Japanese Scientists Unveil Sci-Fi Wheelchair

A new type of wheelchair has been developed by robotics experts in Japan, and it so advanced that it has been dubbed as something coming from sci-fi movies. The prototype of the wheelchair was unveiled by its creators last week. Dubbed the “Rodem,” the wheelchair does not look anything like its traditional counterpart. In fact, it looks more like a scooter than a wheelchair.

The Rodem has four wheels, and the user has to ride astride – much like riding a scooter. In order to steer the scooter, the user has to use a joystick, making the operation of the chair much easier for the user. More so, the design makes it easier for health care specialists to move their patients onto the chair. In fact, those who can move on their own will also find it easier to move onto and off of the wheel chair.

The inventors of the Rodem come from Tmsuk Co., a Japanese robotics company, and researchers from 10 universities and other research institutes. Makoto Hashizume, the head of Veda International Robot Research and Development Centre, says:

“I believe this is a whole new idea for a wheelchair. With this vehicle, users can move around more freely and more actively without much help from other people.”

Indeed, while the chair is primarily meant for health care purposes, the inventors say that it can also be used by people who simply want to ride. Veda says that they are not planning on manufacturing the chair commercially for now but that they will consider talking with private companies from various countries.

Posted August 30th, 2009 by Maki | Comments (2)

Ponyo Meets Muted Success In America

Remember that post I wrote about a year ago about Gake no Ue no Ponyo? In English, this anime translates to Ponyo on the Cliff, and is considered to be one of the greatest works of the brilliant Hayao Mizayaki. When it was released in Japan, it was met with much acclaim. In fact, the film merely cemented Mizayaki’s reputation as a master of anime.

However, it seems that people across the ocean have yet to show their appreciation of Ponyo. The film was released in the US on Friday, August 14. The tale of a playful goldfish whose greatest desire is to be a little girl seems to be struggling to catch the attention of the American audience.

It has received a lot of positive reviews from critics, actually. More so, critics have been writing a lot about the director, who has lots of other excellent work under his belt: Spirited Away and Howl’s Moving Castle, to name a couple. Both of these films met great success all over the world, but only a lukewarm welcome in America.

That is precisely why there is a lot of speculation going around about how Ponyo is going to do in the US. To be fair, it has only been out for a couple of days. With all the hype that’s surrounding the film, more people might just go out and see it. The story is also quite interesting, being inspired by Hans Christian Andersen’s The Little Mermaid. Why don’t you go see it for yourself and let us know what you think of it?

Posted August 16th, 2009 by Maki | Comment (1)

The Art Of Konkatsu

Say that word out loud – konkatsu. It may remind of you a delicious Japanese dish made of pork (tonkatsu!), but it cannot be farther from that. In fact, konkatsu is the Japanese term for marriage hunting. Yes, while the western world is suffering from astronomical divorce rates, singles in Japan – young and old – are actively looking for marriage.

In the past years, statistics have consistently shown that marriage rates have been experiencing a downward spiral. Ever since the equal employment opportunity act was established in 1986, more and more Japanese women entered the corporate world. As a result, the marrying age became higher and fewer women were getting married.

Today, for some reason, people are looking for ways to find love – the kind that will end up in holy matrimony. With their busy schedules, however, singles have to engage in activities that are more aggressive in a sense. Hence the practice of konkatsu.

What happens is that those who are looking for marriage go to special hotspots throughout the country, wherein they can meet likeminded people. In konkatsu classes, singles partner up to engage in cooking lessons and food sampling, among other things. The idea is to get to know potential spouses in an intimate setting.

The term konkatsu is actually a spin off from the Japanese term meaning “job hunting.” In this new trend, it is marriage that is being sought after. Japanese businesses are quick to respond to the trend, with more konkatsu bars being established to cater to those who are looking for a lifelong relationship.

Posted August 7th, 2009 by Maki | Comments (4)

Hybrids: New Japanese Obsession

Japan has always been at the cutting edge of technology, and the Japanese have always had first dibs on the best technology there is. From video gaming consoles to computers to cars – they have it all. Speaking of cars, it seems that hybrids are fast becoming an obsession for trendy Japanese nationals.

The New York Times ran a report on how practically everyone in Japan has one thing in mind right now when it comes to cars: get a Prius. You would have thought that everyone in Japan would have a Prius by now, wouldn’t you? Apparently, in spite of the fact that hybrids have been out for several years now, it wasn’t until recently that they got the attention of the Japanese market. One reason could be that gas vehicles with excellent mileage were more readily available.

These days, however, more hybrid models have been rolled out of production. Of course, increasing gas prices also have something to do with this.

Then again, a big question hangs in the air: is this surge in interest in hybrids a result of real interest or just a short term trend due to the gas prices?

Japanese automakers say that this is for the long run. Perhaps they are right. After all, the Japanese culture taps very strongly into values such as conservation, and using hybrids is very much part of that. More so, the prices of hybrid cars are much lower than before.

I’m willing to bet that in the next few years, hybrids will be outnumbering gas vehicles on Japanese roads.

Posted August 1st, 2009 by Maki | Comments (3)