ROBOTS DREAMS

Robot Version of Rock, Paper, Scissors (Video)

In our previous post on the new MANOI AT01 robot hand option developed by Kyosho, we mentioned seeing the robot playing the Japanese equivalent of Rock, Paper, Scissors. We've included a short video clip of the session below.

Give That Robot A Hand!

Well, the design gurus at Kyosho (or some devoted MANOI cusotmers) have been putting in some serious overtime hours. In addition to the new sets of body shells we mentioned yesterday, they are also in the process of cranking out a series of new MANOI based options and add-ons.

One of their most useful, and exciting, new options is a fully functional, and artfully articulated, hand for the MANOI AT01 series humanoid robot. The new robot hand has five fingers, including an opposable thumb.

New MANOI AT01 Robot Body Shells - More Photos

For more MANOI AT01 Type-C shell photos, see below.

Dr. GIY Out To Set New Robot Speed Records (Video)

Most of the humanoid robot builders, including ourselves, think they are lucky if they can keep their robots standing, or perhaps walking slowly. But, there are a few builders that really excel. They build, or hack, humanoids to the point that the robots performance is really surprising.

A recent case in point is the Kyosho MANOI AT01 robot modified by Dr. GIY. One of the key events in the Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup competitions is a 5 meter dash. It's challenging enough to get your robot to walk in a straight line, much less run. And, with only 17 degrees of freedom, the stock AT01 robot usually takes some difficult, and time consuming, course corrections.

But, through a liberal application of his own special magic, Dr. GIY has hacked his AT01 to the extent that it rockets down the 5 meter sprint course in 10 seconds, and course corrects on the fly without loosing even a millisecond in wasted moves. Even more amazing - when it reached the end of the course it literally stops on a dime!

Just Your Average Ordinary Sunday Afternoon (Video)

As you can see from the video below, it was just your average, ordinary Winter Sunday afternoon in Akihabara.

As long as the weather is good, they block off the main street to cars and let the pedestrians, and street performers take over and enjoy themselves. The police do step in from time to time to break up some of the performances since the buskers rarely have permits.

And, of course, you can always find some robots performing too!

Scary Halloween Family Portrait

  Left to right: i-SOBOT (Japanese edition), Mondai-Noid (MANOI AT01), and Gogic Five

Our i-SOBOT hasn't been given a name yet since he just arrived and his batteries were charging. Eagle-eyed readers will notice that Mondai-Noid is enjoying Kondo's new RoboStand. We like it a lot, and will be posting a review of this useful accessory soon.

iHobby Expo: Robots, Robots, Robots! (Video)

  Left to Right: Futaba RBT-1, RoboPhilo, RoboNova I

Although we weren't personally able to make the trek all the way from Japan to Chicago, thanks to all of our great readers that sent in reports, photos, and videos it feels like we were actually there enjoying all the fun and excitement. The latest contribution was lots of great video footage sent in by Marc Lampcov, the CEO of RoboFactors, LLC.

Marc must have spent countless hours capturing all the participating robots on camera because his footage (see below) includes great performances by the RoboPhilo, Robotis Bioloid, Futaba RBT-1, Robonova I, and much, much more.

Kondo's Secret Response to the Kyosho Robo Hopper

A couple days ago we posted about Kyosho's new Robo Hopper flying robot helicopter. That immediately caught the attention of I-Wei at Crab-Fu. Not only is he a devoted steam punk robot creator, and a KHR-2HV fanatic, it turns out that he also loves flying RC helicopters. 

Here's what he wrote in response to our post:

"Kyosho robots takes to the sky eh? pffffffft old news! and I thought you were suppose to be IN on the latest in the robotics world.... I'm surprised that you didn't know about Kondo's GENEX-Heli!"

Well, we had to admit that we must have been sleeping because we hadn't heard about Kondo's new robot helicopter until we got a look at the photo that he sent us as proof.

2nd Annual Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup Coming Up

The 2nd Annual Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup robot competition is just a few months away. The event, which is open to all Kyosho Manoi robot owners (both the AT01 and PF01), is scheduled for December 8th and 9th (Saturday/Sunday) at the UDX building, just two minutes walk from Akihabara station.

