Well, we’re not far from paprika I’d say. Here’s the article:

Researchers from Japan’s ATR Computational Neuroscience Laboratories have developed new brain analysis technology that can reconstruct the images inside a person’s mind and display them on a computer monitor, it was announced on December 11. According to the researchers, further development of the technology may soon make it possible to view other people’s dreams while they sleep.

The scientists were able to reconstruct various images viewed by a person by analyzing changes in their cerebral blood flow. Using a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) machine, the researchers first mapped the blood flow changes that occurred in the cerebral visual cortex as subjects viewed various images held in front of their eyes. Subjects were shown 400 random 10 x 10 pixel black-and-white images for a period of 12 seconds each. While the fMRI machine monitored the changes in brain activity, a computer crunched the data and learned to associate the various changes in brain activity with the different image designs.

Then, when the test subjects were shown a completely new set of images, such as the letters N-E-U-R-O-N, the system was able to reconstruct and display what the test subjects were viewing based solely on their brain activity.

For now, the system is only able to reproduce simple black-and-white images. But Dr. Kang Cheng, a researcher from the RIKEN Brain Science Institute, suggests that improving the measurement accuracy will make it possible to reproduce images in color.

“These results are a breakthrough in terms of understanding brain activity,” says Dr. Cheng. “In as little as 10 years, advances in this field of research may make it possible to read a person’s thoughts with some degree of accuracy.”

The researchers suggest a future version of this technology could be applied in the fields of art and design — particularly if it becomes possible to quickly and accurately access images existing inside an artist’s head. The technology might also lead to new treatments for conditions such as psychiatric disorders involving hallucinations, by providing doctors a direct window into the mind of the patient.

ATR chief researcher Yukiyasu Kamitani says, “This technology can also be applied to senses other than vision. In the future, it may also become possible to read feelings and complicated emotional states.”

The research results appear in the December 11 issue of US science journal Neuron.

Source: pinktentacle.com

Takara Tomy’s Omnibot 17? i-SOBOT, a miniature humanoid robot recognized by Guinness as the smallest mass-produced robot of its kind, has been named Japan’s 2008 Robot of the Year, it was announced on December 18.

The annual Robot of the Year Award was established by the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry (METI) in 2006 to stimulate the development and commercial application of robots in a variety of industries.

Judges awarded this year’s Grand Prize to i-SOBOT due to its advanced technology, its high entertainment value, and its reasonable price of under 30,000 yen (around $300). Equipped with 17 miniature servo motors and a set of gyro sensors for balance, the 350-gram (12 oz), 16.5-centimeter (6.5 in) programmable humanoid can walk, play air guitar, dance the hula, and perform 200 other moves. The tiny hobby robot is also equipped with a set of gyro sensors for balance, and it can be controlled via remote control or simple voice commands. The robot runs for about an hour on 4 AAA batteries.

In addition to the Grand Prize, this year’s Small to Medium-sized Venture Award was presented to “Book Time,” an automatic page-turning robot developed by Nishizawa Electronic Measuring Instruments.

Designed for use in hospitals by people with limited use of their hands and/or arms, Book Time turns the pages of books with either a simple press of a button, a breath-activated switch, or a large button activated by the user’s foot. The robot is compatible with a wide range of book sizes and is easy to set up and use.

This year’s Special Jury Prize was awarded to a rice-planting robot developed by the National Agriculture and Food Research Organization (NARO).

This GPS-equipped machine is designed to assist farmers by working autonomously to plant rice within a set of programmed coordinates. It takes the robot about 50 minutes to seed 3,000 square meters (0.75 acre) of land.

Source: pinktentacle.com

“As the use of e-money gains popularity in Japan, versatile FeliCa RFID readers that support multiple forms of electronic currency are popping up in convenience stores and vending machines, making it easier for users to pay with the swipe of a phone. Electronics giant NEC is jumping in on the action with a FeliCa payment terminal modeled after a life-sized android.

The robot — a prototype that NEC demonstrated at the recent iEXPO 2008 trade show in Tokyo — incorporates existing technology, which means a finished version can be produced and deployed at short notice. NEC hopes to land it a job at an amusement park selling entrance tickets to visitors with FeliCa-enabled wallet phones, also known as osaifu keitai.

To pay the robot, users simply select the appropriate e-money icon on the robot’s chest-mounted touch screen panel and then swipe their phone over the reader/writer embedded in the left hand. The robot can also be programmed to transfer electronic coupons and other data to the user’s phone when payment is made.”

“Other features include a camera system that can work with face recognition technology to identify and profile park visitors. If asked to do so, the robot can recommend specific attractions based on the person’s apparent age and gender.

It is unclear whether any theme parks have expressed interest in hiring the robot. If not, NEC could easily equip it with fingerprint scanners and put it to work at immigration counters to gather biometric data on foreigners in Japan. Tourists would love it.”

Source: pinktentacle.com

I think it’s great. Pretty soon Japan will be taking over every Zoo and theme park in the world….

It could happen!

Apparently we were the bad guys in ’space invaders’. They weren’t trying to kill us, they were trying to help us.

“I thought for sure they came to Earth to destroy civilization in a blaze of laser fire. But apparently, Space Invaders really here to tell us to pick up our trash. Really?”

Source: technabob.com

Yeah!!! Finally a Gundam fighting game where you can fight with the whiny pilots and HARO!!!

Game Control:

Left / Right arrow key: Move left or right
Up: Jump
Down: Defence / Block

A: Normal Attack
S: Ranged Attack / Rush Attack
D: Special Attack / Counter Attack
F: Finishing Blow (hit it when your power gauge is MAX)

Forward (Left / Right) + A: Charged Attack (Breaks Defense)

Game Mode (Left to Right):
1VS1 Team Battle Survival Training

Click here to play.

Only in japan.

Here are some short, interesting animations from Ryosuke Tei, they’re worth the watch even though the first two are MTV commercials.

“Freelance creative designer Ryosuke Tei has done a few animated motion IDs for MTV Asia/China that are inspired by Saiyuki (”Journey to the West“), the classic Chinese adventure novel about a monk’s trek to India in search of Buddhist texts.

In the first video, followers of the monk Genjo Sanzo (Xuanzang) psychically transmit a message from the Buddha urging him to go west.

The second one introduces the three protectors that accompany Sanzo on his quest: the powerful monkey king Son Goku (Sun Wukong), the gluttonous and libidinous pig Cho Hakkai (Zhu Bajie) and the river ogre Sa Gojo (Sha Wujing).

Check Tei’s YouTube page for more animated shorts, including this music video for French electronica artist DJ Missill’s “Forward,” which features a giant guitar-playing robo-rabbit that frees the oppressed minds of jackbooted soldiers.

The video was produced by Furi Furi Company, the creative design agency Tei established and directed for 10 years before going freelance in 2008.”

Source: pinktentacle.com

Recycle artist Masataka Koike creates realistic-looking marine life sculptures from used wooden chopsticks. This octopus, which took eight months to complete, is made of 2,000 chopsticks.

Source: pinktentacle.com