TV show gets robot mascot

Tokyo model maker Kyosho has unveiled a new robot based on its popular Manoi PFO1 kit. Posuto-kun (Little Postman) is a machine mascot for a Japanese TV show whose name is so long it leaves one breathless.

The MBS TV show is called Chikyu Kando Haitatsunin Hashire! Posutoman Run! Postman Run! and it's about celebrities who are charged with delivering mail overseas.

Posuto-kun comes with over 30 original motions and may hit stores between February and March, with a price tag of $3,500.

Via Robot Watch

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PLEN maker Akazawa goes bust

Systec Akazawa Co., a key player in the Osaka robot scene and maker of the PLEN desktop hobby robot, has gone bust.

The aircraft parts manufacturer is set to declare bankruptcy with liabilities of about 700 million yen ($7.4 million), according to Nikkei Net, which cited a sharp decline in orders.

The company has apparently ceased operations, and its website is offline. The family-run firm was headed by President Ryohei Akazawa, known for his involvement with RoboCup champions Team Osaka. The team won the RoboCup championship in its division five times.

In 2006, the company introduced PLEN, a $2,600 Bluetooth-controlled hobby bot that could rollerskate and skateboard. There was no word about how the bankruptcy will affect users on the PLEN website.

PLEN won't be the first robot to be hit by hard economic times (q.v. Sony's Qrio), but Akazawa's collapse will hit the Osaka scene hard. I expect other robot ventures to succumb to the recession as well.

Via Nikkei Net

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