April 22, 2008 at 10:47 am · Filed under Robot, Relic, Video, Music, Waseda University
WABOT-2, an intelligent humanoid keyboard player developed by Waseda University in the 1980s, was considered the most advanced robot of its time. In addition to camera eyes that could read musical notation and deft hands that could tap out tunes of average difficulty, WABOT-2 could listen to accompanying singers and adjust its tempo, as well as carry on basic conversation. The android demonstrated its musical skills at Expo ‘85 in Tsukuba, Japan with a performance of Kitaro’s new age classic “Silk Road.” (Watch a clip.)
Built in order to develop the basic technology, strength and skills for robots of the 21st century, WABOT-2 was equipped with a hierarchical system of 80 microprocessors modeled after the human nervous system, and its arms and legs had 50 degrees of freedom — more than any other robot in existence at the time. Waseda University regards WABOT-2 as a landmark achievement in the evolution of […]
Original post by Edo
October 10, 2007 at 9:40 am · Filed under Robot, Health, Waseda University
On October 9, professors Atsuo Takanishi of Waseda University and Akitoshi Katsumata of Asahi University unveiled an oral rehabilitation robot, called “WAO-1,” which is designed to help treat mouth, jaw and facial disorders by performing therapeutic face massages in lieu of physicians and dentists. In November, the developers will begin clinical testing of a prototype robot — built by dental X-ray equipment manufacturer Asahi Roentgen — on live patients in Yokohama.
Equipped with two 50-cm (20-inch) arms that protrude from a chair-sized aluminum box, WAO-1 performs massages by pressing the patient’s face from both sides. Each arm’s position and angle can be precisely controlled, as can the direction of the pressure applied to the face. WAO-1 also relies on a complex system of software and fuses to ensure the pressure does not exceed a certain level, and it is equipped with a “torque limiter function” that allows the arms to […]
Original post by Edo
