Not our title – it’s the bold name of the current exhibition at the National Museum of Nature and Science in Ueno, Tokyo: Drooling geeks are flocking right now to The Great Robot Exhibition: karakuri, anime and the latest robots to admire all sorts of automata, androids, anime, toys and other robot lookalikes that emerged over the last couple of decades (or centuries in the case of Japan’s karakuri). PingMag walks you through the exhibition:
Written by Verena
Where does it stem from, this Japanese fondness for robots? Influences from China date back to 2600 BC with the so-called South Pointing Chariot, according to karakuri.info. Japanese automata, or karakuri, peaked in popularity during the Edo Period. But this tradition continues today: According to the Unix company in Osaka that still produces karakuri, their tea-serving mechanised puppets are made the traditional way and move simply by springs, mercury and sand, good old clockwork style. Assembling is easy, no need for metallic screws or nails. Impressive – and lots of handcrafting involved.
A “bunraku ningyo” or “ningyo joruri,” meaning ‘puppet drama:’ this one is an ancient kabuki theatre model and stands 95cm tall…
…and its modern version would be this: The PBDR (Partner Ballroom Dance Robot) – not quite a puppet, but someone to dance with.
The modern version of a dancing puppet would be the PBDR, which stands for “Partner Ballroom Dance Robot.” That’s not such an elegant name for this dancing lady created by Tohoku University, Nomura Unison and Torowazo in 2005. Its torque sensors prevent it/her from stepping on its/her partner’s feet.
Mother’s Little Helper
By now we all know this little dog: Sony’s AIBO (for AI and Eye), introduced in 1999…
Bots in the house – why not? If I only had enough tasks for it… Take this cute little ApriAlpha by Toshiba. The WiFi-enabled bot can recognise your voice and read e-mails aloud to you. If you get bored you can command him to wheel around the living room! However, there would be one with far more magic: The advanced Nabaztag with his sweet rotating ears.
And here’s Paro: pitched as a “Mental Commit Robot for Psychological Enrichment,” and once you’ve held this plush little seal yourself, you’ll never forget the weird feeling. First introduced in 1993, it was developed to soothe the elderly and calm kids. Its sensors let it react to you, so petting it will induce blinking eyes and waving flippers. And the sounds! Just like a real seal, but this one only yaps when you want it to. The most moving incident was when, at the exhibition, poor Paro’s battery ran low and a staff member held it like a baby and placed it in its cage to feed it with a baby-soother. What a sight!
Animatronics
Musical Refinement
I wonder how Waseda University’s Wabot-2 from 1984 compares to Thelonious Monk. EIther way, it’s impressive, and from 1984! George Orwell’s year…
… meanwhile, elsewhere, the FMT-I piano robot seems to be doing just fine on its own. Three computers and plenty of wiring keep the music flowing.
Assembly Line Accuracy
Toys!!
The Super #1 Robot toy collection informed us that weapon factories were turned into toy factories after World War II – enabling the rise of toy ranges such as Mazinger Z and Gundam. To plunge deeper, have a brief overlook of the Japanese robot character history here.
A view into Astro Boy’s finely tuned electrical body…
One star certainly wasn’t missing from the exhibition: In the 50s, an atomic star rose literally to the skies – Tetsuwan Atomu or Astro Boy. Guess what? This sweet but dangerous little fella was accepted into the Robot Hall of Famea couple of years ago. And, if we’re lucky, the long overdue feature-length animation/live action movie under his name could be out in 2009, finally.
Well, there were plenty more handsome artificial guys around, but we’ll spare you the not-so-overwhelming ASIMO presentation for today. So, hurry up and head for Ueno to see the exhibition, it’s a must-see! Info below.
The Great Robot Exhibition
At the National Museum Of Nature and Science, Ueno, Tokyo. Map.
Date: Running until January 27th, 2008.
Schedule: Open Tue to Sun from 9am to 5pm, Fri until 8pm.
Entry Fee: ¥1,200/¥1,400.
Pingback: Nerdcore » Links vom 7. 12. 07: Electrosonic Festival, Polaroid, Futurescanner und Pirate Bay 2.0
Pingback: randform » Blog Archive » wort zum sonntag the toy u nion
Pingback: 2007 Robot of the Year ::: Pink Tentacle
Pingback: Kirsty Boyle - girltron » *the great robot exhibition - tokyo*
Pingback: The Mindset of Monozukuri: From mechanical dolls to vending machines and house-bots « EDUCATION IN JAPAN COMMUNITY Blog