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Latest ASIMO prototype is made of wood, requires one human
Honda may have bestowed plenty of improvements on ASIMO over the years, but it looks like an alumni of rival robot maker Waseda University has taken it upon himself to deliver some improvements of his own that make it even more lifelike, though no doubt just as prone to tumbles. The key, it seems, is to ditch the robotics and high-tech materials altogether and instead use something called "wood," which can be fashioned into a shell (or "costume," if you will) that's able to accommodate one slightly uncomfortable human. Either that, or ASIMO has been robot-napped from Honda and is now being held at an undisclosed location. Check out the video after the break to decide for yourself.
KOBIAN humanoid robot packs full range of emotions to creep you out
Japan's Tmsuk and Waseda University have certainly proven themselves capable of pushing the boundaries of robotics on their own, but few could have been prepared for what they were able devise when they teamed up, their creation itself included. That somewhat startled face you see above is the KOBIAN Emotional Humanoid Robot, which is not only able to walk about and interact with humans, but use its entire body in addition to its facial expressions to display a full range of emotions. That's apparently possible in part thanks to a new double-jointed neck that lets it achieve some more expressive postures and, of course, a slew of motors in its face that lets it move its lips, eyelids and those all-important eyebrows. Still sleeping a little too comfortably? Then head on past the break for the video. There's always a video.[Via Pink Tentacle]
The WAO-1 robot: let the assimilation begin
Meet Waseda University's WAO-1 face juicing massaging robot. Equipped with a pair of 20-inch arms protruding from a large metal box, the $70,000 WAO-1 is designed to perform facial massage on those suffering from mouth, jaw, or facial disorders. Don't have one? No problem, just slide your brain sack between those pneumatic vice grips and we're sure WAO-1 can oblige.
Researchers develop flexible, see-through battery
Those mad scientists at Waseda University have already brought us walking and talking robots, but they now seem to have turned their attention to an endeavor less likely to storm out of the lab in a fit of rage, with Gizmag reporting that researchers at the University have developed a so-called "organic radical" battery that's flexible and transparent. In addition to being ridiculously easy to lose, the battery apparently takes only one minute to charge and can last over 1,000 cycles, although it's not clear exactly how much juice that translates to in real world use. It's also, of course, not clear when these see-through batts will ever make it out of the lab, although with transparent circuits and OLEDs also already in the works, it seems like it's only a matter of time before all our gadgets are invisible.
Japanese prof thinks robots need emotional sensibilities
Aside from providing the world with great gadgets, entertainment devices and robots -- the Japanese have now answered the question that every robot enthusiast since Isaac Asimov has been trying to answer: how do we improve robot-humanoid interaction? Professor Shuji Hashimoto, director of the humanoid robotics centre at Waseda University in Tokyo, has a theory: robots need a solid dose of those Japanese manners (don't we all?) encompassed in the Japanese word kansei, which includes feelings, mood, intuitiveness and sensibility. Hashimoto spoke to a conference on "socially intelligent robots" at the University of Hertfordshire in Hatfield, UK last week, saying that "Robots are going to need similar emotional capabilities if they are to cooperate smoothly and flexibly with humans in our residential environments." How would that translate from the theoretical academic ivory tower to the living room lab of a domesticated robot? According to NewScientist, who covered Hashimoto's UK talk, "if a robot's owner is sweating and has a racing pulse, say, the robot will sense this and decide that now might not be the time to offer them the TV guide or tonight's dinner menu." Still, we're sure that Hashimoto wasn't talking smack about our new favorite polite robot, the EMIEW -- otherwise we might have to sic a legion of BEAR robots on him.[Thanks, Matt]
New legs, Japan, new legs!
There are already a number of bipedal or bipedal-like bots, exoskeletons, suits, assists, and devices, but Atsuo Takanishi's team at Waseda University, in conjunction with Japanese robot superpower tmsuk, unveiled their new WL-16RIII walkbot. We know they'd be a huge boon to the handicapped, elderly, lazy, and anime-obsessed the world over, but seriously, could you imagine actually walking into a grocery store or a job interview with this thing? We can, and if they cruised into the Engadget offices we'd just be all, "You're hired."
