Model train controlled via brain-machine interface

spacer Hitachi has successfully tested a brain-machine interface that allows users to turn power switches on and off with their mind. Relying on optical topography, a neuroimaging technique that uses near-infrared light to map blood concentration in the brain, the system can recognize the changes in brain blood flow associated with mental activity and translate those changes into voltage signals for controlling external devices. In the experiments, test subjects were able to activate the power switch of a model train by performing mental arithmetic and reciting items from memory.

The prototype brain-machine interface allows only simple control of switches, but with a better understanding of the subtle variations in blood concentrations associated with various brain activities, the signals can be refined and used to control more complex mechanical operations.

In the long term, brain-machine interface technology may help paralyzed patients become independent by empowering them to carry out actions with their minds. In the short term, Hitachi sees potential applications for this brain-machine interface in the field of cognitive rehabilitation, where it can be used as an entertaining tool for demonstrating a patient’s progress.

The company hopes to make this technology commercially available in five years.

[Source: Yomiuri Shimbun via Seihin World]

Posted 2006.11.17 by Edo ::: Health, Hitachi, Imaging, Smart Tech ::: 4 comments

Eco-friendly bra doubles as shopping bag

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Lingerie manufacturer Triumph International Japan has unveiled a new type of brassiere that can be converted into a shopping bag. Called the “No! Shopping Bag Bra” (NO! reji-bukuro bra), the environmentally-friendly lingerie is designed to promote the reduction of plastic bag consumption, a key objective of the revised Containers and Packaging Recycling Law hammered out by Japanese lawmakers in June.

Each year, Japanese shoppers receive an estimated 30 billion plastic shopping bags, which, in terms of the oil resources needed to produce them, amounts to two giant tankers full of oil (millions of barrels). About 30% of these bags are thrown away without being reused, and since the consumption of plastic shopping bags contributes to environmental problems such as increased energy usage, trash buildup, and global warming due to CO2 released in the garbage incineration process, there are urgent calls to reduce their usage.

When the bra is being worn, the “shopping bag” portions are folded away inside the bra cups, where they serve as extra padding. The bra quickly converts to a shopping bag by removing the bag portions from the cups and connecting the hooks on the bra’s underwire. The lace cups serve as decoration along with the shoulder straps, which are disconnected and tied to the top of the bag as ribbons.

The bra — available in red, blue, green, yellow and pink — is made from the Teijin Group’s ECOPET brand of polyester fiber, which has been recycled from plastic bottles through the company’s patented EcoCircle recycling system.

Triumph International Japan has a long history of developing eco-themed bras, with such creations as the Recycle PET Bra (1997), Eco-globe Bra (2004) and Warm Biz Bra (2005).

[Source: Triumph International Japan via Slashdot Japan]

Posted 2006.11.8 by Edo ::: Environment, Fashion ::: 27 comments

SHOJI: Symbiotic Hosting Online Jog Instrument

spacer On November 6, GS Yuasa and the University of Tokyo unveiled a system that ascertains the “mood” of a room by monitoring a variety of factors — including the feelings and behavior of the people in the room — and relays the mood data to remote terminals where it is expressed as colored LED light.

The system, called SHOJI (Symbiotic Hosting Online Jog Instrument), is similar in concept to KOTOHANA (developed by NEC and SGI), which are pairs of flower-shaped terminals that share data and change color according to emotion detected in voice patterns.

Like KOTOHANA, the SHOJI system consists of a pair of terminals placed at separate locations. Each terminal is equipped with a full-color LED array, a microphone and five sensors (developed at the University of Tokyo) that detect light, temperature, humidity, infrared radiation and ultrasonic waves. In addition to constantly measuring the room’s environmental conditions, SHOJI terminals can detect the presence and movement of people, body temperature, and the nature of the activity in the room.

Each SHOJI terminal constantly sends the room’s mood data over the Internet to the other terminal, where it is expressed as colored light on the LED array. By checking the color of light on the SHOJI terminal, users can easily understand the mood in the other room.

SHOJI’s display consists of 10 rows of LEDs that emit colors corresponding to different emotions — red for anger, blue for sadness, yellow for happiness, and green for peace. The display also provides a clear indication of mood shifts, with the top 5 rows representing the current mood of the room and the bottom 5 representing the recent past.

GS Yuasa will soon put SHOJI to a series of field tests at Tokyo-area companies, allowing head office managers to keep tabs on the mood at branch offices (and vice-versa). Tests are also planned at hospitals and in residential settings.

With the product release scheduled for April 2007, GS Yuasa plans to market SHOJI to companies at a price of between 300,000 to 400,000 yen ($2,500 to $3,300).

[Source: Fuji Sankei]

Posted 2006.11.7 by Edo ::: Illumination, Smart Tech, Tokyo University ::: 6 comments

Iris recognition technology for mobile phones

spacer On November 6, Oki Electric announced the development of iris recognition technology for camera-equipped mobile phones. Unlike Oki’s previous iris recognition technology that relies on infrared cameras for the iris scan, the new technology uses ordinary cellphone cameras.

With plans to make the technology commercially available in March 2007, Oki hopes to boost the security of cellphone payment systems.

According to Oki, any camera-equipped cellphone or PDA can perform iris recognition once the special software is installed. Identification accuracy is said to be high, with only 1 in 100,000 scans resulting in error, and the system can tell the difference between flesh-and-blood eyes and photographs.

