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Toyota's Trumpet Playing Robot Showcased
fsharp writes "The New York Times has an article discussing the first public showing of Toyota's new humanoid robot. During a demonstration, the biped robot played trumpet together with a rolling robot. Most telling about the article was the whole philosophy towards R&D: 'Toyota acknowledges that it is unlikely to turn a profit building robots anytime soon, but the program highlights its engineering-oriented culture and willingness to invest in projects that may not pay off for decades.' How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?"
It pisses me off that no American company today would ever do something like this. Our leaders have sold our technological infrastructure out for quick $$$. The boobs may have T-shirts -- made in China, no doubt -- that say "America is #1", but it hasn't been for a long time. Japan and the other Asian countries do all the cool stuff now. Come on, could you see Ford or GM doing this?
...it's called R&D. What won't make money today, will be "necessity" tomorrow, and then that's when you get people to pay.
Furthermore, even if the technology itself doesn't automatically pan out (ie, humanoid robots), it may still have profitable applications in other areas (ie, prosthetics).
libertarianswag.com
http://cooltech.iafrica.com/technews/309033.htm
When are the goddamn SexBots going to be released?! My lifeless real doll ain't cutting it!
Here you go link
"How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?"
The kind that is already doing very well financially and wants to solidify a reputation of innovation. Similar to Microsoft's $1 billion donation to Africa.
Presenters of the music-playing machine found themselves being unmercifully heckled by a man calling himself Mssr. Jacques de Vaucanson, who proclaimed loudly that he had accomplished robotic music more than two hundred years prior to this demonstration.
When the presenters pointed out that Mssr. Vaucanson would have to be long dead as of this late date, the suddenly horrified heckler collapsed into a pile of dust, and the remainder of the presentation was conducted without further interruption.
You are in error. No-one is screaming. Thank you for your cooperation.
Registration free link
I wish article authors would at least put up some effort to find and use reg-free links when possible.
next you'll want a beowulf cluster of them.
Don't worry - its just stigmata. Pass me a napkin and don't you dare tell my mother.
Why not invest in the technology now? In a few years someone will say, "Hey do you remember that thing we did a few years ago? Well i got a new idea for it" Its far easier to create something out of something than trying to create it out of nothing. Look at Big Billy. He created an empire out of a program Xerox was about to discard. A robot that can play music is one step closer to creating a robot that can do abstraction. Imagine the possiblities...not to mention the future military application....::strokes chin::
How about most drug companies.
...dear god, think of the possibilities. A robot with the ability to play a trumpet constantly...endlessly. The annoyance will be legendary.
Kids these days. They don't know the difference between classic, and just plain old.
sure it blows, but does it suck?
One can only hope. Would kind of suck having some form of Windows on it... one day poor Robot Jimmy gets a trojan and is instructed to impale someone with his trumpet. I suppose the same thing could happen with Linux though...!
I for one can see several applications that might directly appeal to this crowd.
Good News! Toyota announces a robot that can play the trumpet!
Still working on the cure for the common cold, world peace, and an end to poverty.
--Guns don't kill people, abortion clinics kill people.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
;)
I don't know... quakka.com sure comes to mind though.
Heres a link to the BBC article.
Hi there
I like that Toyota acknowleges they aren't likely to make any money off this technology right away. But at least its a step forward. Even Britney Spears, in her 2 hour special on E! last night, acknowleged after her trip to Japan that they are so far more advanced technologically, this from someone that's about as technical as a hair dryer (not that anyone likes her for her brains).
In addition to Toyota's trumpet player, both Sony and Honda have developed robots that run/dance/etc., that they have no hope of immediately recooping the expenses on. And look at the DARPA Grand Challenge that happened this weekend, several of the teams were run directly or indirectly through tech companies (and you can be sure they weren't in it for the $1M). Even the non-corporate teams received tons of donations of equipment, sensors, vehicles, etc to support the crazy dream of driverless car in the desert.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
Went out of style in the 90's.
Onward to the Aether Sphere!
I am a trumpet player and I really want to hear this thing!
Imagine if typing was so challenging that you spent 90% of your computer time refining and keeping your typing skills adequate, so you could spend 10% of the time programming...
Anyone have any sound clips?
Spoon not. Fork, or fork not. There is no spoon.
See it walk here
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
Based on the number of companies paying for a SCO license, that would be what? Around 5?
On the more serious side, if time does equal money, then many companies do this, both big and small. And based on my experience with small companies(20 employees) you have a lot of employees dropping their own "time" learning new technologies so that the company can remain competive and/or ahead of the technology curve. Yes there has been a lot of cost cutting which resulting in a lot of "wouldn't it be cool if..." projects being cut, but to those companies that pursue the "cool" projects go the spoils.
"Look Lois, the two symbols of the Republican Party: an elephant, and a fat white guy who is threatened by change."
"How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?" Check out the MIT Media Lab's list of sponsors: http://www.media.mit.edu/sponsors/sponsors.html Many of these companies have been giving money for years. All so crazy grad students (and profs) can go out and try the "what-ifs" without the companies worrying about reputations being on the line. ;)
Welcome our new, jazzier, robot overlords....
