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Konami employee sues for sexual discrimination
An employee of Konami in Japan is suing the company after she allegedly had her wage lowered and was demoted after returning from maternity leave, according to reports. The suit by 36-year-old Yoko Sekiguchi, who is seeking $343,000 in damages, states that she was moved to a domestic position and had her salary cut by $2,080 a month following her return.Sekiguchi's attorneys claim that, in pre-trial meetings, Konami stated her position was changed in consideration of creating a better child-rearing environment. Sekiguchi said, "Being forced to lessen your career to raise a child is sexual discrimination." Sekiguchi's previous position had her traveling all over the world to acquire licensing deals, in particular for the Winning Eleven series. Konami had "no comment." We're not well versed in Japanese laws regarding maternity leave. But, if you are, feel free to chime in down in the comments.[Via Kotaku, Andriasang]
Laskmi-Do's Table Robot is the Segway for your beers
It's important to keep your guests properly hydrated at a party, but it's hard to not feel awfully demeaned while wandering around with a cocktail tray. Since hiring servants is so passe, the solution is Table Robot from Laskmi-Do Corp, a two-wheeled, self-balancing bot that features a particularly unsteady looking design. It's tall and slender, balancing a tabletop on two scrawny little wheels, a feat it showed off at last week's FOOMA Japan, Tokyo's biggest gathering for foodies and related geeks. The natural comparison is to a Segway, but this is a full-fledged robot, capable of cruising around under remote control and, soon, following you around by voice, meaning a fresh and precisely balanced mohito may soon be just a word away. Click on through for the video.[Via DigInfo]
Life-sized Gundam complete and no, you can't borrow it
In the Universal Century, we suppose this sort of thing will be rather blasé. But until then, there's really no better way to get our geek hearts a-flutter than some up close and personal pics of this 1:1 scale model of the classic RX-78-2 Gundam mecha, built to commemorate the 30th anniversary of the franchise. We've been watching the construction of this thing rather closely and we're proud to announce that the finished product is every bit as badass as we'd hoped. If you're not planning on making the trip to Tokyo any time soon, feel free to take a gander at the thing in the gallery below. And our thanks to blogger Punynari for the awesome pics![Via Examiner]
Gundam turns 30, celebrates with the most awesome statue ever
Statue of Liberty? Striking, but a bit demure. Trenchcoat-clad Stalin statue in Gori, Georgia? Iconic, but disheartening. Giant RX-78-2 Gundam statue at Shiokaze Park in Tokyo, Japan? Unquestionably badass. The massive biped is currently under construction, part of a celebration for the 30 year anniversary of the original Mobile Suit Gundam series. When completed it will be full-scale, standing 59-feet tall, weighing 35 tons, and even shooting "light or mist" from 50 different points along its structure. All systems should be fully operational by July 11 -- hopefully soon enough to stop the forthcoming Zeon armada. [Via technabob]
Life-sized Tachikoma loose on the streets of Tokyo (update: video!)
You know, we see a lot of kick-ass vehicles 'round Engadget HQ, so it's easy to grow a little jaded. Who can forget that Batman Tumbler we saw tearing up the asphalt last summer? Or the Halo Warthog -- complete with UN Space Command BDUs? Sure, either of those would make for a fun-filled weekend (or a lifetime of weekends), but what about something a little more suited to urban environs? Next time you're in Tokyo, make sure you look up a gentleman named San Kougei, who put together a joystick-piloted replica Tachikoma (of Ghost In The Shell fame). Who knows? Maybe he'll even let you take it for a spin. We're looking forward to seeing some YouTube video of this bad boy, but in the meantime we present you with one more pic (after the break).Update: Video found... from 2006. Hey, it's new to (most of) you![Via Tokyo Mango]
Flexible, stretchable, rubbery OLED prototype shown off in Tokyo
Electrical engineering researchers at the University of Tokyo have developed a flexible, stretchable OLED that acts something like rubber, and does not tear or break when stretched. The material is produced by spraying a layer of carbon nanotubes with a fluoro-rubber compound, creating a rubbery, conducive material. The current, monochrome display prototype has a resolution of just 256 pixels, is 10-centimeters square, and can apparently be folded about 1,000 times with out falling apart, tearing, or imploding. The team is presenting its findings in the British science journal Nature Materials this month.[Via Slashgear]
Fukitorimushi cleaning bot is just like a pet -- only cleaner, quieter, better behaved, and more pillow-shaped
