Live2D, developed by Cybernoids, is the world’s first drawing technology to enable 3D rendering of 2D images. This technology supports a variety of portable consoles and smartphones, and Live2D is already being utilized for games that take advantage of the unique characteristics of hand drawn artwork.
“In 3D, the unique attractions of 2D art like Osamu Tezuka’s can’t be rendered properly. But with Live2D, we’ve worked to enable smooth 3D motion using entirely the …
The Guitarion, being developed at Chiba University’s Graduate School of Engineering, is a guitar that can be played by hemiplegics. People with unilateral paralysis, as a result of a stroke or other reason, can play the Guitarion using only their unaffected side.
“The guitar is held in place by the non-disabled hand, and to play it, there’s a solenoid in this part. The solenoid works with a foot switch. When you press the switch, the solenoid moves up and down, and the picks …
The Wishing Cap sold by Isamisa Design Studio is a cap with a detachable hairpiece.
“I personally have experienced hair loss due to undergoing cancer treatment. From this experience, I created this product with the goal of helping patients while they undergo treatment. The double lining of this cap is a patented feature. On the inside there is one layer of cloth, and the hairpiece can be easily removed like this. By stuffing the inside of the cap this way, the hair looks more natural. The …
Fasotec and Hiroo Ladies clinic, have started a service that makes 3D models showing the inside of the abdomen during pregnancy. This service began on July 30.
Currently, many clinics provide photos taken during ultrasound scans. But this is the world’s first service to provide a 3D model that you can actually hold.
“We actually got three expectant mothers to try this out. They said it felt great to see how their babies looked before birth, and to be able to actually hold the inside …
This aquaponics system, designed as a therapeutic indoor display has been developed by N.I. Teijin Shoji.
An aquaponics system consists of a fish tank and a vegetable planter, which are connected by pipes. It utilizes the fish waste as nutrients for the plants, in a symbiotic closed-loop cultivation system.
This compact design, where the water, ornamental fish, and vegetables can all be seen together, was created by a.a.c., an aquarium production company.
“In this system, the fish …
Swumanoid, developed by the Nakashima Group at Tokyo Institute of Technology, is a humanoid robot that replicates the motion of a swimmer. In the future, this robot is expected to help researchers analyze how people can swim faster, and develop speed enhancing swimming apparel.
“In research on swimming, one problem is, it’s hard to know how much propulsive force the hands create during a stroke. There have been attempts to measure such things using actual swimmers, but it’s …
Brain Corporation has developed a system that can individually identify all kinds of baked goods on a tray, in just one second. A trial has started at a Tokyo bakery store.
This technology was co-developed with the University of Hyogo. This is the world’s first trial of such a system in actual work at a cash register.
“Part-time staff sometimes can’t remember the names of baked goods. But with this system, the names of the goods appear on screen, so staff can work at the cash …
SuperTrac, manufactured and marketed by Minato Medical Science, is an active automated intermittent traction device that can traction the lumbar vertebra.
“Conventional traction devices have been bed designs, with the lumbar vertebra tractioned while the patient lies on the bed. SuperTrac is a chair design traction device. People with back pain have had difficulty getting on and off the bed, but SuperTrac has the advantage of being able to provide traction with the patient just sitting in …
The Nonami Group at Chiba University is developing drone robots for information gathering, and the group has demonstrated four multi-rotor helicopters, flying in formation using image processing.
“The cameras capture the markers, and send all the images to the host computer, which calculates the position and attitude. Positioning can be done to within 1 mm. The control frequency is 100 Hz, so position and attitude are calculated every 10 ms, to prevent collisions.”
Each helicopter …
Outstanding Technology has developed two commercial products using visible light communication technology, using LED lights to transmit data. These are a location service for smartphones, called the Commulight System, and a visible light transceiver, the TR01.
The Commulight System consists of a receiver that plugs into a smartphone or tablet, and LED lights with a built-in transmitter. The receiving device obtains IDs emitted by the LED lights, enabling it to download content relevant to the …
This is site is run by Sascha Endlicher, M.A., during ungodly late night hours. Wanna know more about him? Connect via Social Media by jumping to about.me/sascha.endlicher.