(sorry someone had to)
Please send all UCE to scally@devolution.com so I can f
Drug companies invest hundreds of millions into researching new medications that may never make it to market. The ones that do take years to research and develop, then they spend many more years testing and then they have to wait for FDA approval.
U.S. auto makers have been testing and developing electric cars for decades. None have ever made a profit from them.
Millions were spent by our government and by companies in researching some far out idea to network computers across the country. That took decades to start paying off.
There are more, but I'll let you post them...
It would behoove many companies to invest more in R&D and less in padding executives pocketbooks with $100's. HP, for example, has gutted their engineering ranks while simultaneously buying jets for the higher-ups. Closer to my region of the country, Caterpillar has outsourced waves of R&D people...and their executives are getting ever-higher bonuses.
If not, no deal.
sulli
RTFJ.
So, why is it the Japanese are investing in truly useful projects like trumpet-playing robots, while the US is still tripping over itself trying to develop cars that drive themselves across the desert?
The thing is as a car manufacturer you can't really afford NOT to invest in it, can't afford not to have any of the related patents. Automobility is strongly related to robotics and for those that will have the knowhow and the patents this is going to pay off huge. Japan is ahead of the rest of the pack in showing off cute models but a good bet is that the rest of them are not sitting on their hands either.
Of those to whom much is given, much is required.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?"
Apparently Toyota. Also, Microsoft's Home and Entertainment division lost, what, $34 billion in the past few years?...
I'm on a road shaped like a figure eight; I'm going nowhere but I'm guaranteed to be late.
welcome our new musical android overlords.
sig under development
> How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?"
Aerospace, for one. Working at one of the companies that makes commercial (and military) aircraft engines, it is jokingly quoted that: "A decision to launch a new engine program is a calculated risk to go into the hole for about 20 years" (Meaning it takes about that long to "turn profit" off all the years of design, development, testing, and certication processes.) Imagine how many times the market flops around responding to other market pressures in that length of time.
As an interesting aside for many of you, aircraft engines have historically been sold on the razor/blades business model, so its an interesting business balance between a quality engine that airline customers will buy and the need to sell spares to eventually make money on FAR down the road.
"This one time, at band camp... I got a BJ from a trumpet playing robot!"
sorry...
Check out the best P2P sharing website: MEDIACHEST.COM
i'd take a beowulf cluster of impaling robots anyday..
Well, there's Pfizer, and Glaxo, and Daimler-Benz, and Lockheed, and Motorola, and...
GE for one.
III.IIVIVIXIIVIVIIIVVIIIIXVIIIXIIIIIIIIVIIIIVVIII
Good news! We have a trumpet-playing robot to deliver
This is not my opinion. Actually, it's not even an opinion. And I'm nowhere to be seen near it
Seriously. Why are these things coming out of automotive companies? First Honda and now Toyota. What do they plan to do with these technologies? Spin off a company to manufacture and market them? License the intellecual property? They certainly aren't dumping money into these projects for the fun of it. Technology for technology's sake exists only on university campuses and hobbiest garages.
I think you mean they rely on and use technology more (cue self flushing toilets) than America does, not necessarily that they're that much more advanced. However, I do agree that they would more rather put in a few dollars towards research and innovation than American companies, who would just as easily spend those few dollars on a more aggressive marketing campaign.
But don't take anything Britney Spears says for face value - especially if it involves politics of any sort. You know it's actually the work of a team of scriptwriters that can compete with W's.
The meta-information on the word document they sent out had a slightly different flavor:
At Toyota, we're R&Ding a robot to walk and play trumpet because Honda has been R&Ding asimo for YEARS and we don't wanna look like we're not paying attention. (We also don't want to be too far behind when Honda releases a car with legs instead of wheels)
"Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus."
As one of my friend described it in Hexadecimals,there is this whole ROBOfest around.
You got this (yet to be named) Toyota Robot Playing trumpet. The actual song in the the web is not avaiable claiming that it is not disclosed under copyright.
Sony's QRIO is yet another Human friendly Robo and heard that this performed a Orchestra. as well.
Now there has always been a Robot Hall of Fame at CMU.
Senthil
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
Judging from the Windows market share, I'd say a lot.
If the company is willing to fund Jesse Jackson, they sure don't need my dollars.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
IBM for example, holds the record for the last few years in patents. They made a processor where atoms funtion as transistors, the smallest form ever. Will they use this in the next 10 years? maybe, but probably not. But when it is used, they will make a lot of money on it and be consulted 1rst most likely.
Nike put more than 15 years into the development of the shox cushioning system.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
Obviously companies that have too much spare cash. No wonder their cars are too damn expensive.
There's one problem with this story: the author doesn't give any evidence that this is a real robot. A robot, by definition, can perform tasks autonomously. This machine was probably programmed to go out on stage and start blowing into the trumpet. Likewise, it doesn't "play" the trumpet. It merely pushes air into the trumpet according to what the code tells it to do. The day that Toyota designs a machine that hits a wrong note is the day that it built a real robot.
1) Non-illegal-monopolistic is not a word. I don't think any double-hyphened English word even exists, not to mention something you made up out of a fit of anti-Microsoft rage.
2) Microsoft is not illegal. 3) Microsoft is monopolistic, I'll agree.