 

More "Senses" for the Kyosho MANOI and Kondo Robots

Kondo has announced an upgrade to the RCB-3 robot controller board that features support of the new Kyosho 32PORT/RCB-3 sensor board (pictured at left). We guessing, because detailed information on the Kyosho board isn't available yet, that this will address the analog sensor port limitation of the RCB-3 based robots, and really stimulate the development of autonomous applications. This will probably include the KHR-1HV and Kyosho MANOI AT01 and PF01 robots. Given this exciting development, it's easy to imagine a team of autonomous AT01 robots going head to head against an Alderbaran NAO team when RoboCup 2008 rolls around. 

The new sensor board is a Kyosho product, and Kondo does not intend to resell it, but has upgraded the RCB-3 firmware to fully support the board. The Kondo announcement does state that the firmware and Heart to Heart 3 (H2H3) application software upgrade only applies to RCB-3 controllers and is not compatible with the RCB-3J controllers (used for the KHR-2HV robots) at this time. That's likely to be a 'bummer' for KHR-2HV users.

In terms of additional RCB-3 and H2H3 functionality, the upgrade adds support for the Kyosho sensor board, but does not include any other changes or improvements. So, if you are already using Ver1.03 of the firmware and don't plan to use the new sensor board, there is no compelling reason to upgrade at this time.

Kondo Set To Release New Robot Accessory

Kondo, the creator of the KHR-series humanoid robots, technology partner with Kyosho for the MANOI series, and the supplier of key servo and controller components to many of the top ROBO-ONE competitors, will be introducing a new accessory in September.

Their new robot stand looks perfect for setting up, adjusting trim, and even displaying any of the KHR-series robots. According to Kondo, the stand can be used for the original KHR-1, newer KHR-2HV and KHR-1HV robots, and the MANOI AT01. It even works with the Kondo GENEX robot suit installed. And, the stand and robot easily fit into the official Kondo robot carrying case. (see photos below).

New Application For Kondo Robots Released

We mentioned in a previous post a few days ago that we've been working on some interesting software applications for Kondo based robots like the KHR-2HV and Kyosho MANOI AT01. Well, the first application has finished its qualification testing, at least in our labs, so we're going to go ahead and officially release it today for downloads.

 

The application, "RCB3 Button Box" is a simple, and hopefully easy to use, Windows program that triggers motions and scenarios in the robots RCB-3 controller. It also provides error reporting and other important information including the robots battery voltage.

Keepon Robot Gets Down With Spoon in Akihabara (Video)

Marek Michalowski setup the bright yellow, and extremely rhythmic, Keepon robot to perform to Spoon's "I Turn My Camera On", recorded it on video, then uploaded it to YouTube where it became an instant hit scoring close to 1.3 million views.

Now Keepon and Spoon are paired up again, only this time it's an official production (see video below), sponsored by WIRED, directed by Jeff Nichols, and with walk-on roles by many of our favorite local humanoid robots. The result is, in our very biased opinion, the best robot music video ever.

By the way, the interior scenes towards the end of the music video took place at RT Corp's store in Akihabara and were organized by Yuki Nakagawa, one of the most well known and well respected robot leaders here.

3rd Wonderful Robot Carnival: Advancing the Sport (Video)

Sometimes a little friendly competition can lead to significant performance advances. A few people start playing the 'what if' game. "What if our robots could do..." That triggers some thoughts and the exchange of ideas. At first everyone thinks the new challenge might be too difficult, or they see all the roadblocks in the way.

Pretty quickly though, egged on by each other, and stimulated by the challenge, they start to come up with solutions. Some work, some don't. They figure out what is practical, and what isn't. And, in very short order, a lot of people are doing what they used to think was too tough.

A great example of this is what we saw during the 3rd Wonderful Robot Carnival Die Shoot event here last Sunday afternoon, as you can see from the video below.

3rd Wonderful Robot Carnival - Keeping the Spirit Alive (Video)

The 1st Wonderful Robot Carnival, held just one year ago, was an absolute blast. Free of the stress and high pressure environment that's built up around the ROBO-ONE competitions, the Carnival participants could just relax and have a ball playing with their robots in events that were specifically designed to generate the most fun possible. It immediately became our favorite robot competition in the Kanto area.

