U.S., Japan go separate ways in robots

Here's an excerpt from an article I wrote for The Japan Times based on my interview with PW Singer, author of a provocative new book about U.S. military robots, Wired For War.

Unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs) like the MQ-1 Predator, developed by California-based General Atomics, circle the skies of Iraq, Pakistan and Afghanistan gathering intelligence and taking out targets with Hellfire missiles. Tireless and devoid of emotion, UAVs have proven remarkably effective.... So comprehensive is the automation of the military that, under the $230 billion Future Combat Systems program, brigades will have more unmanned vehicles than manned vehicles by 2015.

The United States is creating a grand robotic army.

"Military robots are an even more revolutionary technology than the atomic bomb," says Singer. "The robotics revolution in war has a critical difference — it affects the 'who' of war, not only the warriors' experience, but the very identity of the warriors themselves."

Life-size Gundam coming to Tokyo

Besides Godzilla, there's one more big "g" known throughout Japan and I'm not talking about gomi. This year marks the 30th anniversary of the Gundam anime franchise, and a life-size, 60-foot model of the RX-78-2 star robot will touch down in a Tokyo park to mark the occasion.

The giant bot will tower over groveling fans of the space opera in Shiokaze Park in Odaiba, an artificial island on Tokyo Bay, in July and August. Light and mist will emanate from the fiberglass statue, which will have a moving head. Far more impressive than the replica of the Statue of Liberty that stands nearby. Perhaps a duel is in order.

via New York-Tokyo

Robot fish to sniff out pollution

The first school of autonomous robotic fish designed to detect pollution around the world will soon be released into the ocean, according to BMT Group. The robot carp developed in the UK are equipped with "tiny chemical sensors to find the source of potentially hazardous pollutants in the water, such as leaks from vessels in the port or underwater pipelines."

The fish will be released off northern Spain. They'll report on pollution via wifi when returning to their charge station - operating time is about 8 hours.

"While using shoals of robotic fish for pollution detection in harbours might appear like something straight out of science fiction, there are very practical reasons for choosing this form," said Rory Doyle, senior research scientist at BMT Group.

"In using robotic fish we are building on a design created by hundreds of millions of years' worth of evolution which is incredibly energy efficient. This efficiency is something we need to ensure that our pollution detection sensors can navigate in the underwater environment for hours on end."

Japan unveils gov't funded fashion bot

The Japanese government has spent a whopping $2 million developing a female "fashion" robot that was shown of by the state-run AIST research lab near Tokyo.

The HRP-4C was shown off to reporters ahead of a fashion show in the Japanese capital starting March 23.

4C looks like a combination of AIST's HRP series and the popular Actroid android made by entertainment company Kokoro. Powered by 30 motors, 4C is designed to walk and look like a typical Japanese woman - ignore the silver body armor - and can perform a variety of facial expressions such as surprise.

Reports say AIST will sell 4C body frames for $200,000 apiece.