IBM is a US company, who has invested billions into technology that is not in use. They were the 1rst company to arrange individual atoms (spelling IBM). They made a processor that uses atoms as transistors. They don't use any of it in production, but probably will some day. I think that you underestimate many US companies with your statement.
As I recall, the US Army was suffering from a shortage of bugle players to play taps for the passing generation of soldiers. They developed a digital bugle that can play taps even if the bugler is incompetent, drunk, or both.
Since Toyota has now developed a vastly more complicated technology that can be used to solve the same problem as the slightly complicated one above, I look forward to future Pentagon procurement hearings.
Note to self: Sarcasm in this post often results in massive retribution.
I still think Asimo serv3s (hehe) that thing. Both are completely useless, but at least Asimo can wave when you throw him a newspaper.
hi
Nothing beats that!
Well, I know of at least one other: Honda. There was a story on NPR last week about how they were testing the waters for lightweight jet engines. The story indicated that any profits would be decades away. I found an online story about it that also addresses Toyota's (!) advances into the market. While I could not find the exact quote I heard on the radio, this one is equally telling:
"This is a pure research-and-development program. We don't have a commercial plan" for the HondaJet.
It takes really deep pockets and big, brass cojones to think in these terms. I say more power to 'em.
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
A lot of places actually won't turn a profit within a year, that's not that unusual. Especially mining operations are so costly that they often operate for 10 years before turning a profit (discovery channel). However, robots that can play music are still cool. The big labels are dying to get fully robotic bands to back up their "entertainers" like Spears, who doesn't play a note on any instrument. It would be way cheaper than paying a touring band, and still fake out people into thinking that they couldn't just as easily be spinning a record/CD backstage.
stuff |
On other news.. I, Robot trailer is now finally available.. Coincidence? I think not.
http://dtum.livejournal.com
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
Well, Microsoft keeps funding SCO...
Ba dump bump! Thanks, I'll be here all week. Try the veal.
Weaselmancer
Weaselmancer
rediculous.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
Well, it may not have been intentional, but it looks like Microsoft's entire product line (Longhorn, Yukon, etc) won't be released for a few years (about a year for Yukon, as of now). Therefore, I think they'd qualify.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
Just look at Itanium!
When you think about companies who are willing to engage in research even without a potential short-term payoff, Honda comes to mind.
And Honda has a well-known humanoid robot.
And, as is well known to anyone familiar with the 2 companies, Toyota and Honda share mutual loathing. And anything Honda does, Toyota insists on trying to do better.
It'll be interesting to see how this plays out.
is if it could play the skin flute.
That's because no one wants a geeky, goofy robot tooting a horn.
They want a sexy, realistic fembot tooting *their* horn.
but the program highlights its engineering-oriented culture and willingness to invest in projects that may not pay off for decades.
Their culture needs to get more human oriented, and start designing the sex robots.
I know people who have zero trouble getting laid, and even THEY would want a sex robot. I know married guys would want an animated RealDoll if they could afford it and had a place to stash it.
Would it be too weird to maintain an apartment downtown just for a sexbot? Hmmm.
It seems that almost everytime there is a message here about a new robot coming from Japan, the feature list includes some kind of dancing/singing. Anybody knows why?
Boggles my mind :-)
Okay... I'll do the stupid things first, then you shy people follow.
[Zappa]
Robots playing music? Now that's heavy metal.... On another note think about all the tasks that robots can do now in factories etc... outsourcing to robots has been going on for a long time... and the US is getting mad at India... let's go after the robots!!!!!!
Then again a robotic boy band wouldn't be dating Britanny Spears (at least I don't think so) or paying to get his dumb 'tard ass into orbit.
--- Ban humanity.
I worked at four startups that sank money in technologies that never turned a profit ;-)
In soviet russia, beowulf cluster imaples YOU.
Private ones.
Never go public.
You'd think a major corporation in the country that gave us anime and geishas would figure this out already.
--- Ban humanity.
IBM - look at everything done at the Almaden labs and just general research
JPL - technically not a gov't organization
Intel - Itanium
AMD - x86-64
There are plenty of examples where companies have and still are doing this. You don't hear about it because it hasn't made any money yet. You can however read about most of it if you know where to look. Microsoft, IBM, Intel, AMD, HP/Compaq are some of the largest research funders in the world. You don't have to look very far to find the money being spent in research which might or might not make money in the long run.
"Time is long and life is short, so begin to live while you still can." -EV
I'll only charge the Army half of what a Taps playing robot would cost.
--- Ban humanity.
Each robot uses a Pentium III processor as the main CPU along with a Real Time Linux OS. NEC supplied a customized lithium ion battery, which powers the biped robot for about 30 minutes.
I read this and couldn't help thinking about something from Harry Turtledove's Worldwar series. In it, the Earth is invaded by a race of aliens who are accustomed to thinking in terms of millenia, with every undertaking planned generations in advance. The stories mention a formal, court-martial offense whose title translates into English as "Lack of Foresight."
While I do not advocate the stratified, stagnant mentality that Turtledove's invaders, I have to wonder if dragging a few U.S. CEOs in front of a tribunal on charges of "Lack of Foresight" might not be a good idea for American business.
(And, no, passive, placid boards to not count as a "tirbunal" here)
"Prepare for the worst - hope for the best."
