tokyo

These electric velocipede concepts are wired to connect to smart grids, smartphones, home network systems, and sharing services.

With populations in urban centers expected to surge over the next few decades, auto manufacturers are looking beyond cars to find ways to mobilize the population without using more fossil fuels. Toyota teamed up with Yamaha to show off a couple of electric bicycle concepts at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show. They're not the first companies to tackle e-bikes, but they could be the first companies to show how these non-traditional EVs can be connected to smart grids.

The three-wheeled EC-Miu and the electrically power-assisted Pas With bicycle are designed to work with the Toyota Smart Center, an advanced smart grid energy-management system designed for homes, businesses, and power companies, which means your e-bike will be another appliance you can manage online.… Read more

Lacking the power of the Juke-R, but the Juke Nismo might see production.

Nissan plans to expand its high performance line of vehicles, and it's targeting the crossover market to do it. The auto manufacturer unveiled the Juke Nismo Concept at the 2011 Tokyo Motor Show, announcing that the crossover could get the green light if it proves popular.

The Nissan Juke Nismo concept is a toned-down version of the Juke-R exercise the manufacturer has been promoting through a series of online videos. While the Juke-R borrows the heart and soul of the GT-R to become a compact SUV … Read more

After seeing the Subaru Concept STI that debuted in Los Angeles, we had a pretty good idea of what the production 2013 Subaru BRZ would look like.

We now have official photographic confirmation. Of course, there are no real surprises. The production BRZ looks nearly identical to the Toyota GT 86 with which it shares a platform. The vehicles are so similar that it takes a side-by-side comparison to tell that the Subaru has a different front grille opening, fender vents that are similar those on the STI concept, and a different wheel and tire package.

Where the Subaru may … Read more

What if changing the color of your car was as simple as tapping an app? Toyota's Fun-Vii concept promises exactly that and more.

The Fun-Vii's skin is actually a massive display that can change its color at will, and display graphics, images, and custom messages for other drivers or bystanders. Toyota gives the visual example of a business using the Fun-Vii to display advertisement livery, but I'd love to be able to quickly throw up a "Back off, chump!" to a tailgater.

The custom graphics aren't limited to the exterior. Toyota also envisions that large interior display surfaces can add augmented reality functionality to the driving experience while allowing the vehicle's interior to be "freely adjustable to match the mood of the moment."… Read more

Though you might be obsessing over the next MacBook Air or the latest and greatest Android smartphone, your future laptop or mobile device might already be lying around your house.

Researchers at the Ishikawa Oku Laboratory at the University of Tokyo have come up with a concept called "invoked computing" that turns everyday objects into computer interfaces and communication devices using a ubiquitous augmented-reality system.

The concept is based on the idea that technology should learn our behavior and respond to us, instead of the other way around. As such, with invoked computing, one would just need to mimic a certain task and the computer should recognize the gesture and turn any object into a usable electronic device. … Read more

Japanese writer Natsume Soseki, author of the celebrated novel "I Am a Cat," would have loved this one.

Researchers at Tokyo Metropolitan University's Ideea Lab have developed a giant furry cat head that mimics the movements of its human wearers.

The Neko Kaburu headpiece, aka the AnimatronInterface, consists of an inner mesh mask equipped with sensors that track eyelid, mouth, and muscle movements.

These are reproduced in the cat mask, so users look like they have giant cartoon cat heads. … Read more

A showdown is brewing in the realm of bicycle-riding robots. Murata Boy, the balance-beam daredevil, has competition in the form of a brash young upstart.

Primer-V2 is the brainchild of Masahiko Yamaguchi, aka Dr. Guero, a hobbyist who thrilled visitors to the recent iRex 2011 robot trade show here in Tokyo.

The bot is being touted as the first cyber-cyclist that can maintain its balance simply by moving the handlebars. … Read more

Nissan's Pivo 3 EV concept is a futuristic three-seater that expands on the Pivo and Pivo 2. The driver sits in the center position of the Pivo 3 EV, which allows for better visibility. However, the concept car has some rather innovative features to make driving and charging easier.

According to Nissan, the Pivo 3 EV features technology called Automated Valet Parking (AVP), which allows the driver to find a parking spot without driving around and around a parking garage. With AVP, the Pivo 3 EV can also charge itself and return to its driver when called by smartphone.… Read more

TOKYO--Robots were out in force in Tokyo today as the International Robot Exhibition (iRex) kicked off with sophisticated humanoid industrial robots thrilling visitors.

With nearly 300 companies and groups taking part, iRex 2011 has the usual large-footprint booths by major robot makers like Fanuc and Yaskawa. With the power shortages that followed the March 11 earthquake and tsunamis, energy savings is a prominent theme, as it was at the Ceatec 2011 high-tech show here last month.

Particularly awesome was a demo of Nextage industrial robots by Kawada Industries, known for its work on the HRP series of humanoids as well as its mainline of bridge building.

The 20 kg (44 pound) assembly-line droid has six-jointed arms as well as cameras in its eyes and hands. It was also shown off at iRex 2009, though sales began recently. It's expected to use the same tools as humans while working in production cells; a research version called Hiro is also available. … Read more