Living in Japan which has so many robots, a dancing robot is no longer a novelty.  Check out some groovin robos from the the 6th ROBO-ONE GATE IN INTERNATIONAL ROBOT EXHIBITION which was held at the Tokyo Big Sight last November.

`LOVE & JOY, Yuhi Kimura` by Doka Harumi (Doka Project).

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Thriller, Michael Jackson` by BLACK TIGER NEO (IKETOMU). The 2nd Place winner

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Kingrass Hoppers` by Manoi GO (MANOI Planning & Dr. GIY),

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`Nichibu Tokotoko Special` by Tokotokomaru (Team Tokotoko),

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Non Japanese people usually sign legal contracts or other important documents in ink, but Japanese traditionally prefer an engraved stamp called a hanko. One concern though, is that the stamped signature, usually the owner’s name, can be easily forged. Mitsubishi Pencil’s Security Enhanced Personalized Hanko stamp ダイヤルバンク印 alleviates the risk of fraud by adding a two-digit dial that creates a series of marks around the printed name, making it difficult for an unauthorized person to copy someone’s stamp. It also wards against theft by requiring a code to be entered before use.

Cost of the stamp is 21,000 Yen.

If you want to see sexy Japanese lingerie babes on your iphone, one nice little app is LOVEYONE special issue vol.1 LOVEYONE X Ravijour photo by Yasumasa Yonehara.

YONE a.k.a Yonehara Yasumasa is the only photographer in the world using “Cheki” as the main camera and this is his first collaboration project with Japanese lingerie brand “Ravijour” for iphone (released in October last year)

The app features two of Japan’s hottest babes, Nanao Arai 菜々緒 and Anne Nakamura 中村アン in 186 images and 11 movies.

Nano Arai and Ann Nakamura in LOVEYONE X Ravijour photo by Yasumasa Yonehara.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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Japanese electronics maker Sanyo showcased a curious contraption called the Human Washing machine 人間洗濯機 Ultrasonic Bath during the 1970 Osaka World Expo.

Back in those days the engineers at  Sanyo people thought that washing machines made to bathe humans would be a natural progression in technology.  A user would have to climb into the washing machine and the process would start with a pre-rinse cycle using a five minute water jet spray, followed by a three minute massage bath that fills the chamber with hot water. Golf-ball sized massage balls pelt the body during the massage process, combined with pressure jets made by a whirlpool. Next, a wave generator created bubbles to wash off dirt, followed by a rinse cycle and a “5-minute dry cycle blast” that makes use of infrared and ultraviolet light.  Developed as a concept model, the Ultrasonic Bath (luckily) never made it into our homes.

It was just a matter of time before the Japanese scientists combined a skateboard and a robot into a robot skateboard!  Developed by the Shibaura Institute of Technology in Tokyo, the robo skateboard prototoype weighs 15kg, is 30cm wide, 60cm long and 25cm tall.

This mean machine can tool you around the streets of Tokyo without you breaking a sweat. You simply lean forward or back to get it to move, and it can truck along at up to 6mph.  Its speed and direction can be controlled by shifting your body weight. For example, when you put your weight on either one of your feet, the skateboard will automatically accelerate. There are load sensors on all four corners of the board, motors (and wheels) on the sides and a control computer unit in the middle.

The robo skateboard  is suitable for riders weighing up to 80kg and can be used  continuously for about an hour on a single charge.

The developers plan to reduce the robot’s weight and push down its price to about $1,000 before trying to mass produce them.

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Click here to view the embedded video.

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It’s a nice sunny summer day and you’re out at the beach watching nice Japanese babes in their bikinis listing to your ipod. The battery is running out of juice and you have no spares and no recharger – what can you do?  Japanese firm ambienTec has a smart and fashionable solution.  They make the 2W, 5V USB Solar Fold and  Solarfan portable chargers ソーラーフォルド SC001P1-01BK which can provide 3 hours of listening time on your ipod (or 3 minutes of mobile phone talk time)  for every 10 minutes of sunlight exposure.

The 186g Solar Fold has dimensions of 195×69×22(mm) looks like a fan when maximized 352×352×22(mm) and they can plug directly into phones or music players or store electricity into ambienTec batteries.  The solar fold comes in black and white and costs about 22,000 Yen.

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With Japan having the world’s longest average life expectancy (79 years for men and 86 years for women) and more than a fifth of the population aged 65 or older (and expected to rise by 40% by 2050)  Japanese technology giant Fujitsu Laboratories  has  developed a cuddly teddy bear robot  テディベア・ロボ designed to comfort the elderly by reading facial expressions and actions and responding to them.

The fluffy invention by Fujitsu is still being worked on but the electronics giant rolled out a prototype for an early glimpse at an exhibition in Kawasaki near Tokyo last week. The Fujitsu robot, which has yet to be named, has 12 actuators that move its head, face, hands, and legs; a webcam in its nose that can recognize human facial expressions; and 13 touch sensors that can detect touch.

The bear can respond with more than 300 actions of its own, from giggling and laughing to waving its paws and taking a nap – and even snoring. Fujitsu plans to test the robot in nursing homes so that it can entertain and soothe elderly people.  Fujitsu said it may also use its robo bear in schools to aid children to communicate, gain self-confidence – or to help them wake up in the morning.

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Famous Japanese bikini model Harumi Nemoto 根本 はるみ has to exercise and diet hard to keep her famous voluptuous figure. Unfortunately, when she is not concentrating she turns really really chubby and has to work extra hard to regain her figure. Here’s where the NARL Body Design ナール ボディデザイン, body slimming equipment really helps. Developed by Miwa Science organisation, NARL is short for NorAdrenaline ReLease which releases the hormone into the fat cells of adipose tissue to induce a natural natural lipolysis (fat burning).

“Using an ultrasound frequency and intensity [517 KHz - 110 mW/cm²] will stimulate the sympathetic nerve terminals resulting in the release of NorAdrenaline in adipose tissue, independently from central nerve control. The released NorAdrenaline is receipted by nearby adipocytes and receptors activate lipolysis locally. The resulted Free Fat Acids (FFA) and glycerol must be consumed with exercise or an equivalent substitute immediately consecutive to the sonication session that is the emission of NARL [517] ultrasounds”

So if you really believe you can lose weight and slim down without proper diet and exercise, you can purchase NARL products from 88,000-250,000 Yen here.  In any case, we’re just interested to see how much weight Harumi Nemoto can put on and how much she got paid to be in the slimming ads.

Harumi Nemoto NARL commercial

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How we normally see Harumi Nemoto

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Japanese gadget maker Thanko has announced a nifty little  Bluetooth Bracelet (Bluetoothブレスレット ) that works with keitai (mobile phone) so you don’t have to constantly carry it on your person.  Some Japanese  salarymen and fashionable young ladies like to carry their mobile phones is in their bag, briefcase or handbag, and  when an incoming call comes in, the bluetooth bracelet will vibrate and notify you that a call is coming in, as well as show you the incoming caller’s number.

The Thanko bluetooth bracelet also has another function which is especially handy if you’re the type that always loses your phone.  The bracelet alerts you if you get more than 10 meters away from your phone.

The bluetooth bracelet is charged using a USB port, comes in different colors and costs between 3,000 – 5,000 Yen depending on which model you choose.

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