Microsoft - ~50billion being spent this year ALONE
Will Stokes Album Shaper http://albumshaper.sf.net
what's the big deal about some robot?
maybe if someone found a cure for cancer, or perhaps a way to cure american stupidity....now that would impressive.
First blue collar workers in manufacturing where replaced by robots, then white collar and IT workers were/are replaced by cheap labor (and i'm sure companies would be more than happy to replace 30 programmers @ $2/hr with a machine).
Next thing you know street performers (who used to work in a factory or office) will be....well, ok they'll still on the street but you get the idea.
I see...
Jonny 5
giving a hand job
It's all good.
If you are, fucking provide a login/pass. No one wants to sign up for that shit. stupid fucks.
For all the comments posted on here about the short term outlook on Wall Street and how that drives things in the USA, we are all neglecting the sociology involved. After all, very few Board of Directors elections are ever really contested and most boards rubber stamp management anyway. Most investors are buy-and-hold institutions that are not that active in portfolio management, and would prefer long term growth anyway. So while short-term pressure from Wall Street is certainly a part of the problem, it is not the direct mechanism.
A part of the direct mechanism is the culture and peer-evaluation system in the country. How does a corporate executive boost his stature among his peers? We are used to thinking of "Trophy Wives" and conspicuous consumption, but there is more to it than that. Cost cutting, creative accounting, and outsourcing for its own sake can be driven by peer competition as well as competition at the level of firms.
Now, this peer-evaluation culture creates indirect financial incentives as well. If you are known as a cost-cutting or outsourcing expert, you can bet headhunters will be after you. You will get outside offers which you can sometimes leverage into inside promotions. Either way, you're moving on up. Is this because the hiring firm has a real need for that specific expertise? Not really. They are looking to have the hottest executives they can get. What constitutes "hot" is the management fashions of the day.
To investigate why companies spend their money one way rather than another, you need to study these issues. In technophilic Japan, it is presumably very cool to have made the latest and greatest robot in your division. The executives involved are probably the toast of the town right now. Meanwhile, in our America, we saw legendary institutions like Bell Labs gutted *during the boom* because it was more cool to show short term profits or even improve your golf game.
Culture matters.
And now we have a trumpet playing robot...
Oh, I see, I get it - here's the secret evil Japanese plan to take over the world - they're going to create a robotic marching band!
Honda's AISMO robots can conduct music. See these two articles: #1, #2 , and #3 (registration required). It played Beethoven's Fifth Symphony to the public). I would like to see Toyota's trumpet players in the next concert!
:(
BTW, does anyone have video clips of AISMO conducting? I cannot find any.
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
Whoops! I just noticed my typos. Sorry. ;)
Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
anybody's got more success with it?
well does it?
Toyota's robot site is here. It has movies of the robot. Evidently, they won't put out one with the sound because of copyright issues. I was really interested to hear it play, since I play the trumpet myself.
GF.
Lots of petrified grits
And thus we start to come full circle again, the manufacturing costing the US more for it's lack of updated technology and effeciency. There is definitely advantage for Europe after their infrastructure was rebuilt after WWII.
Fewer and fewer things are fully manufactured in the US, more and more are being parted out to other countries where they can do it more cheaply, and quickly and effeciently. So, even if a US company came up with a cutting-edge robot, they'd have to outsource the building of it to make it something that could be sold in the US at a price that people would pay. (Even presuming they'd wait several years to make any ROI.)
Awk! Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight. Pieces of seven... ERROR: General Protection Fault. [Paroty Error.]
I could see artificial lips being used in the porn industry. I'll let you figure it out...
Those that want to still be in existence in many years.
They'll be ready to deploy when the time is right; the others will have to play catchup and most likely decline (or whine about how unfair it is).
Great minds think alike; fools seldom differ.
Japan supports the US military forces in Japan with billions of dollars of aid per year to maintain our bases there. While it isn't as much as we spend domestically ($300 billion or so annually), it is more than nothing.
Also, Japan is going to be sending ground troops into Iraq soon, and they maintain a surface navy in the Persian Gulf to aid the US fleet, so they have broken out of their shell imposed by the US after WW2.
The prestige that comes from this sort of accomplishment is important for marketing - especially in Japan. As a bonus, they get advances that may make their way into production vehicles. They also attract better caliber engineers by maintaining a reputation as an industry leader.
Let's not stir that bag of worms...
I'm waiting for the robot that will expose its breast plate during the Supahbowl.
Like all of you other fellow dorks, I getting excited everytime something robotic is announced. But I still keep wondering when the hell any of this R&D is gonna be put to use...
;) and all we have is a fuckin Tyco that can't even wipe its own ass^H^H^H solar panels....
But you know, here's an idea:
Why not use them in place of astronauts to places like the moon and Mars? Build these things *en masse* and ship them (cheaper than cryo) wherever, and put their ass to work!
They don't even need to be autonomous. Have a bunch of people at Mission Control acting as gamers, only instead of building an a base to detroy a small empire on the screen, they will be building a base to destroy many empires in REAL LIFE!!
Honestly, tho, how freaking difficult would it be to send a bunch of robots (some specifically suited to one or two tasks, while others taking the more 'versatile' approach of the humanoid) to take on the role of exploration and construction?
