Legged robots are superior to wheeled robots when it comes to traversing various types of terrain. But legs require balance, and if a two-, or even four-legged robot falls over, it might not be able to get back up. One solution would be to make a robot that is virtually all legs. Maybe a dozen legs. Hell, why not 32…
If you’re jealous of Tony Stark’s Iron Man suit, but don’t have billions of dollars to build your own, a group of Japanese researchers have come up with a cheaper, and arguably more useful alternative: an extra pair of robot arms that can help out when your own limbs are busy.
Point a projector at anything other than a completely flat screen, and you’ll end up with a distorted image. But a team of researchers from the Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory in Tokyo have designed a projector that can compensate for warped and moving surfaces, making the image look more like a perfectly applied…
Scientists in Japan say they’ve fashioned glass that’s almost as strong as steel.
I was skeptical. Two cubes sat side-by-side, looking like stripped-down 3D printers. I sat in front of one as instructed, and reached my hand inside, toward a floating disembodied finger. Just at the moment I knew I’d stab through the illusion, I had the ultimate “E.T. phone home” moment—I swear I could feel the other…
Researchers at Ishikawa Watanabe Laboratory, the University of Tokyo, and Tokyo Electron Device have developed a high-speed projector system that can track and flawlessly match the complex movements of whatever surface it’s projecting on.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have dusted off some E Ink technology originally developed back in the 1970s to create a new kind of easily erasable whiteboard technology that can be written on using magnetic pens instead of dry-erase markers.
In recent years, taking a simpler approach to science and engineering has paid off handsomely in certain fields. It's part of the reason there are now rovers exploring Mars, and many feel it will be the easiest way to make robots more commonplace. After all, what could be a simpler way to build an automaton than with…
Researchers at the University of Tokyo have managed to teach a quadcopter some impressive new tricks that vastly expand its capabilities past flying. Their Multi-field Universal Wheel for Air-land Vehicle—or MUWA for short—features variable pitch propellers so the thrust can be directed in opposite directions, allowing…
Last year, when we asked what could possibly need an 8-square-inch low light sensor, Canon replied with, "Space stuff". Totally proving them right, the Schmidt telescope at the University of Tokyo's Kiso Observatory now employs it to records faint meteors in the night sky.
Instead of putting up with a mild pin-prick whenever your blood sugar levels need testing, Japanese scientists have invented a little implant that glows when the levels change. No pain, and a free glowstick for raves—high five, science!
This "wristwatch" looks clunky as all hell now, but with work it has some formidable applications. It was designed to use the back of your hand as a haptic interface. It's obvious. It was meant for James Bond.
Handy robots are like the cute puppies of the world. No-one wants a stationery 'bot, as much as they don't want one of these. *shudder* Surely the golden retriever of the robot world is one that actually does household chores.
Between various patents and even a bog-standard Sony Ericsson, we've already thought about the possibilities of gesture-controlled phones. The University of Tokyo, in typical form, has taken it one step forward and released a video showing some sweet Natal-like possibilities.
Researchers at the University of Tokyo created a 5mm tall doll composed of living cells, in an experiment to create 3D living biological structures. It's cute and kinda gross at the same time.
Panasonic and the University of Tokyo have developed a robot capable of rinsing any dish and put it into the dishwasher. If you're lazy enough to rejoice, you are probably too lazy to click
I no longer fear getting old now that researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed Mamoru-Kun—a robot that helps elderly people find lost objects and remember to take their medication.
The new “Home Assistant Robot” is the product of joint research between Toyota and the University of Tokyo. And while it's not as fancy as Asimo, the 5-foot, 286lb home robot is probably a whole lot more practical—it cleans instead of dancing and packs two wheels instead of tricky legs.The HAR uses five cameras and…