But, what do you do for an encore? How do you keep a robot competition fresh and exciting, yet keep the rules fairly stable so that entrants don't have to completely rebuild their robots for each event? It can be a major headache, but thankfully Ishikawa-san, the founder and guiding spirit behind the Carnival, was up to the challenge.

For the first two Carnivals, the lead-off event was a 2 meter dash where the robots competed in sets of two, but the scoring was against the clock. To keep the event interesting, and to be able to accommodate the over 40 entries, Ishikawa-san converted the Dash 2000 event into a one meter out, one meter back dash around a pylon (see video below).

ROBO Virus Spreads in the UK

We don't want to give the false impression that our favorite humanoid robot hobby/sport is only being enjoyed in Japan or at RoboGames in the US. Far from it. People all over the world are involved, and although their numbers are still relatively small, they are growing rapidly.

For example, several builders in the UK, who met each other via the RoboSavvy forums, took the initiative to organize a ROBO-ONE type competition. They contacted the TIC micromouse organization, and arranged to share a part of their event space, promoted the gathering via RoboSavvy, pulled together some prizes for the winners, and made it all happen. It's a great example of what can be done if people that care get involved and take ownership.

Their robots, by the way, represented all of the popular, well-known kits including Robonova (Hitec), KHR (Kondo), MANOI (Kyosho), and Bioloid (Robotis). The background information and event photos can be viewed on the UK ROBO thread. We're sure that they would be happy to share their experience and learning with others that want to organize a similar event.

Typhoon Battles Wonderful Robot Carnival and Loses (Video)

 

Two major forces of nature hit Tokyo today.

One was incredibly destructive - Typhoon "Man-Yi" that drenched towns, damaged houses, and shut down transportation including stopping the Bullet Train in its tracks for hours.

The other one was incredibly constructive - the 3rd Wonderful Robot Carnival which drew over 40 humanoid robot entries, challenged us with new events and new twists on old events, generated tons of laughs and never ending surprises, and left everyone with big smiles and great memories.  

"Jump if the cotton input equals the comparing resistor...?"

Among video game fanatics the phrase, "All of your base are belong to us" is a classic case of Japlish - Japanese mistranslated into English. It doesn't happen often, but when it does the results can either be extremely funny, or extremely frustrating.

We recently were alerted to a similar situation that was puzzling, and very likely frustrating one of our regular readers that owns a Kondo KHR-2HV. He was very successful at the initial kit assembly, testing, and motion creation, but hit a wall when he tried to understand some of the more advanced RCB3 capabilities like using the SET and CMP objects. That's when he wrote asking us if we knew the meaning of "Jump if the cotton input equals the comparing resistor".

RoboGames 2007 Photo Gallery From Crabfu Steamworks

IMG_5221
Originally uploaded by Crabfu SteamWorks.

I-Wei, the genius behind all the great steam bots created at Crabfu Steamworks, just posted his RoboGames 2007 photo gallery including some great shots of the Robots Dreams team, like the one above.

Thanks I-Wei!

Kondo Robot RCB3/H2H3 Versions and Compatibility

There appears to be some confusion recently about the versions and compatibility for the Kondo RCB3 controller and the Heart To Heart 3 (H2H3) software application. Hopefully the history, explanation and chart below will help clear up some of the confusion rather than making it even more confused.

Robot Events Continue To Ramp Up

Hobby robot companies here in Japan have really been cranking up the pace with numerous new events and promotions focused on rapidly growing public awareness and participation.

Several years ago, when we first started becoming actively involved in the Japan hobby robot scene, the pace was much more laid back and relaxed. With one or two major events every three months or so, there was plenty of time to prepare and strategize.

Now it's not uncommon for there to be a significant humanoid robot event of some sort taking place almost every weekend somewhere in Japan, even during major Japanese holiday seasons.

Project M: Our MANOI AT01 Robot Gets Grippers! (Video)

Okay, we admit it. As devoted as we are to our two humanoid robots - Gulliver (KHR-1) and Mondai-Noid (MANOI AT01) - we have been more than a little jealous of the Hitec Robonova-1 crowd. After all, there have been quite a few interesting accessories developed for the Robonova that expand its capabilities and appeal. We wanted the same type of add-ons for our robots as well.

So, what was the #1 must-have, can't live without, accessory on our robot wish-list? Simple. We were absolutely dying to get a set of grippers. Something that would allow our robots to do some useful work, to pick up things, perhaps throw them or maybe even do some housework.