[Sources: Nikkei Net, Oki press release]

Posted 2006.11.6 by Edo ::: Biometrics, Cellphone, Imaging, Smart Tech ::: 4 comments

Creepy Japanese scarecrows

Fantastic video slideshow of mannequin scarecrows haunting Japan…

[Via: Fucked Gaijin]

Posted 2006.11.2 by Edo ::: Art, Simulacra, Video ::: 6 comments

Spacewear fashion show: looking fly in zero-g

spacer A spacewear fashion show featuring clothing designed for travel in weightless conditions was held at the University of Tokyo’s Hongo campus on November 2.

The show was held by Rocketplane Kistler — a US company that plans to begin offering space tours in two years — and a group of Japanese fashion designers, as part of the Hyper Space Couture Design Contest. Winners of the contest, which is organized by Tokyo-based fashion designer Eri Matsui with the support of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) and many others, will help design the clothes for use on Rocketplane’s space tourism flights set to begin in 2008.

The 11 garments appearing in the show were selected from over 880 designs submitted by college students. The clothes incorporate a variety of features designed for zero gravity, such as ruffles that expand under weightless conditions or small air-jet propulsion systems in the sleeves to help you change direction while floating.

[Source: Yomiuri Shimbun]

Posted 2006.11.2 by Edo ::: Fashion, JAXA, Space, Tokyo University, Transportation ::: 10 comments

Cookies made from giant jellyfish

spacer As part of an ongoing battle against invading swarms of giant jellyfish in local waters, some residents of Fukui prefecture have developed a method for converting the jellyfish into powder, which is used to make souvenir cookies. The jellyfish treats, called “Ekura-chan saku-saku cookies,” are now on sale at JR Fukui station at a price of 580 yen for a box of 10.

Three years ago, students from Obama Fisheries High School in Fukui prefecture developed a method for turning the invading jellyfish into powder. A Fukui-area company followed up with a cookie recipe that includes the powdered jellyfish as an ingredient. The result is a cookie with a superbly textured sweetness nicely complemented by the bitter, salty flavor of jellyfish.

Echizen kurage (Nomura’s jellyfish) invade the Sea of Japan each autmun, seriously disrupting fishing operations. The giant jellyfish can grow up to 2 meters wide and weigh up to 200 kilograms (450 lbs) each.

[Source: Mainichi Shimbun]

Posted 2006.10.30 by Edo ::: Animal, Food, Fukui, Giant, Jellyfish ::: 5 comments

AIST develops dexterous hand for working class droids

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Researchers at Japan’s National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology (AIST) have succeeded in boosting the manual skills of blue-collar droids by developing a robust and dexterous human-sized robotic hand.

AIST’s multi-fingered hand, which is designed for use on life-sized humanoid robots, is a significant improvement over previous robot hands, which for the most part have either been too bulky or had fingers that were too weak. Humanoid robot hands in the past have tended to lack versatility and dexterity because they were designed to handle a narrow range of specific tasks or had too much emphasis placed on physical appearance.

AIST’s four-fingered hand is about the size of an adult male human hand, measuring 18 cm from wrist to fingertip and 8.4 cm across the palm. Each of the three fingers and thumb are capable of exerting 15 Newtons of fingertip force — also similar to the human hand. To mimic the movement of human hands, each finger has 4 joints and the thumb has 5 joints.

The hand is equipped with mechanisms that reduce backlash, resulting in smoother finger operation and higher-precision control of fingertip position. In addition, the drive mechanisms provide ample force to the fingertips for a strong grip, and compact sensors in the fingertips ensure the accurate application of force.

With further tests to improve the hand’s mechanics and software, AIST aims to develop a human level of dexterity for the hand. This development could mean that with the android population explosion looming on the horizon, we may soon begin to see working class robots equipped with the right hands to take on our menial tasks.

[Source: AIST press release]

Posted 2006.10.27 by Edo ::: AIST, Robot ::: 3 comments

“Unmanned hotels” to lose front desk staff

spacer A new project to develop “unmanned hotels” in Japan may soon eliminate the burdensome task of checking in at the front desk. A consortium of five companies, including the trading company Itochu and consumer credit provider Orico, are working to develop a network of hotels that rely on an online reservation and payment system, RFID-enabled Orico credit cards that serve as keys, and RFID-enabled door entry locks.

When hotel guests reserve a room online with their RFID-enabled credit card, a “key” is assigned to the card. Since the credit card is the key, guests can bypass the check-in process and proceed directly to the room at the allotted time. The door lock recognizes the IC chip embedded in the credit card, opening for the guest upon arrival. The system eliminates the need for front desk staff to remain on duty.

Other companies involved in the project are Kesaka System, who are developing the entry locks, as well as Espace Construction and Miyabi Estex, who are handling construction and development.

Japanese law requires hotels to maintain staffed front desks, so the unmanned hotels will not be completely staff-free. However, the hotels are expected to require only half the ordinary number of personnel.

A dozen or so of these hotels are scheduled to begin operations nationwide in 2008.

[Source: Nikkei Net]

Posted 2006.10.26 by Edo ::: RFID, Smart Tech ::: 3 comments

Gallery: Suigyo no majiwari

Deadly kimo-kawaii watercolors by tama…

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(”Crucifixion” - 2006)

[Link: Suigyo no majiwari]

Posted 2006.10.26 by Edo ::: Art, Website ::: 2 comments

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