Japan startup unveils 15-foot robot suit for space exploration
Engineers in Japan have created a 3.5-ton robot suit that resembles a character from a hugely popular animation series, which they hope to use for space exploration and in emergency situations. Tokyo-based start-up Tsubame Industries developed the 4.5-metre-tall (14.8-feet), four-wheeled Archax robot that looks like “Mobile Suit Gundam” from the 1970s Japanese show of the same name. Named after the avian dinosaur archaeopteryx, the $3 million (£2.5m) robot has cockpit monitors that receive images from cameras hooked up to the exterior so that the pilot can manoeuvre the arms and hands with joysticks from inside its torso. The robot, which will be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show later this month, has two modes: the upright ‘robot mode’ and a ‘vehicle mode’ in which it can travel up to 10 km (6 miles) per hour. “Japan is very good at animation, games, robots and automobiles so I thought it would be great if I could create a product that compressed all these elements into one,” said Ryo Yoshida, the 25-year-old chief executive of Tsubame Industries. “I wanted to create something that says, ‘This is Japan’.” Mr Yoshida plans to build and sell five of the machines for the well-heeled robot fan, but hopes the robot could one day be used for disaster relief or in the space industry. Mr Yoshida became interested in manufacturing at an early age, learning how to weld at his grandfather’s ironworks and then going on to found a company that produces myoelectric prosthetic hands. He said he is eager to keep Japan’s competitive edge in manufacturing alive. “I hope to learn from previous generations and carry on the tradition,” he said. Tsubame Industries is one of several startups working on robotic exoskeletons, with applications ranging from assisting delivery workers with heavy loads, to military “super soldier” suits. The US military has already unveiled several exoskeleton prototypes, with one such device claiming to offer Marines the strength and ability of up to 10 troops. “The ultimate goal is to provide troops with an edge by boosting their capabilities and dramatically improving safety and productivity in a variety of logistics applications,” the company behind it, Sarcos Robotics, said in 2020. Additional reporting from agencies. Read More MIT invents self-replicating AI robots TikTok finds and shuts down secret operation to stir up conflict in Ireland Apple blames Instagram for overheating iPhones Royal website subject to ‘denial of service attack’, royal source says
1970-01-01 08:00
Germany's Birkenstock aims to raise up to $1.58 billion in US IPO
(Reuters) -Birkenstock, the German premium footwear brand backed by private-equity firm L Catterton, said on Monday it was seeking to
1970-01-01 08:00
US new auto sales likely rose in Q3, but UAW strikes may pose speed bump
By Shivansh Tiwary U.S. new vehicle sales likely rose in the third quarter on improving supply and steady
1970-01-01 08:00
Sam Bankman-Fried must now convince a jury that the former crypto king was not a crook
For a while, Sam Bankman-Fried tried to convince politicians and the public that he was the next J
1970-01-01 08:00
New UN migration chief says private sector 'desperate' to take migrants despite negative narrative
The new head of the U.N.’s migration agency says the private sector is “desperate” for their countries to take in migrants to mop up labor shortages, especially in the West
1970-01-01 08:00
There's a sinister reason why you never see narwhals in aquariums
Narwhals are among the most elusive creatures in the ocean, with their long, spiralling tusks giving them an almost mythological quality. And whilst many people would pay good money to see these unicorns of the sea in the flesh, they are notably absent from the world’s aquariums. The reason for this is both dark and mysterious, since there have only been two attempts to keep the toothed whales in captivity. Both of these ended in tragedy and the general acceptance that narwhals simply don’t belong in our sealife centres. The legendary porpoises, which are related to belugas and orcas, are found in Arctic coastal waters and rivers. They have two teeth and, in males, the more prominent of these grows into the swordlike tusk which can be up to 10 feet long, according to National Geographic. Back in 1969, Coney Island’s New York Aquarium becoming the first-ever centre to put a narwhal on display. According to IFL Science, the aquarium became home to a young calf called Umiak, whose name referred to the canoe used to hunt the species in the High Arctic. It was captured by members of the Inuit community who said that it followed their canoe back to camp after they killed its mother for meat. Umiak was put in a tank alongside a female “white whale” (most likely a beluga), who acted as its stepmother. And although staff reportedly fed vast quantities of milk mixed with chopped clams to keep it happy, they weren’t able to keep it healthy. Less than a year after Umiak arrived at the centre, the orphaned narwhal died of pneumonia, as reported by The New York Times at the time. Still, the animal’s swift and tragic demise didn’t stop Canada’s Vancouver Aquarium from attempting the same feat in 1970. The aquarium had been gearing up to host a narwhal since 1968, when its director, Murray Newman, hoped that bringing narwhals to the city could generate interest in the species and help with its conservation, IFL Science reports. After two unsuccessful attempts to capture one of the whales themselves, Newman and his team were forced to buy a young male from a community of Inuit hunters based in Grise Fiord on Canada’s Ellesmere Island. The animal was reportedly called Keela Luguk – a phonetic spelling of the word “qilalugaq”, which means “narwhal” in some Inuktitut dialects. Within a week of Keela Luguk’s arrival at Vancouver Aquarium in August 1970, the centre had caught two female narwhals and three calves, which were then added to his tank. However, in less than a month, the three calves had died. And by November, the two females were also gone. As public outrage mounted, the mayor of Vancouver himself called for Keela Luguk to be returned to the wild. But Newman would not succumb to their pressure and, eventually, on 26 December that same year, the young whale was reported to have died too. It’s not known exactly why the narwhals fared so dismally in captivity, particularly given that the species’s closest relative, the beluga, can survive a number of years, or even decades, in aquarium facilities. However, the porpoises are known to be exceptionally sensitive animals, with studies finding that they are so affected by human-made noises that even the sound of a ship sailing near their habitat is enough to radically impact their behaviour. Fortunately, aquariums seem to have got the memo, and narwhals have largely been left to continue their lives as fabled enigmas of the sea. Sign up for our free Indy100 weekly newsletter Have your say in our news democracy. Click the upvote icon at the top of the page to help raise this article through the indy100 rankings.
1970-01-01 08:00
Brazil airline Azul completes payment deal with lessors, OEMs
SAO PAULO Brazilian airline Azul has completed restructuring obligations it had with most of its lessors and equipment
1970-01-01 08:00
Anumana Receives U.S. FDA 510(k) Clearance for ECG-AI Algorithm to Detect Low Ejection Fraction
CAMBRIDGE, Mass.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 2, 2023--
1970-01-01 08:00
Electra Extends Processing of Black Mass Material Based on Successes of Its Battery Recycling Trial
TORONTO--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Oct 2, 2023--
1970-01-01 08:00
Roundup: Taylor Swift Brings Friends to Travis Kelce's Game; Tim Wakefield Dies at 57; Adam Copeland Debuts in AEW
Taylor Swift brought her celebrity friends to Travis Kelce's latest game, Tim Wakefield died at 57, Adam Copeland debuted in AEW and more in the Roundup.
1970-01-01 08:00
Ireland Makes Rare Decision to Deny LNG Port for Climate Reasons
Amid Europe’s angst over energy security, Ireland has made one of the boldest moves of any nation on
1970-01-01 08:00
New text adventure ‘The Smiths are Dead’ sees Morrissey battle to record first solo single!
Nearly 40 years after he split from The Smiths, a new text adventure called ‘The Smiths are Dead’ has launched for the Commodore 64 that puts players in singer Morrissey‘s shoes as he attempts to record his first solo single.
1970-01-01 08:00