If the thing can play a trumpet, surely they can produce a small fleet capable of exploring Mars for a few months? Or building a small colony on the moon? Why not send one or two up to the ISS to have them go outside and work? Hell, why bother with the ISS at all?
Japan is building mechs (Gundam's in 10 years, you watch
Actually, gas prices are not at an all-time high.
t ml
http://www.fueleconomy.gov/feg/gasprices/FAQ.sh
The responses on these pages is all part of the game of PR, and the level of analytical thinking demonstrated by responders is frightening. Any company with engineering skill can produce an orchestrated Gee whiz demo. Toyota would not be prepared to produce a robot to handle a tough AI project like getting it to drive a LandCruiser across 140 miles of desert steering it with its humanoid lips.
You are correct, they do have a "self defense force" in Japan, but I suspect if we compare them to a simliar country's "military force" we'll find a good deal of things lacking for the Japanese force. Is that a bad thing? No, I don't think so. I would note that what Japan lacks in quantity for defenses, they are likely to excell when it comes to quality.
;-)
And more than that, as a source of technology for the world, they effecitively have other countries whose military forces can defend them, because heaven knows the US wouldn't want Japan to fall to Communism!
Awk! Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight. Pieces of seven... ERROR: General Protection Fault. [Paroty Error.]
I think someone needs to set up a "Longest Note" competition between a robot such as this and Kenny G. Even if they go forever we'd be rid of Keny G.
On the subject of so-called foreign cars:
Firstly, import taxes in general have been greatly reduced since the 80's when foreign cars were first becoming popular in the US. Secondly, an increasing proportion of so-called "foreign cars" are being manufactured within in US (or at least North America). Thirdly, an increasing number of "domestic" cars and parts are being manufactured outside of North America. All of this is due to the increasing globalization and reduction of tariffs in all directions.
On the subject of Mexico:
Firstly, the minimum wage in Mexico is 43.65 Pesos, or just under $4. Not exactly 60 cents. Secondly, Mexico and the US are part of the North American Free Trade Agreement, which means they have unlimited tariff-free trade (with a few exceptions).
Finally, on the subject of Free Trade:
Contrary to popular beliefe, Free Trade does not make all people poor. Free Trade merely knocks down artifical price barriers on goods and services sold. This means that products will be available at their fair price. This can be a signifigant change if these barriers previously existed. Whenever there is a major change, there will be temporary (structural) unemployment. This is the same as the introduction of any new technology, such as computers, the assembly line model, or the internet. Over time, due to market forces, prices will stabalize and the playing field will be level again.
Unless of course, you choose to not adapt to the new system.
The Toyota Technological Institute at Chicago is another example of Toyota investing money in basic research (in this instance, computer science). The institute employs a number of full-time permanent research faculty, supported by a $100 million endowment.
Captured By Robots
Hello all you happy people.
Are you going to afford the higher-paying executives? I mean, you gotta cut the fat somewhere!
Gosh darn, we'd be lost without those high-paying executives!
Go here to check 'em out.
More to the point - how many engineers would be prepared to drop an arm and a leg to be given a lab and budget like that and told "build something cool, but it doesnt have to be a finishd product".
This comment does not represent the views or opinions of the user.
GM is the one working on Hydrogen Fuel Cell vehicles. Building crappy hybrid PMM/IC engines will only get you so far. There is still HC output and still CO output. With a Hydrogen system, it's all water vapor.
Slashdot is proof that Sturgeon's Law applies to mankind.
Doesn't the article's image of Fujio Cho make him look like he is ready to drop a log?
Can someone good with photoshop please make this a reality?
First it was Honda and their dancing robot. How cute.
Next it's Toyota and a trumpet playing robot. Amazing!
Do you notice a trend with these auto companies creating more and more sophisticated robots to one-up the competition?
How long before Honda unveils their Asimo complete with a 120mm M829 Armor Piercing, Fin Stabilized, Discarding Sabot-Tracer Depleted Uranium cannon?
Will Toyota fire back with their trumpet playing metalstorm wielding automation?
Now THAT would be revolutionary!
1) build a robot with robotic lips.
2)???
3) profit!
(optional) 4) use profits to build one per employee.
Investing in projects like this almost always pay off in the long run. Problem in the U.S. is that around 90% of business in the U.S. is considered small business, and most of the large businesses in the U.S. grew out of a small business. Unfortunatly the mentality of most small business owners and CEOs is to look for profit in the short term and spend more time looking at the accounting side of things instead of the economic side of things.
There are still though plenty of large companies in the U.S. that invest alot of money into R&D (IBM) but patients among americans is severly lacking these days and most people, including business owners have the "I want it now" philosophy.
On an off note I read somewhere that the pay ratio between a company CEO and their lowest paid employee in the U.S. averages 400 to 1 versus 100 to 1 in countries like Japan.
"Willing" isn't enough. Too many companies don't make adequate plans for preserving the technologies which they develop for the urgent needs of today's market. Four years from now, half the team is gone and nobody knows what happened to the source code archive much less any design documents.
A company has to first have a strategy for conserving the technologies they develop, as they are developed, before developing anything which may not be marketable for five or ten years. They'd also have to slow down their employee turn-over rate.
there was this documentary on BBC this weekend. they argued that the British Kingdom became an empire because it had to fight with an evil French despotic monarchy.
