Hasta La Gadget!

A dedicated organization with a few dedicated staff is bringing robotics and engineering education to a part of Japan that’s about as rural as the hyper-densely populated country gets. The NPO Hito Project’s robotics courses are prepping kids for the robotics revolution!

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Rural Japan & Robotics
Kyushu, Japan’s southernmost main island, is the geologically active, ruggedly mountainous home to about 10% of Japan’s total population. With about 1.6 million residents, mid-western Kumamoto City is the island’s second-largest metropolitan area, but by Japanese standards it is considered quite small, even quaint; clean water, friendly people, but mostly countryside. If you’re familiar with the United States, think Oregon or Washington, i.e., one or two big cities in the northwest, then lots and lots of small towns elsewhere.

Per capita, Japan as a whole is the most active and prodigious hub of robotics research, development, production, and usage on the planet – by far. The bulk of that, however, is centered in and around the seething metropolises of Tokyo and Osaka, so although even somewhat rural Kumamoto City does have a considerable tech-industry presence (Honda, OMRON, Tokyo Electron, etc.), it’s not exactly a hotbed of robotics activity.

But roboticists, engineers, and their creations don’t have to come from the big cities up north, and an enthusiastic non-profit organization is laying the groundwork to prove as much.

NPO Hito Project’s Robot Summer School
Some here argue that an unforeseen byproduct of Japan’s long-running economic success, fueled in no small part by robotic manufacturing and industrial automation, has been the atrophy of practical, everyday physical problem solving skills. In a strange irony, the machines that helped propel Japan to an economic powerhouse have obviated the need for mechanical know-how among the nation’s youth. The NPO Hito Project wants to plug this gap and make sure that Japanese kids are not just playing with robot toys, but building them – and taking the practical know-how and basic principles into higher levels of education and eventually the workforce.

Robot Summer School (“robotto suh-muhh skuu-ru,” for those who appreciate Japanese pronunciation!) is currently held in three municipalities in the Kumamoto metro area. According to the Hito Project’s program coordinator Mr. Maehara, on Saturday, June 1st, 24 students aged 9-12 began a 4-hour robotics, engineering, and programming session in coastal Uto City. Another 4-hour class was held the following Saturday. Next were the Kumamoto City classes, this time with 39 students aged 9-15. Again, 8 hours spread across two consecutive Saturdays. Last weekend saw the first class for 16 students aged 9-15 in quite rural Kōshi City. With the completion of Kōshi City’s second class, the Robot Summer School will wrap up this Saturday.

In conducting the standard theory-to-programming-to-hardware courses, the Hito Project provides various iterations of the tried, tested, and well-liked and reviewed Lego MINDSTORMS robotics kits to each team of 2-3 students. And really, any kid who ends up at Robot Summer School is going to be hip to Legos. The only real problem with Legos is when you’re building something awesome and you run out of Legos.

This year marks the 5th anniversary of Robot Summer School, its widest reach, and the highest enrollment yet. Most grade schools and junior high schools, even here in robo-friendly Japan, don’t going to have the time, resources, expertise – and frankly, the vision – to teach these subjects. But in just one month, the Hito Project will have provided nearly 80 young minds 8 intensive hours of hands-on robotics, engineering, and programming training (jump over here for some great photos of the kids at work).

Oh, and one more thing: it’s free.

Governmental organizations chip in, sponsors donate classroom space and funds for robotics kits, high school students participate and help out, and college students contribute their time as instructors and mentors. The model is really quite simple, and highly exportable. Take motivated and qualified teachers, a small investment in equipment, a little bit of marketing, and POW! The fundamentals of robotics, engineering, and programming – delivered to the brains of the youth.

Or the brains of 30- and 40-somethings. Because come on, who doesn’t want to learn how to build Lego robots?!

Skills for the Revolution
What will these kids do with the knowledge they’ve gained at the Hito Project’s Robot Summer School here in rural southern Japan? Who knows – perhaps they’ll design robotic farming equipment (southern Japan needs it – 50% of farmers are over 60 years old).

