Jobs mother was scared by buttons when she was carrying Steve in the womb so Apple products lack the plethora of buttons that Japanese love. However, on the Japanese iToilet always remember: DON’T PUSH THE WRONG RED BUTTON!
. . . • Hi-tech toilet anxiety (3Yen / 2011-12-21)
. . . •Techo-toilet tales(3Yen / 7/5/2011
. . . •Japanese toilet tips — THE RED BUTTON (3Yen / 2/23/2011)
Embiggen EMIEW.↓
Yesterday, Japan’s self-proclaimed biggest electronics firm, Hitachi Ltd., released their new “EMIEW 2,” which is the son of EMIEW 1 (3Yen / 2010-06-19) and (3Yen / 2006-09-12).
According to the Hitachi press releases*, the new EMIEW 2 has an added autonomous moving technology that plots how it plans to reach a destination by automatically mapping the its surroundings. However, the Son of EMIEW’s value may be limited by its ridiculously short stature as well as its lack of ability to do any gainful work.
—Info and photos press releases of Robotics R&D: Hitachi Global.
Ph’nglui mglw’nafh Cthulhu R’lyeh wgah’nagl fhtagn!!
Photo of a Hydrothermal Worm—more info and different view at Huffingtonpost.com.
Buy Cthulhu— Enjoy the memory.
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The Japan Times newspaper just tweeted me this chuckle about how Fuji Heavy Industries robot R&D has been ‘misused’,…
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…which immediately made me think of this misuse of the Japan’s government R&D funding for robots in my post of last July:
I know you want one (3Yen / 2011-07-01 )...
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