Thanks to a new add-on kit, developed by Matt Bauer - the creator of Rook's Pawn and founder of Bauer Independents, we finally got our wish! Mondai-Noid can pickup pencils, screw drivers, and even a small ball. He's even managed to toss the ball, and other objects, a fair distance, though he's not ready to play in the major leagues yet.

The housework part? Well, you have to watch the video below to find out how that's going.

Learning From Our Mistakes

Accidents happen, and mistakes are made - it's the way the world works, at least in our limited experience on this planet. The important thing is to survive and learn from them. We learned a valuable lesson recently - and paid the price of tuition.

We were asked to participate in a robot soccer match as a part of a television program location shoot. Needless to say, we were honored, and more than a little excited. Opportunities like that don't come along often. So we spent a lot of time adjusting Mondai-Noid, our MANOI AT01 robot and creating new motion sequences. We got some last minute help and assistance from one of our friends, which we really appreciated. On the morning of the game we thought we definitely had all of our ducks in line. This was going to be fantastic.

An hour later. we were totally depressed when our robot not only refused to obey remote control commands, he actually started mindlessly walking around in circles right in the middle of the action!

Vote MANOI For Engadget Robot Of The Year!

The MANOI AT01 is one of only six top robots picked by the Engadget editors to participate in the voting for the Engadget Robot Of The Year Award for 2006. It's a great honor just to be selected, but MANOI isn't content to sit back and rest on his laurels. He's out there, hitting the campaign trail hard, and asks you to click on over to the Engadget Robot Of The Year post and cast your valuable vote for him right now! The Engadget polls close at 11:59PM EST on Sunday, April 15th - so there isn't a moment to loose.

Project R: More On The TEC-1 Remote Control Kit

In our previous post about the TEC-1 kit that allows you to use a PS2 game pad as a robot remote control, we mentioned that Sugiura-san uses the TEC-1 with Dynamizer 3, one of the top ROBO-ONE robot competitors.

For the ROBO-ONE 11 matches last month here in Tokyo, the TEC-1 board and the Logicool wireless PS2 game pad receiver module were mounted in Dynamizer's head. It worked very well, but Sugiura-san decided to move the whole unit to the robot's waist area. He was kind enough to share a couple photos of the work-in-process.

1st MANOI PF01 Robots Delivered!

Bright and early Sunday morning, the very first production MANOI PF01 robot kits were delivered to customers that had pre-ordered one of the 150 special limited edition robots. Like us, many of them fell in love with the robot's unique personality, performance, and anime styling when the early prototypes were first demonstrated to the public almost two years ago.

We were on hand at the RT Corporation facility in Akihabara to celebrate the first deliveries, and managed to capture a few photos of the lucky robot fans as they received their MANOI.

Robot Week In Japan!

ROBO-ONE kicks off next Saturday morning, and early indications are that tickets for the premier robot event may sell out long before the doors open. The latest measure of the extreme interest in personal humanoid robots here is a content rich, multiple page, robot special section unveiled this week at the top of the Yahoo Japan website. 

MANOI Robots Sighted In The Wilds Of Akihabara

It was an unusually warm and beautiful Sunday, so we took the opportunity to travel into Tokyo, and made a few stops in the Akihabara area. Shoppers, and robots, were out in force. We ran into several friends just walking through the area, chatted briefly with Dr. GIY when we bought a new robot book at Tsukumo, and then found Shiroma and his MANOI Trio doing demonstrations at Robo Spot.

Shiroma was kind enough to let us get some hands-on time with the new MANOI PF01, due to start shipping next month. In the photo above, the PF01 on the left is similar to the Limited Edition silver robot that will go to the first 150 customers. Although we like the PF01, what we saw today just further confirmed our earlier impression that the PF01 is for 'show' while the AT01 is for 'play'. By that we mean that the PF01 is nice if you want to show off the absolute best performance and 'character' to your friends and relatives. But, if you really want to actively get the most fun out of a robot, then the AT01 is probably a better choice.

Robot Fever Grows By Leaps and Bounds: RT Corporation

RT Corporation, founded by Yuki Nakagawa, has always been one of our favorite stops whenever we have the opportunity to visit the Akihabara electronics district of Tokyo. Now she has given us a couple of new reasons to visit the RT showroom as often as we possibly can manage.

