Tokyo Times

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Technology Stuff

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High-tech house sitter

Robot development firm ZMP Inc unveiled nuvo over a year ago. When at the time it was just another experimental endeavour (although admittedly with claims of future mass production) in an increasingly competitive field.

But ZMP has been true to its word, and nuvo is set to become the first robot launched for home use. And for the princely sum of 588,000 yen (2,940 pound), you can have the pleasure of welcoming nuvo as a new houseguest.

nuvo robot

As well as pottering aimlessly around one’s home, the 39-cm-tall robot features remote control technology and can react to human voices. For example, uttering the word “Action” will prompt the little chap to stand up. And if that wasn’t enough, nuvo is equipped with a camera, and can take images of the surrounding area and send them to a mobile phone. Allowing its owner to check that Yes the oven has been turned off, and No the front door hasn’t been left open. Providing of course that the kitchen and entrance aren’t too far apart, as the short-legged sentinel only lasts one and half hours per charge.

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Agent Artemis

In 2003, the government designated Fukuoka Prefecture as a special zone for robot research and development.

Now whatever was envisioned when the decision was made is hard to say, but I’d hazard a guess and say it wasn’t a robot being assigned as head of a police station within two years. But that’s exactly what happened on Wednesday, and in a ceremony at Hakadata Station, police chief Kikuo Mori handed the robot in question (which was already kitted out in a police hat) a letter of assignment.

artemis robot cop

Admittedly the move was part of a safe driving campaign, but the T63 Artemis was nonetheless made chief for a day. Yet worried citizens can relax, as the 157 cm robot can move independently, plus has fully functioning light and sound sensors. And perhaps crucially in the fight against crime, it has the ability to throw coloured balls at anyone it considers to be acting suspiciously. A feature that will surely deter even the most vicious villain.

Take this young female felon for example. The fear of flying balls means she’s going nowhere.

artemis robot japan

Except prison of course.

Spectral storage

Fresh from its success with the colourful and cute SushiDisk, Japanese company SolidAlliance has just released the GhostRadar.

usb ghost radar

This rather bizarre looking contraption contains a USB memory stick, and as its name suggests, a ghost detector too. Company Vice President Yuchiro Saito says the device is suited for spooky late nights alone at your computer.

In a place that’s haunted the GhostRadar can be expected to beep every hour or so. But in other places it will rather disappointingly fall completely silent.

And in a desperate attempt to add interest and intrigue, Saito-san went on to say that the GhostRadar “detects invisible phenomena and so the system is confidential. This is not a game. This is a measuring device.”

But at a staggering 19,800 yen (100 pound) for 512 megabytes, it bloody well should be.

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Future family?

With Japan’s falling birthrate, could this (minus the kids of course) be the family of the future?

papero

They can sing and ask simple questions, so it’s not all bad. Plus there’s no danger of them stopping out all night or bringing home undesirable boyfriends/girlfriends.

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Evil EMIEW?

Not wanting to be outdone by Sony’s QRIO and Honda’s Asimo, Hitachi has joined the mechanical melee and produced a robot of its own.

hitachi emiew

This latest member of Japan’s rapidly growing robot population goes by the name of EMIEW, which stands for, “excellent mobility and interactive existence as work mate.” The 130-cm-tall machine apparently has the ability to avoid obstacles, respond to simple voice commands, and also read the weather forecast. And whilst it has been developed for the upcoming Aichi World Expo, Hitachi officials have said they hope to be renting or selling such robots in the relatively near future.

Yet is it possible that all this talk of interactive existence and excellent mobility is merely a cover for more sinister activities? As during a demonstration in Tokyo on Tuesday, reporters were told not to touch the robot. Similarly they were asked not to use a camera flash from certain angles, and in no circumstances were they to cross a white line that had been marked on the floor.

Hitachi’s thoroughly unconvincing excuse is that such precautions are merely for safety, as EMIEW has only just been developed. But the look of absolute fear on this Hitachi employees face as he is confronted by the robotic rogue hints at evil EMIEW’s malevolent menace.

hitachi emiew

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Synthetic sakura

Cherry blossom season is an important part of the Japanese calendar, and for those who wish they could see the beautiful blossoms all year round, lighting company Ryoukou has kindly stepped in with a man-made version.

fake cherry blossom

A spokesperson said, “This is the flower that has been loved and admired by the Japanese since ancient times. We have reproduced this cherry blossom to perfection so we can show the rest of the world.”

To achieve this, each tree is fitted with 7,680 light-emitting diodes that are spread over 40 branches. Creating an effect that Ryoukou claims will be “relaxing and comforting for others”.

There are however a few drawbacks. As you can imagine, 40 branches will require a lot of space, and the whole thing weighs in at a rather hefty 500 kg. Although these potential pitfalls are nothing compared to the price tag. The white blossom version will set you back a whopping 3.5 million yen (17,500 pound). But thankfully it’s not all doom and gloom, as for those willing to make do with a mixture of white and red lights, one can be picked up for the bargain bin price of 2.65 million yen (13,250 pound).

And if that isn’t enough to tempt you, the tree consumes no more than 410 watts of power. Making it both comforting and cost-effective.