Panasonic recently unveiled a new kind of cleaning robot at the Tokyo Fiber Senseware Expo in Milan. Called Fukitorimushi, the small service bot is covered in Nanofront, a nanofiber polyester fabric which can absorb oil and pick up small paricles of dust. It moves a bit like an earthworm, crawling about the floor using several light sensors to root out the dirt, and can navigate itself back to its charging station when it needs more juice. Designers of the spiffy little guy seem to think that owners will bond to it as if it were a pet. No word on when these dudes will be commercially available, but we'll let you know as soon as we score one of our very own -- we're thinking about calling it Sal. There's a video of it doing its rather unnerving business after the break.[Via Robots.net]
Yoichi Yamazaki's latest bot has hungry eyes, nothing else
A quick glance can say a lot, but sometimes its meaning can get lost in translation. For example, there's not a lot of difference between a dirty look and a, uh, dirty look, but Yoichi Yamazaki and cohorts at the Tokyo Institute of Technology hope to quantify that (and many more) by creating a so-called Eye Robot. It's a pair of disembodied eyeballs that create expressions in concert with pink eyelids; a user views each expression and then indicates how it makes him or her feel. At this point it seems like something of a scatter-shot affair, throwing out expressions at random and seeing which elicit a reaction, but hopefully in the near future Yamazaki's metrics will help make the vacant gaze of other bots a little less disconcerting. [Via Engadget Poland]
Pokemon Center is a hot Japanese tourist destination
There's plenty of essential sightseeing spots and activities any tourist must partake in during a visit to Japan, such as hitting up the local jumbo-sized arcades, dropping by the beautiful Sensoji Temple, and falling in love with a washed-up actor in a luxurious hotel. However, according to travel site TripAdvisor.com's Top 20 most popular Japanese tourist destinations in 2008, the third-hottest locale for visitors was Tokyo's Pokémon Center store.It seems a little silly that a retail outlet dedicated to Poké-merch was so outrageously popular amongst Japan-bound travelers last year. Then again, where else are you supposed to heal your sick or injured pokémon -- the veterinary hospital? Don't be ridiculous.[Via Kotaku]
J-ware odor-free underwear could hit Targets, midsections soon
Truthfully, there's just not enough work being done in the area of advanced underpants, so we're absolutely elated to hear that textile experts at Japan Women's University in Tokyo are picking up the slack and moving forward with an amazing development. Koichi Wakata, the first Japanese astronaut to live on the International Space Station, is current testing the "odor-free" clothing, and it's said that he can rock the same drawers without any pungent smells for a solid week. The garb is designed to "kill bacteria, absorb water, insulate the body and dry quickly," and as if that wasn't awesome enough, they're also flame-resistant and anti-static. The best news? There are already talks of bringing this stuff to the commercial realm. Don't deny it -- you're already thinking of how stellar it'd be to wash clothes just once per month.
Toshiba's ApriAttenda makes for one cute kill-bot
As you're no doubt aware, it's the cute ones that can cause the most trouble. For instance, consider Toshiba's newest: ApriAttenda, pictured here at a press event at the company's lab in Kasawaki, Kanagawa prefecture, suburban Tokyo, is one meter tall, has three fingers and small CCD cameras in the palm of each hand, and can rise an additional 0.3 meters if the need should present itself. Sure, the device's ability to open refrigerator doors and lift boxes is impressive, but can we realistically believe that things will end there? Or does the permanently astonished look on its slightly Wall-E-esque visage disguise more sinister motives? You've been warned.
E-paper signs being tested in Tokyo for disaster prevention
While we're still waiting for our electronic broadsheet (hell, we'll settle for a tabloid) it looks like folks in Toshima will be seeing quite a bit of the e-paper as they hit the streets of this Tokyo ward. In a test conducted by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications, the signage has been installed in the proximity of the Toshima Life and Industry Plaza, where a wireless network was established to provide updates in case of an emergency. There are currently two signs: one in the lobby of the post office measures over three meters across and sports 240 x 768 resolution (the paper has 4mm pixels), and holds down power consumption at about 24W. Stationed at the Higashi-Ikebukuro bus stop, the second sign is 60 x 40 centimeters with 144 x 96 resolution, and power consumption here is about 9W. The test will run until January 29th, after which point the city will have to rely upon its usual civil defense repertoire -- which is believed to include the vigilant eye of Honda's 49-foot ASIMO.