Britain was an parliamentary monarchy at that time. The purpose of the parliament is to restraint the ruler from fighting unjust wars for personal grandeur and glory. This always means higher taxes and merchants just hate that idea.
The colonies in America have been surrounded by french forts on the Missisippi and in Quebec. This meant that they could possibly fall under the rule of France. The 7-years war was fought to prevent that danger. So, at that time Britain was only protecting it's people from an encirclement by a tyrannic, undemocratic regime. the costs at that time were twice their yearly income. they had to tax the protected somehow. 30 years later the settlers did not want to pay for the protection any more.
In India the French caused the problems again. There was already an monarchy in India, the Moguls (sp?). the British had only a trade settlement in India, no troops. they were buying Indian high-tech carpets in exchange for british silver.The French toppled the legitimate ruler and put an puppet in his place. this would not be as bad if the new monarch hadn't ruled all trade with the brits illegal. so now, they had to bring in troops topple the french puppet and install somebody new. after that someone had to administer the terrain, colect taxes and here you go, you have got an occupation and bureaucracy (CPA?).
Only later had the French people started their own revolution because they didn't want to pay the taxes for the military adventures of their king.
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I wouldn't consider this development the result of a good corporate culture, rather a misguided one. If you want to see what an engineering culture can do to a company if marketing isn't involved, look no further than Motorola. Crappy cell phone anyone?
shareholder value is all about short term profits. it is the financial religion of the nineties. future profits are discounted at a quickly diminishing rate. that means that long term projects (over 10 years? ) are deemed unprofitable unless they promise gigantic future cash flow. the risk factor is also important.
in the short term it might be less risky to throw some marketing cash at an old product or visually redesign it (buy our new thingy! now, it's red!) than to spend your precious cash on something unknown.
OTOH, Intel is investing A LOT in R&D. but they get their cash back in, let's say, 5 years and have steady demand. we could take a look at their roadmaps from the past and measure the time from the lab to the market.
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It's called the SDF- Self Defense Force- and is allowed to take up 2% of the GNP. With a country like Japan- even with it's current economic crises- thats a LOT of money. The Japanese "SDF" is currently one of the best equipped forces in the world, using cutting edge (read: expensive) equipment combined with intense training. It's also hard to become a member of SDF- Think of an entire army with recruitment standards like those in the Navy Seals or Army Rangers.
The SFD however, has traditionally never been in harms way until the recent war with Iraq- that was their first "at risk" combat deployment (and boy, did it cause a ruckus in Japan!)
Before the occupying forces left Japan- the Korean war started. Suddenly instead of Japan being a "model for East Asia", it was now to be an "example against communism." And it needed an army to accomplish that. So some skating was done around the new constitution- and the SDF was made.
This move was so fast- a lot of soldiers were never released from the Japanese military! They were doing demining work etc etc and suddenly found themselves in a NEW Japanese army. (interesting tidbit, the last Japanese soldier from WWII returned to Japan in 1974- after hiding in the Philipines)
Finally, most of the government during the war were REINSTATED shortly after the war. These people were blacklisted- then let back in to manage the bureaucracy etc.
Your statement is correct with the culture as a whole and the factories retooling for civilian uses. With the exception of Honda- almost every single car manufacturer coming out of Japan today was in business in WWII- making Japanese war machines. Mitsubishi Zeros anyone? (I'm still waiting for them to make a car with that name..)
It wasn't the government, it wasn't the financing, it was a simple redistribution of factories (not rebuilding of factories- most were intact.. it was the raw materials they were running out of) and refocusing of people.
But thats not what led to Japan's economic miracle. What did? No one really knows for sure, and you can read hundreds of books on WHY no one knows for sure.
www.GrenadeHop.com
That Japanese robot is playing a made in the US Bach trumpet. We do still build some things right.
how many company's are willing to invest in something that won't pay off for years? intel with the itaniu...oh wait, that won't ever pay off. forget i said anything
Japan's military budget is huge, but it's so oriented toward providing jobs for key voters and corporate welfare that it makes the US look like a lean mean efficiency machine by comparison. Of that huge defence budget, less than half goes on things with any direct connection to actual fighting -- and even what is spent on maintaining combat units is mainly a matter of keeping Japanese people out of the unemployment office at high (ie Japanese) wages.
Really, military spending is not the same as budget figures. It would be better to say that Japan chooses to route more of its corporate welfare through the defence area than the UK does, and that it cares more about keeping people with no useful skills employed than the US does.
Whence? Hence. Whither? Thither.
Just look at your horribly fucked up and error-ridden grammar and formatting. Can you even put together a coherent paragraph? How about a fucking sentence to start?
That alone should tell you the level of intelligence that is exhibited here at Slashdot.
God, get a clue, you fucking dipshit. FUCK. DIE.
Japan and Western Europe have a difficult problem. They have stopped fucking for the purpose of making babies. Their population growth is extremely low: around 1.5 children per family.
What is means is that when all the currently middle aged and young people get old, they will be either consuming all the productivity generated by people who will be working at that future time, need to import millions of workers from places who don't have anything in common with their people and culture, or use robots in a highly productive way to meet the needs of the elderly.
