HAKO-ANI (Box Sister) is a holographic display designed for use with iPad and other tablet devices. It allows users to enjoy 3D images projected from their tablet to a pyramid shaped holographic display. This means fans of virtual idols, such as Hatsune Miku can use it to enjoy tiny “live” performances from the comfort of their home. The tablet version of HAKO-ANI will be available on August 1st and will cost ¥36,750 ($467 US).

HAKOANI via Asiajin

This little guy that I ran into at the Tokyo Toy Show is called “Lucky Dog UN-CHO-KEN” (luck saving dog). “Un” is also a part the word “unko” which means poop, and this is exactly what this puppy does. You place a coin in the dog’s mouth and press on his tongue, then he spins around and poops it into the bank. He sends your money down the crapper to save you from doing the same. *Da-dum-tssh*

Finally got some video of DoCoMo’s transparent touchscreen smartphone prototype at Wireless Japan 2012. As mentioned before it’s not suitable for bright areas, though the visibility is surprisingly not bad at close range. The touchscreen response was great and I can see how having two surfaces would make it easier give more complex commands, e.g. while playing a game. Looking forward to seeing this technology on the market. When they tackle to visibility factor and give us a bigger display, transparent touchscreen could be the next big thing.

With the last year’s disaster at the Fukushima nuclear power plant, it’s no surprise that the world’s first  radiation detector smartphone is from Japan. Mobile service provider SoftBank has recently announced their Pantone 5 smartphone in an attempt to address the concerns of those who worry about threat of high doses of radiation.
The radiation detector is activated when it user presses a button on the front of the phone. A meter appears and a read-out is given.  But we’re not sure exactly how accurate this reading is. Smartphone blog Japan Mobile Tech has stated …

Though this may look like a pair of colorful oversized hipster glasses, it is actually a 2 mega-pixel spy camera called MEGANE-CAMERA. This stylish camera allows you to discretely take beautiful retro-looking daytime pictures and videos without arousing any suspicion.

Taking a picture is as simple as clicking the small shutter button on the top right of the glasses’ frame. The pictures (2048 × 1536 px) and videos (720p, 30fps with audio) are stored on a micro SD card. Data can be transferred from the camera via USB, which is also …

Nobuhiro Takahashi is a researcher known for making high-tech devices for lonely people. He previous inventions include; Sense-Roid, a vest that allows you to know how it feels to hug yourself and robotic tongue for kissing over the internet (videos below). Now he’s at it again, he’s created the world’s most realistic robot buttocks. Ladies and gentlemen I present to you, “Shiri”. (Japanese for butt)

So according to Takahashi and The University of Electrocommunication, this humanoid robot butt was made to explore innovative ways to use robotics in communication. They are …

Researchers at the Institute of Advanced Media Arts and Sciences are working on a device that allows you to take pictures using your hands. The small camera is attached to your thumb and let’s you frame shots using your fingers in the shape of a rectangle.

According to one of the researchers:
“When you draw a picture or take a photo, you sometimes form a rectangle with your hands to decide the composition. With this camera, you can take a photo using the exact same motion. You attach this device to your …

Last month Samsung announced the release of the eyeCAN; an eye motion controlled virtual mouse. This device consists of a motion tracker mounted to the frame of a pair of lens-less glasses. The user’s eye movements are used to control cursor motion and clicks (I assume blinks count as clicks). eyeCAN was developed specially for paralyzed individuals who have no other means by which to use a computer.

When I saw the eyeCan, I was immediately reminded of the EyeWriter; the $50 eye tracker that we talked about back in 2010. …

At Make Tokyo Meeting 07, I came across a group of students from the University of Tsukuba, who believe the best way to release bottled up emotions is to actually shout them into a bottle. Their invention is called the “Wat Bottle”, from the Japanese word watto which means to cry out suddenly in a loud voice.
It’s pretty simple; open the lid, scream the source of your frustration into the jar where your voice is recorded, close the lid and shake the jar to amplify the sound, then open the …

Last month marked ASIMO’s 11 year anniversary, and boy has he grown up. Unlike his birthday celebration last year where he displayed no significant improvements, this time Honda rolled out a model they call “All-new ASIMO”. This make-over is the robot-boy’s first major redesign since 2007.

With this upgrade ASIMO can perform amazing feats of acrobatics (by biped robot standards). He able to jump a few inches off the ground and even jump while balancing on one leg. He can not only run faster, with a top-speed increase from 6 kph …