Yes, you’ve seen it all before, but this time it’s for real!
This isn’t recent news, and you probably have seen it, but I love it anyway. As part of an event held in the Odaiba area of Tokyo, to advertise the film The Water Horse: Legend of the Deep, organisers set a Loch Ness type critter on the loose. It was 15 meters long/high and created by projection onto sprays of water, with carefully placed water spouts to simulate the splashes.
Check out this Nissan concept car — an all-directional electrical vehicle complete with cute Japanese robot computer system.
It just not much use for escaping from giant monsters …
Nissan unveiled the electric-powered Pivo 2 concept car in the lead-up to the 40th Tokyo Motor Show (October 26 to November 11).
Designed for urban use, the Pivo 2 features a 360-degree revolving cabin, inherited from the first-generation Pivo, allowing the driver to always face forward while driving, even when parallel parking, and to access the unique front door from any direction. The three-seat car is equipped with safety systems such as Around View Monitor (AVM), Distance Control Assist System (DCAS) and also a Robotic Agent that uses facial monitoring technology to interact with the driver.
From YouTube description.
Love the robot driver’s aid!
I seem to be obsessing about robots at the moment. Well, here’s a real one — a quadruped named Big Dog made by Boston Dynamics. Its life-like movement, ability to right itself in event of mishap and handling of rough terrain is stunning; it even leaps and frolics. Thanks to Mr Teufel for the link.
Read more about it here.
This one’s not fiction! The report comes from Wired News (via Iain Triffitt):
Astronauts bound for orbit this week will dabble in science fiction, assembling a “monstrous” two-armed space station robot that will rise like Frankenstein from its transport bed.
Putting together Dextre, the robot, will be one of the main jobs for the seven Endeavour astronauts, who are scheduled to blast off in the wee hours of Tuesday, less than three weeks after the last shuttle flight.
Read the full story here.
Have I mentioned that Cat Sparks does things to my head?
Actually she was showing me her new work computer — and the grosser capabilities of a program called Photo Booth.
Reminds me of the orgy scene from Brian Yuzna’s Society (1989) — though that was done with make-up and prosthetics. Or those creepy moments from the original Japanese Ring, where pics taken of Sadako’s next victims come out eerily distorted.