As you can see from the photos below, RT has moved to a bigger, and much more spacious, facility just a couple minutes walk from the main Akihabara train station. It's obvious from the size, and the stock in the RT showroom, that they are firm believers in the concept that the robot boom is starting to experience a strong growth explosion, not just here in Japan, but globally.

Wonderful Robot Carnival - Bottle Traction Competition (Video)

We've fallen a little bit behind on posting event reports and videos, and are trying to catch up as quickly as possible since there are more exciting events coming up over the next few weeks. At the same time, we don't want to overlook any of the really important, informative, or really fun, topics in our attempt to get caught up.

As we've mentioned before, the Wonderful Robot Carnival competition is an absolute blast - five to six hours straight of over-the-top robot fun. The most recent Carnival was held here in Tokyo in early January, and included competitions like the Die Shoot, Balloon Survival, and Bottle Traction. The first two depend a lot on strategy and speed, while the Bottle Traction event is really more of a test of the robot's design and the builder's skill.

MANOI AT01 Robot - New Home Position Procedure

In addition to the excellent documentation that Kyosho supplies with the MANOI AT01 humanoid robot kit, they have also been diligently updating and adding to the information on the Official AT01 website. In our experience, they are one of the few companies that actually listen to their customers and use the feedback to constantly improve their product and support.

The most recent example is a new MANOI AT01 robot home position setup procedure.  Getting the home position setup correctly is really the key to successful operation, execution of the sample motions, and being able to exchange motion files with other owners. The new procedure walks you through each step with numerous photographs to show clearly how each major part of the robot needs to be aligned.

Of course we all know that "real men never read the manual", at least not until they've failed miserably and don't have any other alternative. But, no matter when you decide to actually check the documentation, this new procedure, and others like it, will make it much easier to setup consistently accurate home positions.

Kyosho MANOI PF01 Robot About To Be Launched?

Kyosho's MANOI AT01 humanoid robot has proven to be extremely popular here in Japan since it went on sale last September. Even overseas, where initial sales have been limited to academic and research organizations, distributors report that there is very strong demand. In fact, there's already a very active American MANOI Users Group (AMUG).

But, the cute anime-styled robot that started it all, Takahashi's MANOI PF01, hasn't been released for sale yet. According to sources at Kyosho, production difficulties related to some of the molded parts caused unforeseen schedule delays. However, now there are strong indications that the PF01 is about to hit the market. In recent posts on the Kyosho MANOI blog there have been references to the arrival of production parts and preparing for the monitor customer program - the Japanese equivalent of beta customer evaluations. And, in a new post yesterday, they posted a few small teaser photos of the actual  production PF01 robot. We may see some official PF01 price and delivery information from Kyosho very soon.

Mailman Brings A Very Pleasant Robot Surprise

Gogic Five and friend discovered an article with a very familiar robot in the Robot Magazine Spring issue!

And, as they flipped through the pages, they discovered even more . . . .

Curbee - MANOI Robot Survives And Thrives In The US (Video)

The MANOI AT01 humanoid robot kit is currently in limited release to researchers and educational organizations outside of Japan. According to reports from the robot distributors we contacted in the US and Europe, demand for the product is very strong and they are anxious to have Kyosho lift the sales limitation so it can be sold to the general public.

Ira Chandler, founder of Curbstone Corporation and a leading software developer, was one of the first US MANOI AT01 customers and has been sharing his progress with Curbee - his robot, and graciously assisting other AT01 builders via the RoboSavvy Robot forums. With his permission, we've included some of his photos and a short video clip below.

2nd Wonderful Robot Carnival - Die Shoot (Video)

In addition to the Balloon Survival competition, the Wonderful Robot Carnival format lends itself to special challenges and head to head competitions. Bouts like the 'Die Shoot' use a simple, straightforward format, with very few rules or restrictions, yet involve a lot of thinking, strategy, speed, and performance.

Robots Dreams Milestone: 1,000,000 Robot Video Views

It took about ten days longer than we originally thought it would, but the Robots Dreams video clips passed the 1,000,000 view mark earlier today. We think it's a good indication that there is a tremendous, and rapidly growing interest in robotics. It's very encouraging, and we really appreciate the interest and loyalty of all our readers. Thanks!

