Toyota Introduces Its Violin-playing Robot

It seems that Japanese automakers are not only competing in terms of vehicle models but are also rivals in the field of robotics. If Honda (producer of high quality Acura CL brake booster) has the ASIMO, Toyota has come up with a robot that can play the “Pomp and Circumstance” on the violin.

Toyota has introduced its musically inclined 5-foot-tall-all-white robot last Thursday. The robot’s mechanical fingers are precisely programmed to press the right strings while its other arm was used for bowing. The movements were perfectly coordinated allowing the robot to effortlessly play the violin.

This robot-playing-violin is not the first of its kind, Toyota has previously shown robots that can play the trumpets and roll around working as guides. According to Toyota President Katsuaki Watanabe robotics will be an important part of the company in the coming years. Toyota will also create robots for used at hospitals, for its facilities and for other places where robotics may be applied. The automaker is also hoping to put what it calls as partner robots to real use by 2010.

Mr. Watanabe has told reporters at the Toyota showroom in Tokyo, “We want to create robots that are useful for people in everyday life.” He further stated that it is not that surprising for the company to venture into robotics since it’s a natural extension of the automaker’s robots used in manufacturing and in the development of auto-related technology such as the use of artificial intelligence for the sensors and pre-crash safety systems.

Toyota has also given a glimpse of what the future holds in terms of new technology like the wheelchair like “mobility robots” that are designed to offer “bed-to-bed” services to people especially the elderly and the sick. Actually the concept used for this technology was derived from cars that take people “door-to-door”.

If you are to compare Toyota with the other automakers that are involved in robotics as mentioned Honda with its ASIMO, Hitachi Ltd., Fujitsu Ltd., and NEC Corp.–Japan’s biggest seller of automobiles is a late bloomer. Just take Honda for instance which has started working on robots since 1986 believing that such technology would play an important role in delivering mobility in the future. Its ASIMO robot an acronym for Advanced Step in Innovative Mobility or simply “legs” in Japanese was first offered in the year 2000 for rental. It is also one of the most advanced humanoids in the world considering the fact that it can do primary body function such as walk, jog, wave, evade obstacles, and can even carry on simple conversations.

The ASIMO also looks like a real-life child dressed in a white space-suit. This remarkable advancement made on the ASIMO is what Toyota would like to surpass and to achieve this goal the company is working with universities to speed up research and development on robotics.

In addition to robots, Toyota is still continuing its research on biofuels while Honda is expanding its other business such as its jet and motorcycle units.

Do You Know What A Forex Robot Is And What Can It Do?

You will probably have no idea what a Forex robot is if you are unfamiliar with Forex trading. Traders can test their wits and place trades on different currency pairs. They will attempt to predict which way they think the pair will go. Either up, or down. Changes happen very rapidly in the Forex market. Currency pairs have been known to jump or drop substantially in a matter of seconds. For the strong willed trader that can develop an effective strategy there is a lot of money to be made. There are literally trillions of dollars that get traded in the Forex market. With the swift movements of the market there is extreme risk as well. Forex robots have become a tool to assist traders in mastering a profitable strategy.

Since a Robot is incapable of feeling emotion, traders can really get an edge on the ups and downs that come with Forex trading. People have a tendency to want to hang in there when they are in a losing trade. They do this in hopes that it will come around. Then the trader will begin thinking about how much money they are losing. That’s when the trader may decide to take a huge loss. This is an example of why Forex robots can be beneficial when it comes to keeping a traders emotional charge grounded.

So what is a Forex robot?

It is not a cybernetic humanoid trader that shoots laser beams out of his eyes. It is much simpler than that. A Forex robot is a computer program, or a piece of software designed to analyze the market for the trader. In most cases these robots will even carry out the trading action for the trader. Forex robots analyze, dissect data, and study indicators in order to predict when a profitable trade is possible. Although most Forex robots will be able to execute the trade without the trader being present it is not always a good idea to leave them unchecked. This would depend greatly on the ability of that certain robots performance.

There are a lot of things to think about in regards to the volatility in the Forex market. Economic, political, financial, and even environmental changes of a country have been known to effect its? currency. These sudden changes are what make Forex so terribly risky. On average ninety-five percent of traders will lose their money. This leaves the small five percent of traders that reap the rewards of the multi-trillion dollar market. So how does the average person become a part of the successful five percent?

Timing and strategy is everything to be a successful trader. That is what Forex robots have been created to do. Improve the timing and strategy of the trader. This could potentially increase the profits for a trader.

