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Kawasaki made a rideable robotic goat
Move over, Spot, there’s a new quadruped robot in town.
Japan begins testing the world's fastest bullet train
Last week, Japan started testing its latest and fastest bullet train. The Shinkansen ALFA-X is capable of reaching 400 kilometers per hour (249 mph), and it's expected to enter operation around 2030. When it does, the ALFA-X will likely become the world's fastest bullet train, carrying passengers around 360 kph (224 mph).
Kawasaki motorcycles will be able to talk to you
It seems like technology is edging us closer and closer to 1980s science fiction. Hoverboards? Got that. Advanced robotics? No problem. What about talking vehicles? Turns out, Kawasaki is working on that. The company is in the early stages of creating a voice controlled artificial intelligence for its motorcycles.
Japan looks to next-gen 3D printers for a return to manufacturing success
American 3D printer manufacturers have stolen a lead on the competition, but a Japan-based alliance is looking to fight back... it'll take a year or two, is all. The group includes universities, 27 companies including the likes of Panasonic, Nissan and Kawasaki, as well as the Japanese government. Rather than cheerfully-colored figurines and trinkets, the group plans to use titanium-based materials to craft complicated components like airplane parts and artificial joints for medical use. For the government's part, it's promising 3.8 billion yen ($36.5 million) this year, with each member organization adding another 500,000 yen per year to the research group. According to the Nikkei, work will focus on advanced tech that will allow 3D-printed components through (awesome-sounding) "molten metal powders." The aim is to have prototype machines by 2015, with some 3D printers ready for sale as commercial products. Final finished machines for making medical equipment and aircraft manufacturers will apparently take another four years to perfect.
Kawasaki's concept cycle can morph into a three-wheeler, comes from your cyberpunk dreams
Does Kawasaki's new electric cycle have two, three wheels or four? Well, it depends. According to the conceptual sketches and a terse explanatory panel, the "J vehicle" concept EV can switch between a lie-down two-wheel Akira / Tron-baiting cycle and a four three-wheel drive mode, with the latter designated as "comfort" mode. The model, revealed at this year's Tokyo Motor Show, is apparently powered by Kawasaki's biggest onboard battery pack, the Gigacell, although (any other) details aren't forthcoming. That's probably because it's from the future and is tearing the space-time continuum apart. (Update: According to those aforementioned concept images, only the front wheels separate outward in comfort mode, turning it into a three-wheeled vehicle, not a quad-bike. We apologize for the error.)
'Welcome to Macintosh' DVD available for pre-order
Welcome to Macintosh, a documentary film by Rob Baca and Josh Rizzo that covers the history and community behind the Mac phenomenon, is available for pre-order on DVD. The DVD costs $19.84. Cute. Billed as "the first documentary of its kind," the film explores the early years at Apple through interviews with observers and former employees of the company, such as Guy Kawasaki, Andy Hertzfeld, Ron Wayne, John Moltz, and Leander Kahney. The DVD has three additional hours of footage beyond the 83-minute movie. Quantities, according to the official site, are limited, and orders will ship mid-December. Thanks Tony W.! [Via Cult of Mac.]
Video: Fujitsu's NaviRobo smells beer, tells you where to find more
It's been a few years since we checked in on Navirobo. The iXs developed bot is now fully grown and fettered to Fujitsu and Kawasaki on a Japanese press tour. The bot features an impressive bag of tricks including an accelerometer ("ooo, it's bumpy"), light sensor ("don't forget to turn on the lights"), and voice guided navigation with the ability to point the way and describe nearby points of interest (read: honey pots). It'll even detect alcohol on your breath and presumably take a swipe at your jugular in just retribution. See for yourself in the videos over at Impress or check the few posted after the break.
Kawasaki robot solves Rubik's Cube in seconds flat
We've seen robots that could solve a Rubik's Cube in nearly no time, but Kawasaki's Cube-Kun can pick one up, figure out the solution and sip down some lemonade all in the extended blink of an eye. Reportedly, this brainiac was created with absolutely one goal in life, and judging by eyewitness reports, it succeeds mightily. The fellow rocks a huge flat-panel display as a face and utilizes built-in sensors to determine the current position of each square and how to most quickly solve it. Interestingly, we heard that sabotaging the cube by removing a sticker would send Cube-Kun into fits of uncontrollable rage, but apparently, no one's been courageous enough to test its patience.[Via TokyoMango]
Podcasts with influential Apple figures
The San Francisco Chronicle, in honor of Apple's 30th birthday, has posted a number of podcasts interviews of famous and influential Apple folks. Amongst those interviewed you will find Steve Wozniak, Andy Hertzfeld, John Sculley, Steve Capps, Guy Kawasaki, and Mike Boich.They are also running an article chronicling the career of Steve Jobs.Thanks, Andrew.