2nd Wonderful Robot Carnival - Balloon Survival (Video)

One of the benefits of living here in Japan, and being a dyed in the wool robot fan, is that there are literally countless robot events to pick from - either to watch or to participate in. One of our absolute favorites is the "Wonderful Robot Carnival" events staged biannually in Tokyo by Ishikawa-san.

The Wonderful Robot Carnival format includes some traditional robot games, like a 2 meter sprint, a robot rumble, and a ROBO-ONE style battle in the ring. It also includes some totally 'over the top' competitions like the 'Balloon Survival.' The Balloon Survival concept is simple and straight forward, almost like a kids party game. And like many of the games we played at parties as kids, this robot game is a tremendous amount of fun.

New Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup Coverage On ROBOT Magazine Website

To get the New Year off to a running start, the ROBOT Magazine website just posted an extensive article titled "The First Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup" featuring quite a few photos from the December event here in Tokyo. The exclusive article also includes a lot of background information on the event and some of the top competitors, along with downloadable video coverage.

Takeshi Takes Up Disco Dancing (Video)

We can't tell if it's a direct response to Dr. GIY's dual dancing MANOI AT01 cats or not, but "DirtyRoboto" from the RoboSavvy online robot forums has put together a really creative music video (see below) starring his disco dancing Robonova-1 robot - Takeshi - that's definitely worth spending a few minutes to check out.

A Robot Bear With A Mind Of It's Own (Video)

There's a natural tendency to underestimate the difficulty of creating reliable autonomous operation in robots. On the surface it seems pretty simple - just setup some sensors, create the right feedback and control behaviors, flip the switch, and off it goes. But, in the real world, things are never that simple.  Unexpected factors suddenly come into play. Things like magnetic distortions caused by the supporting building structure or some equipment can throw that compass sensor you were depending on totally off course.

Still, with a lot of focus, dedication, and a challenging spirit, it's still possible to overcome difficulties like that and go on to win. That was clearly demonstrated by Naoko Hikima and her cute bear MANOI AT01 robot at the recent Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup competition in Tokyo.

Robot Soccer Preparation (Video)

We were invited to participate in a special set of robot soccer matches Sunday morning and wanted to make sure that Mondai-Noid was at his best. Most of his moves were 'okay', but since many soccer matches end up with each of the players kicking at the goals we really wanted to have his kicks tuned up and looking good.

Takumi Sugiura of the Sugiura Brothers was kind enough to put together a set of custom soccer kicks for Mondai-Noid and emailed them to us. So Saturday night we put the finishing touches on our robot, ran him through his paces, and captured it on the video below.

Disco Dancing - Robot Style (Video)

Remember the classic scene in Pulp Fiction where Mia and Vincent get up on the dance floor at Jackrabbit Slim's? It started off something like this-

ED SULLIVAN
        (into microphone) Ladies and gentlemen, now the moment you've all been waiting for, the world famous Jackrabbit Slim's twist contest.

               Patrons cheer. Ed Sullivan is with Marilyn Monroe, who holds a trophy.

ED SULLIVAN
       ...One lucky couple will win this handsome trophy that Marilyn here is holding.

               Marilyn holds the trophy.

ED SULLIVAN
        ...Now, who will be our first contestants?
 
Last Sunday, two MANOI AT01 robots programmed and setup by Dr. GIY, answered Ed Sullivan's challenge, got up on the dance floor, and proceeded to give Mia and Vincent a real run for their money.

Greased Lightning! A Souped Up Robot Looking For A Speeding Ticket (Video)

In yesterday's initial post in a series covering the Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup robot competition we promised to share videos and information on "... an autonomous bear, a lightning fast sprinter, a robotic duo auditioning for MTV, and a whole lot more." 

We always try to take our promises seriously, so today we'll start off with one of the fastest sprinting humanoid robots we've run across so far.

This speed demon robot was assembled and souped up starting with a stock MANOI AT01 kit by Shibata-san. With just a few modifications, and no custom changes to the AT01's frame or body, Shibata was able to coax performance out of the robot that was head and shoulders above what we had expected.

