Ping pong playing robots with killer abs...must be time for iREX again.

Japan gets all the cool stuff. Last week the International Robot Exhibition (iREX) finished in Tokyo with hundreds of exhibitors and more than 100,000 visitors. iREX 2009 focused on enhancing market awareness for current and emerging robot technologies. As such, companies put their best robots on display and hyped their abilities and possible applications. If there’s a robot that’s going to make a big splash in the industry in the next few years, chances are it was at the exhibition. Check out some of the cool pics and videos after the break.

Humanoid robots received the lion’s share of attention. Industrial grade human-replacements such as the Motoman series, and Nextage were represented. Nextage actually helped open the exhibition, and Motoman put on a light saber dance show (see the videos below). Kondo, king of small humanoid robotics kits, had several advanced models on display. Kokoro had one of its creepy/lovely Actroids set up to answer questions and interact with visitors. The latest incarnation of TOSY’s ping pong playing robot, Topio, was taking on challengers and trying to intimidate them with its robotic abs (see photo below). In raising market awareness at iREX, the most common tactic seemed to be making robots more human. That strategy even extended into models whose shape is no where near the humanoid form. There were even industrial lifters and movers with happy faces on them.

Kokoro's Actroids are impressive, but they're also the epitome of robots entering into the Uncanny Valley.

The trend towards humanizing robotics isn’t new, and perhaps I shouldn’t feign surprise at its nearly universal application at iREX. These robots are on display to help them sell, and humans love to purchase things that remind them of themselves.

Subaru's autonomous lifter and mover. Why does a cargo bot need a happy face?

Still, as attractive as robot-humanity may be, it’s not the only way to move merchandise. In the following video from IDG News, we see Mitsubishi using Lego toys to help them promote their latest industrial robotic arms.

Even Motoman got in on the Lego building action.

And lest you think that humans get all the robotic fun, check out this next video (also from IDG) and the super cute baby seal bot at 0:27.

Ah, finally a non-humanoid robot: Subaru's floor cleaner. Of course, it's been around since 2006.

The bots at iREX are certainly impressive, but the vast majority are not new. Crowd favorites, like Nao, have been around for years, and make return appearances at every exhibition. Large commercial/public venues like this are just as much about displaying small upgrades in systems as they are about premiering new models. Perhaps what should really impress us, then, is the sheer number of robots on exhibition. If any doubt the breadth and depth of the industry, iREX serves as a persuasive reminder that the field of robotics is continuing to expand at an extraordinary rate.

And Nao it's time to say goodbye. See you at the next iREX.

[photo credits: Pink Tentacle]
[video credits: RobotWatchImpress, IDG News Service via NetworkWorld.TV]

Build your own Kondo robot to do battle with others!

Kondo kits are fairly simple for robot enthusiasts, though some may contain more than a hundred individual parts. For the Kondo Battle, each robot was humanoid in shape, but the wide range of available parts allowed for a good variation in size and strategy. I was impressed by the relative steady movement the gyros and stabilizers could produce, especially during fights where a bot managed to defeat an opponent without taking its own tumble.  Check out an overview of the intense robot-on-robot action in this news brief from IDG news services:

With the RoboGames coming to San Francisco next month (stay tuned to Singularity Hub for news and coverage), the Kondo Battle was a good preview of some of the models and fighting styles that will be used. In most robot fights, victory is equally dependent on the controller as on the robot itself. Kondo Battle, however, showed at least one robot (the wonderfully named Black Tiger Neo) that used sensors and preprogrammed movements to guide its own actions. Though the bot didn’t finish first, it held its own. The open class winner was Gargoil, who trounced Armdoll in the final round. The winning strategy: big feet, tall bot, scythe like hands, and a fencer’s lunge to knock over the competition. Check it out:

In the grand scheme of things, toy robot battles may not seem like the most Earth-shattering of news. The robots of the future, however, will be built by those researchers whose enthusiasm is sparked today. I also hope that the competition will breed a wide-spread interest in robotics as a hobby. The more people who know and understand these mechanical devices, the more likely we will use them responsibly and safely. And it gives humans a fighting chance in case the robots rise up to take control. Er…I mean, I welcome our new robot overlords. All Hail Gargoil!