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Toy maker TAKARATOMY Co. and NIKE have teamed up and come out with a toy sneaker that transforms into a robot. I couldn't find an English press release for this TRANSFORMERS SPORTS LABEL series but you can see a photo on the Japanese press release. The movie is supposed to come out this summer.
I met Tomoaki Kasuga, founder and CEO of Speecys Corp., and he says that he is hoping to start developing applications and contents in the U.S. for their humanoid robot MI・RAI-RT. (MIRAI means the FUTURE in Japanese.) Kasuga-san, who used to work on the AIBO at Sony before starting his company, wants MI・RAI to always be connected to the network and become a "new medium." Whereas the TV uses a screen to transmit information, the robot will use it's hands and legs. He's hoping to get new ideas for content by having developers not just in Japan but in the U.S. as well.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) announced a comprehensive safety guideline for the so-called "next generation robots" which are mobile robotic products that move around in the home and community, such as cleaning robots and socially assistive robots. What is striking (to me) is that the committee that compiled the guideline consists of 16 people from government, industry and academia, and none of them are women.
