'Female' robot to debut in DC

Japanese robot wunderkind Tomotaka Takahashi of Robo-Garage will demonstrate his latest creation, a "female" robot named FT, in Washington this week. Takahashi, named by Popular Science Japan as one of "33 people who will change the future," has created a number of eye-poppingly cute remote-controlled robots like the pint-sized Neon, and will be on hand at Book Expo America May 19th and 20th in conjunction with promotion for Loving the Machine. He will also demo Chronio, left, another of his anime-inspired creations.

FT stands for Female Type. She's about 18 inches tall, has 23 motors, a carbon fiber and plastic shell and a lithium polymer battery. Takahashi, who believes that half of all robots will soon be female, consulted with fashion models to give FT a feminine gait, which incorporates his SHIN-Walk motion technology.