ROBOTS DREAMS - Robot news and robot hacks from a true robot geek

Gundam Big Expo

The website is up for “GUNDAM BIG EXPO”, the ultimate Gundam geek/otaku fest, scheduled for August 21?23, at the Tokyo Big Sight convention center. Advance tickets run 1,300 yen as opposed to 1,500 yen on the day.

Needless to say, there will be tons of commemorative Gundam stuff on sale, including new 30th anniversary models, memorial photo books, t-shirts, caps, and whatever else the organizers and exhibitors can dream up. It will definitely be totally mobbed.

Nakamura Rolls Out New Humanoid Robots

Nakamura, one of the top ROBO-ONE competitors, has a long line of other humanoid robot achievements under his belt.

For example, he's the creator of the transformer robot, WR-07, that totally amazed and delighted both the crowds and the judges during the demonstration phase of the ROBO-ONE competition a few years ago. The robots performance was so cool, and so totally unexpected that a YouTube video of the robot has racked up over 6,000,000 views todate.

At the same time, Nakamura created Kondo's highest performance robot controller for several years, the Motion Processor, and he was the guiding light and mentor for the creation of the popular Gogic Five robot kit. And, in his spare time, he organized the Himeji Robot Challenge competitions to inspire and motivate young (and old) robot fans in his community.

Never one to rest on his laurels, Nakamura is rolling out a new set of humanoid robot kits, Jo-Zero and STD-Zero, that are sure to set a new standard with robot fans and competitors both here and abroad.

Unfortunately, due to scheduling conflicts, we weren't able to be on hand for the official unveiling. However, one of top Japanese reporters we know and respect, Hideo Ishii, was able to make it and filed an extensive report including lots of great close-ups, detailed performance specifications, and video clips.
Ishii's detailed report

Ishii, by the way, isn't just a technology reporter. He is also the author of several leading books on building and modifying humanoid robots and other high tech gear, and is also a key member of the champion robot soccer team, Bamboo Bridge.

[From the Robots Dreams iPhone]

ROBO-ONE Soccer Restricts Goal Keeper Size

We have to wonder what humongous bipedal robot mountains teams must have planned to field that triggered the ROBO-ONE Soccer officials to suddenly drop the hammer and levy strict size restrictions on the Goal Keeper robots for the upcoming 3rd Robot Soccer competition.

The new regulations limit both the height and total reach (finger tip to finger tip, arms outstretched) of each teams goal keepers to an absolute maximum of 60 cm., which seems more than fair.

The competition, which is expected to draw large crowds of fans, will take place at the Panasonic Center facility near Ariake in Tokyo, with the preliminary matches held on Saturday, July 18^th, followed by the finals on Sunday, July 19^th.

Our Robot Thanksgiving Plans - IREX 2009

While most people Stateside are enjoying Thanksgiving turkey and getting ready to enjoy the annual holiday sale crush at their local shopping centers, we know where we’ll be - at IREX 2009, the world’s largest robot exhibition.

IREX, which stands for the International Robot Exhibition, is held every other year (2005, 2007, 2009, …) at the Big Sight convention center in Tokyo, and draws massive crowds. This year the event is scheduled from November 25^th through the 28^th, and is definitely not to be missed whether your a robot researcher, manufacturer, dedicated robot geek or otaku, or just curious about the current state of the art.

UK Humanoid Robots Gather

Check out photos from the UK humanoid robot gathering/competiton that was staged concurrently with the UK Micromouse 2009 last weekend. It looks like humanoid robotics is definitely drawing attention and builders on that side of the world.

[via RoboSavvy]

UK Micromouse 2009 Results Online

The results of the UK Micromouse 2009 competition, held last weekend in at the Technology Innovation Centre in Birmingham, are online now.

Toy Show Coming Up Soon

The International Tokyo Toy Show 2009 is coming up in just a couple weeks.

The show, held at the Big Sight Convention Center, draws large crowds from all over Japan, Asia, the US, and Europe.

Unlike many other shows, admission is free to the general public, and sales on the show floor are not only allowed, they're encouraged.

It will be quite interesting to see which manufacturers have weathered the economic storm and are still in the game, and which have gone under.

It will also be a great chance to get an early look at any new robot products planned for the upcoming holiday gift buying season.

International Tokyo Toy Show

[Posted from my iPhone]

RoboGames 2009 Day Three Photos

090614_RoboGames_-165
Originally uploaded by Tempusmaster.

The photo set for RoboGames 2009 Third Day is online now. We hope you enjoy seeing the photos as much as we did taking them.

Only Two More Days Left For RoboGames 2009

The first day of RoboGames 2009 was absolutely fantastic, with more excitement, more exhibitors, more humanoids, and more bashing/crashing/flame-throwing combots than we’ve ever seen in our lifetime.

King Kizer & Dynamizer Battle in Hong Kong (Video)

Two ROBO-ONE Champions duke it out for the crowds in Hong Kong last weekend.