japan

We all crave more interactive, slightly frightening robots, right? It's kinda thrilling. Thank the maker, then, that Sharp is coming out with pricey floor-cleaning droids that can jabber away in three languages.

The voice-controlled Cocorobo can kibitz in English, Chinese, and Japanese, even in the latter's Kansai dialect associated with the city of Osaka. It's the choice of standup comics, so this robot could come across as slightly funnier than, say, a HAL 9000.

Imagine Roomba replying to you with a bit of Texas slang. … Read more

For centuries, the people of Tokyo have been flocking to the Sumida River to see fireworks displays. This past weekend, though, they got a spectacle of a different sort as thousands of electric "fireflies" wafted downstream.

The Tokyo Hotaru Festival 2012 is a modern twist on the age-old Japanese love of watching fireflies along waterways. Some 100,000 blue LED light bulbs floated down the Sumida in imitation of the insects, long celebrated in haiku and other verse.

Measuring just over 3 inches across, the LED bulbs were charged with solar-generated electricity and later reclaimed in nets downstream. … Read more

If I were near Tokyo Station right now, I'd hop on a bullet train to Osaka lickety-split. Why? To get my scalp cleansed by Panasonic's shampoo robot, of course.

Hair salon Super Hair Seo in the nearby city of Nishinomiya is playing the lucky host to the electronics giant's Head Care Robot, which is undergoing its first tests alongside hairdressers.

Introduced back in 2010, the device consists of a reclining chair and a mechanized washbasin. It first scans your head to get an idea of its shape, and can accommodate a variety of noggins, according to Panasonic. … Read more

Can wind energy really power modern cargo ships? We've seen the idea of hybrid freighters before, but this concept from the University of Tokyo has a remarkable sail system.

A model of the UT Wind Challenger was recently shown off at the Sea Japan trade show in Tokyo. It would have giant telescoping sails that rise above the deck when wind conditions are good.

As seen in the vid below, University of Tokyo professor Kiyoshi Uzawa and collaborators believe this hybrid system could cut fuel consumption by cargo ships by about 30 percent. … Read more

Sony's slow but sure descent is also about Japanese companies' obsession with doing things their way, even if it's the wrong way.

I lived in Japan during the peak of its technological and manufacturing heyday -- from 1983 till 1993. The final eight years in Tokyo. Not only did I visit scores of Japanese electronics and computer companies as a journalist (and analyst) but I was also irresistibly drawn to (read: I spent way too much time in) Akihabara -- Japan's electronics retail Mecca at the time.

The reason for the success of companies like Sony and … Read more

Fancy answering the call of nature au naturel but don't like getting too down and dirty? Japan recently saw the opening of a public toilet in a veritable Garden of Eden that designers say is the largest of its kind in the world.

Created by architect Sou Fujimoto, the single, glassed-in cubicle commands a view of cherry, plum, and peach trees in a rural part of Ichihara City, east of Tokyo.

It's located by Itabu Station along the scenic Kominato Railway, and you can hear the old-school trains clunking along as they pass.

Surrounded by a 6-foot wall, the elegant loo stands in a 240-square-yard garden that is being planted with rape blossom and clover.

Sorry guys, it's for ladies only. … Read more

Two years after Nike Japan turned the sneaker into a musical instrument, Japanese bike-sharing service Cogoo is doing the same with the BMX.

Turntable Rider transforms your freestyle bike into a DJ console with only a few basic add-ons.

The bike's wheels become jog wheels with sticks that attach to the rims, and a crossfader box goes on the handlebars. The brakes are sound pads. All you need is balance and a sense of rhythm. … Read more

Next time you're tempted to flip someone off, these robotic rings might help you get the message across.

The prototype rings consist of motorized eyes and a mouth. Developers from Japan's Keio University showed them off at Interaction 2012 last month in Tokyo, along with a whack of other nutty notions like cyborg houseplants.

The idea is to promote wearable robots and expand the natural expressive abilities of hands. … Read more

Mad scientists at Keio University's Inami Lab in Yokohama, Japan, are set to unleash cyborg houseplants on the world.

Shown off at the recent Interaction 2012 in Tokyo, the "interactive plants" can move their branches in response to people moving around them.

As seen in the video below, they've been rigged with motion sensors, microphones, actuators, and wires, which make their leaves sway when someone approaches. The mechanism is hardly visible, making it seem like the plants are trying to give you a high-five out of their own free will. … Read more