Another major advantage to having an automated Forex system is the time factor. Since most robots are designed to execute the trades for traders they can take advantage of potentially profitable trades that they otherwise couldn’t. A trader cannot be at their computer to execute trades when they are sleeping, on vacation, or just away from their desk. The advantage of a Forex robot is to capitalize on opportunities while the trader is not present.

Not all Forex robots were created equally. Some will pick more winning trades than others. This is why it is always smart for a trader to do a little research before selecting an automated system to assist them. There are extremely accurate robots that perform on a consistent basis. There are others that are only accurate half of the time. Having an inaccurate robot can deplete a trader’s account very quickly.

When seeking a Forex robot there are a lot of things a trader must consider. Each trader is different and has a different strategy. Experienced traders will usually utilize Forex robots to enhance their current strategy. Some Forex robots can be left to do the trading on their own, and some cannot. This is an important thing for a trader to bear in mind when choosing a Forex robot.

Educational Robot Toys ? The 21st Century toys for child

Many cost-effective, high performance quality robots have been broadly used for household, commercial applications and also child’s toys. Gone are the days when children were playing iron hoops and dolls made by simple wood carvings and bundles of grass. Today’s children’s demand is dominated by complicated contraptions that come from just a fraction of their minds. Nowadays, thanking to the enhanced technology, an electronic robot toy is far more sophisticated than those ordinary molded plastic toys only with blinking lights and beeping sound effects. Robot toys that are available in the market today are not only sleek, but also more interactive. According to Mattel’s president, Neil Friedman, “Innovation is a key in the toy industry and to succeed one must create a ‘wow’ moment for kids by designing toys that have fun, innovative features and include new technologies and engaging content.” Its sales largely depend on the rapidly changing toy commerce and the demand by parents and children for more enhanced features.

Video games are not considered as robot toys. They are just electronic role-playing mind games; robot toys are highly interactive between the toy and the user. Usually, the toy robots are replicates of human beings, while a video game is an audio visual device to play games on. Based on many research reports, it indicated that more and more children are addicted to violent video games such as fighting and combat action games. It affects their mind development badly through their growth path to become adults. Educational toy robots, educational toys, and non-violent multiplayer online games will replace pinball machines, fighting games, and combat action games in the video arcades of the future. 

Nowadays, there are many different types of robot toys in the market. Most of them are reflections of the child’s obsession with cartoon characters like Wall-e and celluloid heroes like Batman. They are all not only very sophisticated, but also costly. For instance, Wow Wee’s high tech robot pets have gained many customers’ applauses with their highly innovative designs and life-like actions and movements. Some of the robot toy pets can actually fetch and run and even snuggle up to you. Not only are children crazy about the robot toy, but even adults are now spending a lot of money on the highly sophisticated robot toys in the market! Especially in Japan, because of the fact of labor shortage, the elders require more and more companion with robot products. 

Educational toy robots have been widely introduced in school these days. They enable the user to experiment and increase creativity with the fully autonomous components. Most of the robot toys are equipped with all kinds of sensors enabling to see, hear and feel, making it the ideal companion. Many robot toys are able to express a wide range of emotions, while the bio-mechanism enables smooth and even humanoid movement. Some of them can even be programmable to perform different tasks via user’s commands. Like the other toy products in the market, the toy robots are also manufactured with eco-friendly material and in compliance with set industry rules and standards. 

RobotBuy Store Canada (www.robotbuy.ca) is a leading distribution source of varieties of robot products such as Domestic Robots, Pet care Robot kits, Robot Toys, Robot Educational and Development kits and robot building tools and equipment. At RobotBuy Store, customers will find their favorite robot products and enjoy a great experience brought by state-of-the-art robot technologies.

BYOR, Build Your Own Robot

The Time Is Right:

The field of hobby robotics is more exciting today than ever before. The day when you will have a humanoid, walking, talking robot in your home that will do your cooking and cleaning looms ever closer. Short of having a real robotic maid or butler, there are many other options that can be built today on just about any budget. If you really want to enjoy a fun, reasonably priced hobby, you should try to build your own robots. There are many reasons why it makes sense create a robot from scratch rather than buying pre-made ones.

 

Affordable:

The technology that exists today staggers the mind in not only how advanced it has become, but also in how cheap it is to purchase. There are microcontrollers today that literally replace a room-sized computer of the previous century. The cost for such controllers can be well under $100 for a more-than-capable unit. Some can be purchased as kits to assemble and learn about computer architecture and electronics, others are pre-built units and some even come as single boards that are ready to “plug and play.”

