Toyota is of course very well known for making cars, but not really for making robots – this is Honda domain. That being said, Toyota has been working on this robot for 3 years, and has now decided that it is ready for public viewing.
The Toyota violin robot is performing daily at the Japanese Pavilion, at the The Shanghai World Expo. Here’s a short video of the robot performing a distinctly Chinese tune at the Expo:
While I don’t think that the robot will be putting orchestra players out of work anytime soon, the technology involved in manipulating the violin bow and fretting the strings is quite amazing.
Frustration often begets creativity and innovation.
I really hate having to get the very last remaining bit of toothpaste that collects up at the bottom of the tube.
Well, this new toothpaste tube (designed by Dominic Wilcox and illustrated by Clare Mallison) solves this problem by putting a cap at both ends.
Now when you (or your partner) keep squeezing from the front or middle of the tube, no need to get angry – you can simply open up the other end to get the rest out! It also does the double duty of fixing the problem of your partner gumming up one side of the tube because you can each have your own end cap.
Not all inventions are new cars that run on strange fuels, new drugs that cure cancer or novel methods of digging wells in the third world. Sometimes, patents are issued for devices that simply entertain us. This leads us to Micheal Jackson:
Micheal Jackson’s untimely passing has obviously been very bog news – there have been tribute CD’s, tribute movies, tribute youtube videos, tribute magazines, books, and just about everything else. Michael Jackson has definitely left an impression on this world, not the least for his patented dance moves.
Anti-Gravity Illision Patent
Actually, one of his dance moves is patented. Well not quite, but at least the mechanical contraption that he invented to facilitate one of his moves is patented.
In Michael Jackson’s “Smooth Criminal” video, he and the other dancers performed a trick that almost seemed as though they defied gravity – they leaned forward past 45 degrees, keeping their feet firmly planted on the ground.
In the video, they did the trick with wires, but when it came time to perform the song and trick on stage, a new method was developed. As it turns out, the solution that he came up with turned out to be novel, so he decided to patent it.
Anti-Gravity Boots
A special set of boots were developed, which resembled shoes combined with Jackson’s trademark white socks. These boots had metal fasteners which, when clipped into metal fittings on stage, would keep the boot solidly attached to the ground. The wearer could then lean forward without falling, much like you can do in ski boots while wearing skis.
So, maybe take a break from working on your next-gen fuel or your iPhone killer, and spend some time working on your dance moves!
If you;re interested in taking a look at the patent itself, you can take a look at it here, thanks to Google Patent Search.
Oh, and here’s some video of Michael Jackson’s (patented) anti-gravity move. Enjoy:
