gaijinalways
puzzled gaijin
- 15 Jan 2006
- 681
- 21
But it also leads to a bit of a disposable consumerables society as well. Not the most environmentally friendly place.
It's all subjective...
But I wouldn't say that for other countries the technology isn't THERE, it's more that they're just not using it for that stuff.
Post number 28, get those glasses checked next time your out...I can't believe that in a thread like this no one has mentioned toilets yet!
It's all subjective... the cell phone market has fancier gadgets, of course.
They have vending machines that talk to you (in several different languages, and even in local dialect as an alternative to standard Japanese!), and with LCD screens that play animations while you're waiting for it to get your drink. And of course the toilets with seat warmers and washlets and whatever other gizmos they've come up with to make your bathroom experience more comfortable.
But I wouldn't say that for other countries the technology isn't THERE, it's more that they're just not using it for that stuff.
I don't think there's really much of a gap in consumer electronics tech anymore, but Japan does a pretty good job anyway of showing off the flashy tech stuff.
By the way I'm not sure I'd say that Japan is that much more advanced than the US in robotics anymore.
I will say that Japan probably has the better foundation of robotics overall as a field, and a much higher concentration of schools and labs devoted to it, but as an example, the US has the DARPA Urban Challenge (Stanford, Carnegie Mellon, etc.) working on systems to autonomously pilot a car through traffic, which is some pretty impressive work.
Whoa. You wanna adjust your terminology there, champ.
Please don't say "japs". It's offensive.
So true. But some places do take advantage of new technology. Like some restaurants have a bending machines that take your order in the front entrance and you just hand over your ticket to the restaurant work and get your food in a few minutes. It's just like drive thru but a machine takes your order.Talking about cell phones they are little bit more advanced than most other countries. Depends also where you live, big cities are advanced, but rural areas feel less advanced. Depends on point of view.
The Subaru and sexy don't mix, though. Sorry, I gotta put this comment in.You gotta try this commercial (try not see):
http://www.sexysubaru.ca/index2.php?lang=en
.
Cellular phones probably beat out any other country's, with their Internet capabilities, video and still picture photography, TV and radio functions, ability to pay with IR scans, a plethora of (annoying) phone chimes/songs, dictionaries, calculator functions, etc..
I think the main difference is not the advanced state of the techology, it's the installation and maintenance which make the difference. In this at least, Japan excels. Nothing ever seems to be broken.
The Subaru and sexy don't mix, though.
Honda has developed a new personal mobility technology, U3-X. It is a compact experimental device that fits comfortably between the riders legs, to provide free movement in all directions just as in human walking forward, backward, side-to-side, and diagonally. Honda will continue research and development of the device including experiments in a real-world environment to verify the practicality of the device.
This new personal mobility device makes it possible to adjust speed and move, turn and stop in all directions when the rider leans the upper body to shift body weight. This was achieved through application of advanced technologies including Hondas balance control technology, which was developed through the robotics research of ASIMO, Hondas bipedal humanoid robot, and the worlds first* omni-directional driving wheel system (Honda Omni Traction Drive System, or HOT Drive System), which enables movement in all directions, including not only forward and backward, but also directly to the right and left and diagonally. In addition, this compact size and one-wheel-drive personal mobility device was designed to be friendly to the user and people around it by making it easier for the rider to reach the ground from the footrest and placing the rider on roughly the same eye level as other people or pedestrians.
Key features of U3-X:
Free movement just as in human walking
1.Device control featuring application of balance control technology cultivated through ASIMO research:
The incline sensor detects the incline of the device based on the weight shift of the rider and determines the riders intention in terms of the direction and speed. Based on the data, precise control is applied to return the device to an upright position, which achieves smooth and agile movements and simple operation by weight shift only.
2.HOT Drive System (Omni-directional driving wheel system):
Honda developed the worlds first wheel structure which enables movement in all directions including forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally. Multiple small-diameter motor-controlled wheels were connected in-line to form one large-diameter wheel. By moving the large-diameter wheel, the device moves forward and backward, and by moving small-diameter wheels, the device moves side-to-side. By combining these movements the device moves diagonally.
Compact size which fit between the users legs
3.Compact and innovative package:
The combination of the balance control technology and the HOT Drive System enabled the one-wheel style compact and innovative package of the device. In addition, the device adopts a light-weight monocoque body in which the foldable seat, footrests and body cover that also function as the frame are stored in the body of the device, achieving highly portable convenience.
Key specifications of the experimental model:
- Lengthﾂ×Widthﾂ×Height(mm) = 315ﾂ×160ﾂ×650
- Weight = less than 10kg
- Battery Type = Lithium ion battery
- Operation time (with fully charged battery) = 1 hour
* Based on Hondas internal research