Sensors for hobby robots have increased in functionality while they have also reduced in price. It has gotten to the point where advanced sensors like ultrasonic range detectors and infrared distance sensors even come with robotic toys like the Lego Mindstorms kits. The accuracy of these sensors is astonishing and affords the robotic hobbyist with very high-precision instruments capable of providing ample functionality on even an entry-level robot.

 

Programability:

It was formerly the case that many of these microcontrollers required a high-level understanding of computers, binary math and assembler language programming to operate. This restricted the field to schooled adults or older children with a great deal of mathematics background.

Today, many of these robotic products come with a computer interface that allows “building block” style components to be visually ordered on-screen in a graphical editor which allows even younger children the ability to understand logic programming and control-flow logic structures in an easy to understand format. These same programs usually also allow code-level programming to be performed as the student gains an understanding of the high-level logic. This allows them to get “closer to the metal” of the processor’s native language and architecture while providing skill-building opportunities.

Even more interesting for some, is that many of the common hobby robots have their loyal fan following, usually very technical people, who like to push the limits of the platforms. Often you can find compilers or interpreters written to support programming in other languages. This allows the clever and curious inventors to use their robotic for other purposes while learning ever more technical skills. You can often find more than one website devoted to groups like these.

 

Attack of the Toys:

If you are not as interested in learning programming software, you can also take existing toys and use them as a springboard to more advanced uses. Toys like the Furby of yesteryear gained a following by inspired experimenters who took them apart, rewired them, and put them back together in their own vision, to perform functions not intended by the original manufacturers.

Radio controlled toys are also an excellent springboard for robot development as they take care of a common problem with robots, locomotion. One of the persistent problems creating a robot from scratch is how to propel your robot accurately around the room. Motors require careful selection, knowledge of velocity, gearing and other complex formulas in order to operate accurately. Robots like the iRobot Roomba have solved these problems and thus it makes sense to reuse the work they have done rather than re-inventing the wheel.

Also, battery power can be tricky to learn and many of these platforms take the guesswork out of creating rechargable platforms that won’t run out of juice after a five minute stroll around your home.

Reusing these technologies allows the experiment to concentrate on higher-level functions like navigation, vision and other robotic applications that may be more appealing to the robotics enthusiast.

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Honda’s Continuing Progress With the Asimo Robot and the Honda Odyssey

Honda (producer of high quality auto parts like Acura CL EGR valve) has recently achieved another breakthrough in the field of robotics when it has successfully made two humanoid robots to work in pairs.

The demonstration was held in Tokyo where the two child-size ASIMOs were made to serve tea and do other tasks in coordination with each other. According to Honda, the new robot buddy system enables the humanoids to share information on each other’s location as well as keep track of each other’s activities.

To demonstrate the new capabilities of the ASIMOs they were made to make their way around the room while pushing a refreshment cart then picking up and setting down drink trays.

According to the automaker the upgrades that they have put on the ASIMO robots allow them to recognize drink choices and to carry a tray with the particular ordered drink. The most amazing about the ASIMO is the part where they can analyze and at the same time predict the movement of real humans enabling them to avoid getting in the way.

Dodge Minivan to Bow Down to Honda Odyssey

Aside from the ASIMO, Honda’s Odyssey is also making waves and it may grab the minivan crown from Chrysler.

It can be noted that it was Chrysler that single-handedly developed the minivan market segment with its Dodge Caravan and the Chrysler Town & Country. Since the introduction of the Caravan in the US in 1983 it has become the top-selling minivan.

But it seems that Chrysler will not be holding the minivan crown for long especially with Honda selling over 158,139 Odyssey minivans compared to the 154,824 Dodge Caravans sold in the same period that is according to data gathered by AutoData.

Chrysler’s sales suffered for 2007 because of changeover to the new version that is according to Chrysler spokeswoman Beverly Thacker. Aside from that more buyers are shifting to crossover SUVs thereby reducing further the minivan market share. The Caravan sales are now down by 21 percent as compared to the number it sold by the end of November in 2006.

With regards to total minivan sales including Chrysler Town & Country and Dodge Caravan, Chrysler LLC remains to be the market leader with 279,000 units of minivans sold. But despite this fact industry analysts thinks that Chrysler need to do better than that, if it wants to keep the title as US best-selling minivan especially with Honda working hard to improve the sales of its minivans and so far it’s doing a pretty good job.