Realistically, most of the Robot Summer School students won’t end up in robotics-specific careers, but they will have gained not only a basic knowledge of robotics systems at the physical and software levels, but also invaluable problem-solving logic and mechanical aptitude. Who among us, at any age, couldn’t use more of that?

The global resurgence of all things robotic has been likened to the rise of the personal computer or even the DotCom Revolution, but this time, we’re really paying attention – we see it coming, and we’re getting ready.

The Hito Project is all-in, and they’re taking action. How’s your community doing?

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Reno J. Tibke is the founder and operator of Anthrobotic.com and a contributor at the non-profit Robohub.org.

Info & Images: Hito Project (Japanese/日本語); Lego MINDSTORMS

I know that when it comes to summer, most parents would prefer their kids to spend their time outdoors, and if they were indoors even, playing video games is not the best way to occupy one’s holidays. After all, one gets to shed physical energy in the great outdoors, and it also does help with the socializing bit in the long run. If your kids really insist on playing indoors, why not sit them down with a board game of sorts instead? All right, so their attention span is so short, they need something electronic thrown into the mix, and I guess this is where the $29.99 Laser Maze Beam-Bending Logic Game is able to step in.

You could say that the Laser Maze Beam-Bending Logic Game is a sort of solitaire-type game, albeit it has lasers as part of the setup. You basically have to guide the laser beam through a series of mind-busting mazes, and the game ought to last for a fair amount of time as it comes with 60 cards that span different skill levels, ranging from beginner to expert. This is a single-player game which was specially designed by the very same people behind Khet and Rush Hour.
[ Laser Maze Beam-Bending Logic Game copyright by Coolest Gadgets ]

A few months ago we saw a couple of pillow cases that would be right at home in Aiur. This stuffed toy on the other hand is for those who are loyal to the Swarm. It’s a plush toy of the Zerg Overlord based on its apperance in StarCraft. You won’t be able to spawn more stuffted toys until you get one.

This huggable bundle of claws and neurons is from Etsy shop arixystix. Sadly, it’s going to take you a while to sew more Overlords. For one thing, the shop wasn’t selling the toy itself, just a sewing pattern for the toy. For another, the pattern is currently sold out. Or whatever the equivalent of that is in digital terms.

There, there. The Overlord knows exactly how you feel.

[via ThisIsWhyImBroke]

Fans of Borderlands, drop what you’re doing and head on over to Etsy this minute. Claptrap is waiting there to help you complete your quest!

This handmade plush version of the world’s most irritating sidekick was handmade by Sarah Tracy of Fuzzy Aliens. Instead of scrap metal, this Claptrap was made from felt and polyester fiberfill. He measures about 1-foot-tall (plus another 6 inches for his antenna), and even has posable arms. Though I’m not sure if he can really stand up with just that one wheel.

Best if all, you won’t need to loot too many enemies to afford this Claptrap. He’s only $20(USD) over on Etsy.

Yesterday we went to International Tokyo Toy Show 2013 and found so many Gashapon machines (also called Gachapon or Gacha Gacha) there. Gashapon means capsule toys and the machine works like this: Insert about ¥100-¥400 (price is different depending on a toy) to the machine and turn the handle and then you will get a small toy in a capsule.

Gashapon is usually used for something fun mainly for kids. When kids got a small amount of money from their parents, they run to the Gashpon machines and compete to collect as many toys as possible with their friends. However, recently it’s been changing. There are more different varieties of toys out there that adults can enjoy, which tickle adult collectors’s hearts, for example, detailed figures of anime that adults got really involved with when they were younger such as Gumdam and Dragonball.

Now I would like to introduce one of the currently most popular and interesting capsule toys. It’s “Koppu no Fuchiko”. Fuchiko is an OL that stands for “Office Lady” meaning female office worker in Japanese. It’s a tiny girl’s figure, whose name is Fuchiko, that you can hang at the edge of a cup. She holds several different poses in her OL uniform and for some rare ones she is in bikinis. People love the adorable way she looks and funny poses, and they say that she heals their fatigue.

One Gashapon for “Koppu no Fuchiko” costs only 200 yen, however it’s being sold in more expensive prices in auction sites.

New series (6 models and 1 secret model) will be out in mid-June and fans will go crazy for collecting all of the new models including the secret model again.