The Japanese are gambling that they can develop way advanced robotics technology to avoid having to import millions of non-Japanese into their country to meet their future labor shortage.
I used to think that this was mean-spirited and racist, but I have changed my mind after the Madrid train bombings. The Spanish are in the same difficult position where they will need in about thirty to fifty years to import millions of people from the islamic world to meet their labor shortage, as they too have stopped making babies.
Given a choice of buying robots to meet a labor shortage and allowing millions of immigrants who most likely would like to see your culture and way-of-life destroyed in order to satisify the requirements of their disfunctional and murder-obsessed religion, anyone would chose the robots.
And if Japan makes the most advanced and versatile robots when they become needed, well then good for them for having the long-term vision and capital to invest for needs fifty years in advance.
Interesting, I would think that the investment already placed in the drug is water under the bridge. Maybe you won't recoup all of it by bringing it to market without much remaining patent life, but you certainly aren't going to recoup anything at all if you just shelve it.
What might be the shelving motivations? To prevent competitors from getting a piece of the pie (if I can't make a profit, neither are you)?
I wonder how many drugs have been shelved that could be out there helping people instead?
uhm... ok- as if grammar and formatting have anything to do with intelligence... an intelligent person would understand that the medium is one which lends itself to quickly fired-off statements, for which grammar and formatting are of little importance. and how about arguing against the comment, instead of the way it is written?
In the modern world, we are seperated from our neighbours by "motor car bubbles". Previously, horses were used for the majority of transportation, and trains (wherein one could still be closer to one's neighbour) were used for long-distance transportation.
Today, the use of trains and other public transport has declined, especially in countries like the United States and Canada, and private car use has soared. This is one area where technology has hindered, not helped, society. Yes, cars may be faster, but the social implications are staggering.http://www.nationmaster.com/red/graph-T/mil_exp_pe r_of_gdp&int=-1
Japan's military expenditure as a % of GNP by comparison is way down near the bottom at #136.
including photos and specs, are available in this news item at DeviceForge.
... but not any more.
How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?
There hasn't been much R in the past 20 years in the US and during the past few years, very little D. I once worked for RCA, where there was some R&D going on, even in the mid 80s. That quickly disappeared when GE bought them. At other companies I worked for, I saw some development work but little research. Now, most of that is gone.
Can the US remain a superpower without manufacturing things? without R&D? We're about to find out the answer to those questions.
Wansu, th' chinese sailor
"As a % of GNP, U.S. military spending is actually not much more than that of the U.K. and France."
I find your numbers a bit strange when your own source puts United States on place 43 with 3.2% of GNP, France on place 56 with 2.57% and UK on place 65 with 2.32% of GNP spent on the military.
That means almost 1% less spent on military in UK - that is a lot of money. The average spending is around 3% and the 43:rd place puts US on the upper half of the list.
It must also be considered that military spending might actually be beneficial to the economy. With all the subcontracting work the military provides, it is enough to stimulate the economy quite a bit. This may contribute to the US's status as the largest economy in the world, while Japan is at number 3 according to the CIA world factbook, updated last year.
...a Beowulf Orchestra of these?
Of course it's a lot of money. But we're not talking about sums of money, we're talking about % of GNP; and 1% just isn't that big (it's not small either, but it's nowhere near the magnitude of disparity in gross spending).
The average spending is around 3% and the 43:rd place puts US on the upper half of the list.
That's interpreting the statistics to make it fit your conclusions. Because the data doesn't directly support your conclusion that the U.S. is a big spender, you interpret the data in a way which groups the U.S. with the big spenders. Ergo guilt by association.
Take a standard deviation of those spending figures. The U.S. is well within one standard deviation of the average. That means the data supports the conclusion that the U.S. is pretty much average in terms of its military spending as % of GNP. Yes it's on the high side of average, but it's still closer to average than to the high spenders you're trying to group it with.
The US pharmacorps spend many times on advertising what they do for R&D. Once upon a time that was not the case, but they sure don't spend anywhere near the percentage on R&D that they used to.
I do not fail; I succeed at finding out what does not work.
No doubt there will be a run of people claiming that they're automating musicians out of work, etc. Before we sell our reserved seats at Carnegie Hall, an anecdote is in order:
I took an electroacoustic music class in college and the prof told a story of a conference in the early 90's where a guy presented a learning/composing algorithm.
He fed it MIDI files of Bach, and after a few days of crunching it came back with a Bach-like piece.
He played it for the audience and largely received appreciative applause.
After questions, an audience member came up to him, look him square in the eye and yelled, "You've killed music!!!" and decked him. The guy was flat out.
Yet, a decade later music hasn't died, despite the RIAA's best efforts. Odds are many years from now people will still enjoy watching other people perform. Mr. Data isn't an interesting violinist.
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OUTSIDE_IP=$(dig +short my.ip @outsideip.net)
...built by the Jet Propulsion Laboratory, but NOT built by US corporations. THATS the difference. So the parent post is not insightful.
Debunking the "59 Deceits"
For example, suppose we had two hypothetical people.
Person A earns $25,000 a year and person B makes $5,000,000 a year.
The first person has just bought a new car and his monthly payments are $500.
The second person buys a completely new Mercedes Benz CL500 every month, which is about $45,000.