NTT Communications bringing WiFi to Japanese bullet trains in 2009
Remember that Type N700 train that became Japan's fastest in mid-2007? Yeah, well it's about to get a lot more fun to ride. Starting next year, passengers on the ultra-quick bullet trains will be able to hit up their favorite blogs and banter about aimlessly via email / IM at 270 kilometers per hour (that's 167 miles per hour for you Yanks). The service will reportedly be an extension of NTT Communications' HotSpot service, and we're told that download speeds should reach around 2Mbps. As for cost, the fees will be at the usual HotSpot rate, which runs from ¥500 ($5.73) per day to ¥1,680 ($19.25) per month, or in other words, rates you'll totally pay to stay connected on the brisk runs from Osaka to Tokyo.
Piezoelectrics installed in Tokyo railway station floors generate power, wastes it
The East Japan Railway Company has been running tests on a "power-generating floor" since the beginning of January 2007, but they've just installed the system for public testing in several areas of the Tokyo station. Using piezoelectrics similar to that we've seen before in a UK discotheque, the Japanese company says the power-generating capacity of the flooring has increased ten-fold over its initial results, and they now expect to generate 1,400kW/sec per day. With that, they plan to power the display pictured above, which shows the power generatd by the floor. Sound a little redundant? Fear not: they plan on using the juice to operate automatic ticket gates in the future. [Via Inhabitat]
Resident Evil 5 groans and staggers onto Xbox 360 March 12
var digg_url = 'http://www.joystiq.com/2008/10/08/resident-evil-5-groans-and-staggers-onto-xbox-on-march-12/'; Biohazard 5, or better known on our shores as Resident Evil 5 will finally be coming to the Xbox 360 after a long delay that saw it get pushed from April 2008 to almost a year later. Well, better late then never we saw, as long as we get to have fun blasting infected people. Is that too much to ask? We liked what we saw back in June, and are keeping our fingers crossed.
CEATEC Japan: konnichiwa, we're here
So there's this place called Japan where they have all sorts of electronics, gadgets, televisions, arcades, izakayas, and a mega conference called CEATEC 2008. We're here, on the other side of the date line, inhaling coffee, and you had best stay tuned for the latest from the land of the rising sun.
The DS Life: Missed Connections
Aug 27 - Girl At Keisei Takasago Station - m4w - 37 - (Katsushika) pic Reply to: pers-8160291452720@craigslist.org [?] Date: 2008-08-27, 11:59PM JT
Alan Wake to show his face at Tokyo Game Show
Although missing in action from this week's E3, Alan Wake will roll out of bed and board a plane to Japan for this year's Tokyo Game Show. According to an MSN Games "'WOW' Be a face in the game" contest, the winner will be given a trip to Finland to be scanned into the computer, then "jet off to Tokyo to [TGS] to be on the scene and on the screen!"
65-inch "digital posters" catch eyes in Tokyo train station
Utilizing big honkin' displays for advertising purposes is nothing new, but East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and East Japan Marketing & Communications have decided to try "digital posters" out for reference. In short, ten 65-inch Sharp PN655R LCDs have been installed within "the internal concourse on the first floor of Tokyo Station's Yaesu South Entrance," and folks who stroll by can get a glimpse of whatever (the image changes each minute) in stunning 1080p. The goal here, as you might imagine, is to "evaluate the advertising effects of still image ad posters using large LCD panels displayed in a relatively busy gateway." If you're anxious to lay your eyes on the installation, you'd better hurry, as there's no guarantee that they'll remain after September. At least the video posted after the jump is forever.
iPhone camping rule of thumb: don't wear a suit
It's T-minus iPhone 3G and counting and the international queuing has begun in earnest... and in Tokyo. This is the line outside of SoftBank's flagship store in Harajuku as captured by Akihabara News. Now, let's forget about the first guy, look at our boy number three, Mr. Anonymous Good Posture. With 2 more days 'til launch and the unboxing and reviews already done, pictures of his rapid state of dishevelment might be the most interesting thing we see come Friday. One more picture of the absurdity after the break.
