Japan startup unveils 15-foot robot suit for space exploration
Engineers in Japan have created a 3.5-ton robot suit that resembles a character from a hugely popular animation series, which they hope to use for space exploration and in emergency situations. Tokyo-based start-up Tsubame Industries developed the 4.5-metre-tall (14.8-feet), four-wheeled Archax robot that looks like “Mobile Suit Gundam” from the 1970s Japanese show of the same name. Named after the avian dinosaur archaeopteryx, the $3 million (£2.5m) robot has cockpit monitors that receive images from cameras hooked up to the exterior so that the pilot can manoeuvre the arms and hands with joysticks from inside its torso. The robot, which will be unveiled at the Japan Mobility Show later this month, has two modes: the upright ‘robot mode’ and a ‘vehicle mode’ in which it can travel up to 10 km (6 miles) per hour. “Japan is very good at animation, games, robots and automobiles so I thought it would be great if I could create a product that compressed all these elements into one,” said Ryo Yoshida, the 25-year-old chief executive of Tsubame Industries. “I wanted to create something that says, ‘This is Japan’.” Mr Yoshida plans to build and sell five of the machines for the well-heeled robot fan, but hopes the robot could one day be used for disaster relief or in the space industry. Mr Yoshida became interested in manufacturing at an early age, learning how to weld at his grandfather’s ironworks and then going on to found a company that produces myoelectric prosthetic hands. He said he is eager to keep Japan’s competitive edge in manufacturing alive. “I hope to learn from previous generations and carry on the tradition,” he said. Tsubame Industries is one of several startups working on robotic exoskeletons, with applications ranging from assisting delivery workers with heavy loads, to military “super soldier” suits. The US military has already unveiled several exoskeleton prototypes, with one such device claiming to offer Marines the strength and ability of up to 10 troops. “The ultimate goal is to provide troops with an edge by boosting their capabilities and dramatically improving safety and productivity in a variety of logistics applications,” the company behind it, Sarcos Robotics, said in 2020. Additional reporting from agencies. Read More MIT invents self-replicating AI robots Japan startup unveils 15-foot robot suit for space exploration TikTok finds and shuts down secret operation to stir up conflict in Ireland New discovery is ‘holy grail’ breakthrough in search for aliens, scientist say
2023-10-04 13:19
'The Voice' Season 24: Who is Rachele Nguyen? Fans feel sorry for 17-year-old as judges fail to recognize young talent
'The Voice' Season 24 singer Rachele Nguyen joined Team Reba McEntire
2023-10-04 13:19
China's next moon mission aims to do what no country has ever done. Its space ambitions don't end there
China's lunar mission to bring back the first samples ever collected from the moon's far side is on schedule for next year, officials say, as Beijing ramps up its ambitious plan to send astronauts to the moon this decade and build an international lunar research station.
2023-10-04 13:17
'The Voice' Season 24: Who is Walking Eagle? Fans heartbroken as Native American singer fails to get chair turn from coaches
Niall Horan was aware of the pitch problems and wished that Walking Eagle had taken a bit more ownership of the song on 'The Voice' Season 24 audition
2023-10-04 13:16
Elon Musk’s X ordered to pay over $1m in legal fees for laid off Twitter execs
Elon Musk’s X has been ordered by a judge to pay $1.1m in legal fees to its laid off former executives. Since Mr Musk’s takeover of X, the company formerly known as Twitter, the multibillionaire and X have faced a number of lawsuits. These include suits over the firm’s failure to pay its vendors and delays in paying rent for its office premises, as well as former employees suing Twitter alleging they were laid off without adequate notice. On Tuesday, Delaware Chancery Court judge Kathaleen St J McCormick ruled in favour of the company’s ex-chief Parag Agrawal and said X must pay $1.1m in legal fees linked with probes of the platform during Mr Musk’s 2022 takeover, Bloomberg first reported. After buying out the microblogging platform in November last year, the Tesla titan fired Mr Agrawal and Twitter’s then-lead policy officer Vijaya Gadde as well as a number of other executives. Mr Agrawal and Ms Gadde then sued Twitter/X for failing to pay for their legal bills, including for the latter’s appearance before the House Committee on Oversight and Reform. The lawsuit filing alleged the company paid only about $600,000 of what it owes, withholding $1.1m in fees for its lawyers’ work representing the former executives in an inquiry on the role played by social media on US elections. The filing alleged Twitter/X “breached the agreements and contravened the bylaws” by not paying the former staff. The latest ruling by the Delaware court judge observed that X “violated its duties to cover legal expenses generated by their work for the company”. While acknowledging that $1.1m is a lot of money, the judge still ruled in favour of the former Twitter executives. “I have reviewed the amount in question, and although it is high and probably higher than most humans would like to pay, it’s not unreasonable,” judge McCormick was quoted as saying by Bloomberg. X did not immediately respond to The Independent’s request for comment. The company is also being sued over its rebrand to X by an ad agency also named X, alleging the social media platform’s new name violates Florida common law because of “unfair competition and trademark and service mark infringement”. Read More Elon Musk’s mockery of Ukraine president Volodymyr Zelensky ‘unhelpful’ Elon Musk’s X Corp sued by another social network company named X ‘Reckless’ Elon Musk hit with $1m lawsuit for accusing student of being in Proud Boys ‘false flag’ attack Elon Musk’s X Corp sued by another social network company named X Elon Musk to live stream himself gaming on X in ‘everything app’ bid Musk confirms he is cutting election integrity staff from X/Twitter ahead of 2024
2023-10-04 12:58
Suspect charged in rapper Tupac Shakur's fatal shooting will appear in a court in Las Vegas
The man facing a murder charge in the fatal shooting of Tupac Shakur in Las Vegas 27 years ago is due to make his first appearance before a Nevada judge
2023-10-04 12:58
Boat carrying 280 migrants lands in Canary Islands
It is thought to be the largest number of people ever to arrive in the Spanish archipelago in one go.
2023-10-04 12:57
Who is LVNDR? Michigan singer makes John Legend and Niall Horan go head-to-head on 'The Voice' Season 24 with 'perfect' Drake rendition
Drake's Hotline Bling performed by LVNDR in a slowed-down rendition resulted in turns from 'The Voice' Season 24 coaches Niall Horan and John Legend
2023-10-04 12:53
Marketmind: Yen back near 150 as intervention chatter swirls
A look at the day ahead in European and global markets from Ankur Banerjee The "will-they-won't-they" discussion over yen intervention
2023-10-04 12:52
'DWTS' Season 32 viewers call out Mauricio Umansky as he remains safe even after forgetting dance steps
'DWTS' Season 32 star Mauricio Umansky reflects on forgetting dance steps
2023-10-04 12:50
UAE's non-oil business growth picks up in Sept on strong demand-PMI
DUBAI Non-oil business activity in the United Arab Emirates expanded at a faster rate in September than the
2023-10-04 12:29
Who is David Simmons Jr? John Legend calls Missouri singer 'shaky' as 'The Voice' contestant gets zero chair turn
David Simmons Jr, 40, performed a groovy rendition of 'Tainted Love' but the coaches were not impressed by the artist
2023-10-04 12:29
