Archive for Simulacra
July 25, 2008 at 1:26 pm · Filed under Robot, Simulacra, Video
Engineers at the University of Kitakyushu have developed an underwater survey robot that looks good enough to eat. “Tai-robot-kun,” a 7-kilogram (15.4 lb) robotic sea bream (red snapper) with a silicone body covered in realistically hand-painted scales, features a unique propulsion system that allows it to move its tail and drift silently through the water like a real fish. (Watch a video.)
The robotic fish can swim for an hour on a full battery charge, and it relies on a ballast system similar to those used in submarines to adjust its buoyancy and depth.
Tai-robot-kun’s creator, professor Ikuo Yamamoto, says the robot can easily be mass-produced, outfitted with various cameras and sensors, and released into the sea to perform a wide range of oceanographic survey tasks. He adds that because the robot swims silently and looks like a real fish, it would be able to gather data without alarming the […]
Original post by Edo
July 25, 2008 at 4:29 am · Filed under Kokoro, Robot, Simulacra, Video, Marketing
Actroid DER-2, Kokoro’s uncannily lifelike fembot, has made her acting debut in a TV commercial for Kincho’s Preshower UV insect repellent/sunscreen spray. Titled “The Woman Who Doesn’t Rust,” the 15-second commercial spot shows Actroid outdoors at a campground, where she recommends using Preshower because, as a female, her skin is important. After a few squirts of the spray, she cheerily adds, “Surprisingly, I don’t rust.” (Watch it.)
Original post by Edo
July 24, 2008 at 12:29 pm · Filed under Asia, Simulacra, Tech Biz, Sport
The Yomiuri Online has posted a photo of some new Olympic-themed statues on display in Beijing’s financial district. The statues — which appear about one year after Disney cried copyright infringement in response to a host of knock-off Disney characters at Beijing’s Shijingshan Amusement Park — depict five Mickey Mouse-like characters engaging in Olympic sports. When asked about the resemblance to Mickey, a spokesperson replied, “They have square holes in their ears. They are not copies.” The spokesperson suggested the statues are unique because they incorporate the themes of old Chinese coins (the square holes), the year of the rat, the Olympics and the financial district into the design. However, children passing by the statues were seen pointing and saying, “Look! It’s Mickey!”
Original post by Edo
June 4, 2008 at 11:53 am · Filed under Smart Tech, Robot, Sentient Tech, Transportation, Simulacra
On June 3, engineers at iXs Research Corporation unveiled a robotic teddy bear designed to work as a talking car navigation system. The prototype robot stands 30 centimeters (1 ft) tall and has 6 joints in its arms and neck, which it uses to make gestures while providing spoken directions.
The robot bear is also equipped with functions to improve auto safety, such as an alcohol detection sensor embedded in its neck. If it smells booze, the robot confronts the driver, saying, “You haven’t been drinking, have you?” Other sensors detect wreckless driving, so if the driver suddenly accelerates or slams on the brakes, the robot says, “Watch out!”
Read the full post (207 words, 1 image)
Original post by Edo
May 29, 2008 at 9:56 am · Filed under Tokyo University, Simulacra, Miniaturization, Nanotech
It won’t fill you up, but it is a feast for the eyes. This so-called “world’s smallest bowl of ramen” — a 1-micron (1/1000-mm, or 1/100th the width of a human hair) wide bowl containing dozens of 2-micron (1/500-mm) long x 0.02-micron (1/50,000-mm) thick noodles — was created by University of Tokyo professor Masayuki Nakao as part of an effort to develop new carbon nanotube-based microcircuit fabrication technology. Nakao used a metal particle beam to carve the bowl from silicon, and he mixed up a soup of ethanol and catalyst inside the bowl to form the carbon nanotube “noodles.” According to Nakao, it was a major challenge to keep it from overflowing. No word yet on how the microscopic meal tastes.
[Source: Yomiuri]
Original post by Edo
May 16, 2008 at 1:45 pm · Filed under Art, Relic, Simulacra
In early 19th-century Japan, it became fashionable for the culturally sophisticated theatergoing population of Edo to entertain themselves at parties by imitating the voices and gestures of famous actors. As this fad spread, people began to expand their repertoires by mimicking animals, and as animal poses became all the rage at parties, writers and artists collaborated to produce illustrated books containing model examples of these poses. One such document written by poet Santo Kyoden in 1809 included these Utagawa Toyokuni ukiyo-e prints of men imitating birds.
Crow pose
Hawk pose
Duck pose
Read the full post (111 words, 3 images)
Original post by Edo
April 18, 2008 at 11:27 am · Filed under Art, Relic, Simulacra
Kage-e (”shadow pictures”) — a popular form of Edo-period woodblock print — were appreciated by children and commonly used as a party gag by adults. These pictures consist of two parts: a “shadow” image and a “real” image. The shadow image, which typically bears the shape of a common, easily identifiable object, is viewed first. The real image, viewed second, reveals the surprising true identity of the shadow.
Here’s a nice example by ukiyoe master Kuniyoshi (ca. 1852). It appears to show the silhouettes of goldfish…
But look again…
It’s a flying tanuki crushing a hunter under the weight of its mammoth testicles.
Here are a few more kage-e by Hiroshige (ca. 1842). The shadows cast on shoji doors belong to men in interesting poses.
Pine tree
Uguisu (Japanese bush warbler) on a plum branch
Salt-dried fish
Kettle
Hawk
Stone lantern
Goose on a rock
[Related: Joge-e: Two-way pictures]
Original post by Edo
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