The first person is spending 24% of their income on their new car. The second person is spending 11% of their income on new car purchases.
Now the really tough question, who's new car expenditures are more?
Hint: One person will have a single car at the end of the year while the other person will have 12 of them.
If you answer person A, you've obviously been home schooled.
Debunking the "59 Deceits"
First I'd like to say I'm disappointed I found no other posts like this or mirrors. Second I'd like to say how disappointed I am that after 3yrs of slashdot I finally sold my soul and signed up for NYT only to discover there is NO DAMN VIDEO CLIP!!!!
--Begin Article--
TOKYO, March 14 - Toyota has unveiled a humanoid robot that walks, waves its arms and bows. And, as if that were not enough, it also plays the trumpet.
The four-foot-tall robot, introduced last week, is a prototype for what Toyota says will be a series of autonomous machines that it hopes to build over the next two decades to serve as personal assistants, aides for the elderly and laborers. Toyota also displayed a rolling robot and showed film of a pair of robotic legs that its engineers designed to carry a disabled person.
Toyota is the second Japanese car company to build a humanoid robot. Honda introduced its first walking robot in 1996. Its latest version, called Asimo, can dance, recognize familiar faces and answer simple questions. Sony also unveiled a small humanoid robot last year.
Toyota acknowledges that it is unlikely to turn a profit building robots anytime soon, but the program highlights its engineering-oriented culture and willingness to invest in projects that may not pay off for decades.
"We just started developing the technology, so we don't have any plan to make a business,'' Fujio Cho, Toyota's president, told reporters on Thursday. "However, in the long run, I think we will have chances to commercialize the technology.''
Mr. Cho also said that Toyota expected motion sensors and other advanced technologies developed for robots to have automotive applications, particularly in computer systems designed to sense, and avoid, impending accidents.
Toyota's robot, developed over two and a half years, whirred loudly as it walked slowly on stage at a news conference, carrying a brass trumpet in one hand. At center stage, it turned to face the crowd, put the trumpet to its artificial lips and played a rendition of "When You Wish Upon a Star.'' The walking robot was later joined on stage by a rolling counterpart and the two played a lively duet of "Trumpeter's Holiday.''
Developing artificial lips flexible enough to play a trumpet was a major engineering challenge, according to Mr. Cho. Toyota said it built the trumpet-playing robot to serve as an entertainer at the 2005 World Exposition in Aichi, where Toyota has its world headquarters.
Toyota declined to say how much the robot cost, but years of record profits and growing global sales have given Toyota vast resources to invest in new technologies.
So far, even the most advanced humanoid robots have only a few practical applications. Honda leases its walking robot to museums and department stores, where it greets visitors, but the company has no plans to sell it.
Nearly all robotic applications are in factories, where they are used to automate production and perform tasks that are difficult for humans.
The Japan Robot Association predicts that the robot market, now about $4 billion, could grow to as much as $14 billion in 2010.
--End Article--
Others Robotics sites
Millions and Millions spent at the time for no gain, but now we have all kinds of technological benifits directly related to the moon program. This is why we need to go to mars.
This will indirectly turn to profits immediately, by acting as advertisement. They now hope, when you're looking at a Honda, a Toyota, and someone else's car, you'd think, "Well, Toyota and Honda can make robots... their cars must be engineered well."
I was just discussing this with Rodney Brooks at the DSTO today, and essentially the answer is that it shows that the company can deliver high tech solutions. A lot like the F1 grand prix, really, mostly advertising and some blue sky research.
But not that excited...
...all orchestras have been outsourced to Japan
Imagine the horrific injury possibilities during testing, though...
The US trade deficit forces the US to sell corporate assets to our trading partners. IBM just sold its world class storage systems research facilities in Silicon Valley to Japan's Hitachi. IBM not only invented the disk drive, but made most of the fundamental technology breakthroughs throughout the history of disk drives. For a while those advances may be invented in America (mostly by the foreign researchers who were given the PhD candidate positions in US Universities while American students's desire for advanced education in their own country was denied) but they will be owned in Japan. When disk drive manufacturing was "outsourced" in the 1970's, it was only a matter of time before the research capacity followed it, and there is virtually no chance that disk drive manufacturing will return to the US.
Each year, hundreds of such sales of corporate assets, land, real estate, technology, stocks, and bonds occur to fund the US trade deficit. These sales of US assets used to be compiled into an annual report by the CIA and the BEA but that work was cancelled by the Clinton administration because the corporate losses were deemed too "politically incorrect" (i.e. embarassing to the orthodoxy) to be shown to the public.
The absurd policy of massive trade deficits and the resultant ownership losses inflicted on the US economy is the greatest long term threat faced by the US, and it is virtually certain that nothing will ever be done about it. As this continues, the US will go the way of the Ottoman Empire.
Oh look, Toyota has built a robot that blows... A trumpet! I may have a penchant for seeing the dark side of human nature, but even so, I don't care what toyota says about "Pure" research regardless of profit, I am convinced that those robo-lips they spent all that money on will end up on a robo-hooker before long! The noted author CS Lewis predicted in the 1940's that the human race would face extinction when scientists inevitably figured out how to make "female" robots that were better than the real thing. The future is going to be a *strange* place.
"Sic Semper Path of Least Resistance"