Japan high tech exhibition 2009!
ZHANG: Moving on to Japan, where over 800 companies got to showcase their latest high-tech electronics, gadgets, and robots at an annual show in Tokyo. Let’s take a look at what’s turning heads. STORY: One of the most popular attractions is a robot named “Murata Girl, which is capable of riding a bicycle and a unicycle. With several positioning, motion, and shock control sensors attached to its body, the robot is capable of detecting obstacles while balancing on its own. [Shigeki Fukunaga, Robot Engineer]: “Technology and idea-wise it’s simple because we just had to program the robot to balance back and forth instead sideways like we did with the bicycle-riding robot.” Fukunaga says his company, Murata Manufacturing, hopes to implement the robot’s technology into various electronics and vehicles in the future. They are looking to create a bicycle that never falls down and automobiles that can avoid accidents. Nissan Motors introduced their “Biomimetic Robot 23 Car,” which carries various obstacle-detection and prevention sensors. [Toshiyuki Ando, Nissan Motors]: “Once it detects an obstacle, it automatically avoids it according to its speed, direction and distance, which is something we’ve adapted from bee’s behaviors.” Pioneer, the manufacturer of car stereos, plasma televisions and home theatre systems, also received a lot of attention. Their three-dimensional display called the “3D Floating Vision” is capable of reflecting all kinds of floating images that can be seen …
