Categories for Uncategorized
October 16, 2010 -
by nakamura
The DAY1 of two-day course “NAO Programing Seminar at YNL” started with a speech of Bruno Maisonnier, CEO, Aldebaran Robotics. It is intended for students of YNL and those of Department of Mechano-Informatics. It is the first initiative under the Educational Program between our lab at University of Tokyo and Aldebaran Robotics. I would like to express my special thanks to the four engineers of Aldebaran who spent the whole day with the rich contents. I came back to the class room late in the afternoon, I found some students flustrated being left behind. After talking to the engineers after the seminar, I recognized that the classroom culture in Japan…
October 11, 2010 -
by nakamura
We start to use 30 humanoids robots, NAO, for education and research in some laboratories at the Department of Mechano-Informatics, the University of Tokyo. It is based on the educational program of Aldebaran Robotics, France. NAO is a fine educational robot with many input/output peripherals and open software platform. In 2010 winter semester, Prof. Wataru Takano and I open a seminar for junior students on “About Beauty of Posture and Motion Programmed in Humanoid Robots.” We plan to organize it with Prof. Satoru Kitago and his students in Tokyo University of the Arts. It’s going to be a big fun. I had a chance to visit Aldebaran Robotics in Paris…
July 30, 2010 -
by nakamura
The report of the Informal Meeting on Moon Exploration (of Japan) was published on July 29th 2010 at its 9th meeting. The information is available from (here) in Japanese. The list of public comments (invited for the draft of the report publicized at the 8th meeting) and the replies to them are also found in the information, among which the discussions on robots are interesting to read. This is an important report for robotics as one of its future orbits. I am among those who claim that robotics could commit more challenging contributions in the range of 10 years. I would like to share my comments to the report which…
July 20, 2010 -
by nakamura
An old Citroen (LEFT) was seen on a street in Bologna at a conference in 2006. It reminded my childhood. The faces of cars always scared me. Norm Chomsky claims the innate linguistic system in the human brain. I would like to claim the innate anthropomorphic equipment (AE) in the human brain. The AE is the function to understand and interpret human and human behaviors, which is a development of evolution by the necessity of mutual communication between humans. Anthropomorphism and language are from the same origin and keys for human behaviors and robot intelligence. The trams (MIDDLE) and trolley-bus in San Francisco add a unique character to the city….
July 11, 2010 -
by nakamura
Probably it is safe to say that the very first academic symposium on robotics was born in Udine, Italy in 1976 as the first symposium of Romansy of IFToMM. The biannual symposium was in Udine in July 2010 as the 18th symposium. In early days, the symposia in Udine were always at the same small room in CISM, International Center for Machine Science, which is easily filled by only 30 participants. The chandelier must have seen the enthusiastic days. Udine had only a few information in a tourism book including the bell tower on top of which two Moors strike a bell. A small medieval city characterized by Islamic, East-European,…
July 4, 2010 -
by nakamura
Every road goes to Rome. The old saying might not have been too common yet when this road was made in BC3rd century. In a country side within 25 km of Rome, there are two small volcanic lakes, surrounding which there is a hill of territory of Vatican City. Prof. Marco Ceccarelli, a local resident and President of IFToMM, says that the previous pope spent a lot of time there. The road is going to the top of the highest hill overlooking the lakes. Flat stone pavement, even with nonskid surface, was about 2.5 m wide and enough for two way traffic of Roman chariots. We were on the same…
May 21, 2010 -
by nakamura
May 11, 2010 -
by nakamura
IEEE International Conference on Robotics and Automation (ICAR) 2010 was in Anchorage, Alaska on May 4-5. The “linear” banquet was on the Alaska Railway. 22 cars carries us all to the end of the Glacier. A slow round trip in five hours from 17:00 to 22:00. I walked from one end to the other (and come back) to see and talk to all the participants. It was a really fun. The conference was special to me since it was a great opportunity for me to give one of the plenaries. http://icra2010.grasp.upenn.edu/?q=plenaries The speech was “Robotics from Anthropomorphism” and explained the field of robotics where the shape and motion of humans…
April 18, 2010 -
by nakamura
Mount Yoshino is known by its medieval history and Sakura (typically Yama-zakura, not Somei-Yoshino). Left: Nyoirin-ji temple in Nakano-Senbon. Right: the 350-years-old Sakura at the top of the mountain in Saitani Area. Sakura normally lives 150 years. It is an old tree made up of Sakura trees fused in several generations. I’ve learned the difference of Yama-zakura and Somei-Yoshino, which was artificially created about 150 years ago in Tokyo and is wide seen all over Japan. Cheers to cherries!
April 1, 2010 -
by nakamura
It is usually terribly cold to have party under cherry blossoms in full bloom at this season. The evening of March 31 was the best we have had for these years. It was mild temperature and no rain. The sakura was just in full bloom in Ueno Park. Eight from the lab enjoyed among many. Thanks to students volunteers for preparing the party. A new school year starts.