Japan robot suit offers hope for nuclear work
News On Japan via phys.org -- Oct 19
Brain wave-controlled robot suits that allow wearers to don heavy radiation protection without feeling the weight were unveiled in Japan on Thursday.
Researchers showed off the latest incarnation of HAL, the Hybrid Assistive Limb, a full body suit that could eventually be used by workers dismantling the crippled Fukushima nuclear plant. HAL-coincidentally the name of the evil supercomputer in Stanley Kubrick's "2001: A Space Odyssey"-has a network of sensors that monitor the electric signals coming from the wearer's brain. It uses these to activate the robot's limbs in concert with the worker's, taking weight off his or her muscles. Yoshiyuki Sankai, professor of engineering at the University of Tsukuba, said this means the 60-kilogramme (130-pound) tungsten vest workers at Fukushima have to wear is almost unnoticeable.
東京・江東区の東京ビッグサイトで「Japan Robot Week 2012」が開催され、活躍が期待されるロボットが大集結した。
| May 25 | Nagoya Castle structures restored |
 At the Nagoya Castle compound in central Japan, restoration work has been completed on the entrance and reception room of the main residential building for the first time in 70 years. (NHK  ) |
| May 24 | Tokyo cops bust casino in Shibuya |
 Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Wednesday raided an Internet casino in Shibuya Ward for offering illegal gambling. (Tokyo Reporter ) |
| May 24 | WWII vet gets 'Order of the Rising Sun' from Japan's ambassador |
 The government of Japan has bestowed one of that nation's highest honors on a Japanese-American, a former U.S. Soldier and World War II veteran, for his work furthering relationships between the Japanese and Americans. (army.mil ) |
| May 23 | Osaka court accepts losing horse racing bets as expenses |
 Osaka District Court accepted a claim on Thursday that losses on betting on horse racing should be deductible from payouts to calculate taxable income. (Jiji Press ) |
| May 23 | Japanese becomes oldest person to conquer Everest |
 Eighty-year-old Yuichiro Miura has become the oldest person to scale Mount Everest, his management office said Thursday. (Japan Times ) |
| May 23 | Youth arrested for hitting 16-year-old girl with baseball bat |
 An 18-year-old youth has been arrested on a charge of attempted murder after he allegedly hit a 16-year-old girl in the head with a baseball bat. (Japan Today ) |
| May 22 | X Japan waxes lyrical at Madame Tussauds debut |
 This Monday, members of the seminal metal band X Japan were in Odaiba rubbing shoulders with the likes of Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga and AKB48′s Yuko Oshima. The catch? They were all made out of wax. (Japan Times ) |
| May 22 | Transport ministry to unify rules for baby strollers on buses, trains |
 The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism has announced that it intends to draw up a set of unified rules for the use of baby strollers on buses and trains. (Japan Today ) |
| May 21 | Man stabs ex-wife, then crashes car during getaway |
 A man stabbed his ex-wife on a street in Isehara, Kanagawa Prefecture, on Tuesday morning, and then caused a car crash while he was fleeing from the scene. (Japan Today ) |
| May 21 | Japan Crown Prince to visit Spain |
 Japanese Crown Prince Naruhito will visit Spain for seven days from June 10, the government said Tuesday. (Jiji Press ) |