Project M: Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup Robot Competition

The first Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup competition was totally amazing from start to finish. The robots, the performances, the speed, the colors, the spirit of the competitors, the venue, the support from Kyosho and Kondo - everything. We couldn't have asked for a better event. Our raw Kyosho Cup photo album has been uploaded is ready for viewing. And, we have some great video clips coming up featuring an autonomous bear, a lightning fast sprinter, a robotic duo auditioning for MTV, and a whole lot more.

MANOI AT01 Robot: Human Blooper (Video)

We wanted to take a closer look at the gyro stabilization of the MANOI AT01 robot. Taking a clue from Harry's Bioloid experimentation, we decided to put our robot on a tilting platform that would allow us to simulate not only tilting but also a minor earthquake motion.

Our first attempt went extremely well. The robot's gyro setup worked perfectly, the robot stayed upright and withstood all the gentle shaking and tilting we subjected it to, and we captured everything on video. At least that's what we thought until we got a look at what the camera had actually recorded.

MANOI AT01 Robot: Mondai-Noid Gets A Tune-up (Video)

Our next major competition is coming up in just a few weeks - the Kyosho Athlete Humanoid Cup event in Tokyo. So, it's time to get really serious and do some tuning on the performance of Mondai-Noid, our MANOI AT01 robot. He's been doing pretty well, but there were a few areas that we thought could benefit from some 'professional' advice. Luckily, on Saturday we were able to participate in two excellent classes given by Kondo at their Robo-Spot facility in Akihabara.

The classes, and the results we were able to obtain with our robot, were much better than we had expected. Good enough to win a metal at next month's competition? Perhaps - that remains to be seen. Nevertheless, the classes gave us a lot of new techniques, and confidence. And, more important, Mondai-Noid is beginning to act like a real 'competitor'.

Starting The Long Countdown - RoboGames 2007

We're a little more than 180 calendar days away from next summer's RoboGames 2007 competitions in San Francisco. What seems like 'lots of time' will rapidly disappear before we realize it, leaving no time to prepare. And, all the best intentions and excuses can't do a thing to recapture any of that lost time and opportunity.

So, we decided to put ourselves under the gun. We knew that if we went ahead and officially registered to compete, and told everyone about it, it would give us tremendous motivation to get our act together. After all, we won't want to embarrass ourselves in front of all our faithful readers by not showing up in person for the biggest US robot event of the year.

So, last night our two ROBO-ONE robots, Gulliver and Mondai-Noid were entered into the RoboGames 2007 competitor database. This morning we received official confirmation that their entries for the ROBO-ONE Demonstration and Wrestling events have been accepted. Now it's all up to us. The pressure is on.  If you have a robot, or plan to build one, why not join us? It's never too early to sign-up. We plan to bring along a few special Robots Dreams items from Japan - maybe even a 'Editors Choice' special award or two for the ROBO-ONE events.

AKIBA Robot Festival 2006 (Video)

As promised, we'll be posting a detailed report, photos, and video clips from the three day AKIBA Robot festival held last weekend here in the Akihabara district of Tokyo. But before we delve too deeply into the details and specific events, we thought you might enjoy a brief video tour.

This year the event was about three times larger than 2005, and included everything from state of the art extremely life-like androids, to robots playing tag with kids, to window washing robots (imagine a Roomba that does windows), to robot soccer matches, to ... well, just about anything and everything robotic you could possibly imagine.

MANOI AT01 Appears In Two Famous Places At Once

MANOI AT01, the new humanoid robot from Kyosho, sure gets around. Even though he's not available for general sale outside of Japan yet, he's popping up in well-known newspapers, magazines, and websites all over the world. Yesterday, November 1st, he outdid himself by appearing in two famous publications at the same time.

First, he showed up on the Wired.com website in an excellent article titled "I, Robot Builder" written by Tim Hornyak the author of "Loving the Machine: The Art and Science of Japanese Robots." The article has just the right mix of facts and humor to give you a real taste of what he went through building the robot right out of the box. Tim is well qualified to report on the MANOI AT01 given his years of experience as a technology, culture, and history reporter based here in Japan since 1999.

Second, the MANOI AT01 graced the five pages in a feature article for the Winter 2006 issue of ROBOT Magazine that hit news stands and bookstores on the 1st. The article includes a lot of the background behind the robot's development, its ROBO-ONE legacy, and an interesting performance comparison chart. There are also some nice excerpts from the print article in a 'teaser' version on the