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Toyota's Trumpet Playing Robot Showcased

Posted by simoniker on from the dedication's-what-you-need dept.

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?"

24 of 356 comments (clear)

  1. Very cool, but.. by mr.henry · · Score: 5, Interesting

    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?

    1. Re:Very cool, but.. by Average_Joe_Sixpack · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Well in all fairness, the US does have 2 autonomous robots exploring the surface of another planet. Though I agree a Trumpet playing robot would make a cooler party gimmick

    2. Re:Very cool, but.. by _bug_ · · Score: 5, Funny

      There is something seriously wrong with your sense of 'cool'.

      Robots aren't cool?! What are you, an American CEO?

    3. Re:Very cool, but.. by Brento · · Score: 5, Interesting

      That kind of culture explains why Toyota was first to market with a profitable hybrid car, and why they're so far ahead that Ford's licensing hybrid technology from them.

      Here's the missing link that doesn't get publicized: automakers are ahead of the curve on robots because they use robotics extensively in assembly. The more accurately their robots move, the more accurately they assemble cars. Next time you wonder why Japanese cars have a reputation for being so well-built, think of projects like these.

      --
      What's your damage, Heather?
    4. Re:Very cool, but.. by Kenja · · Score: 5, Funny
      "Come on, could you see Ford or GM doing this?"

      I can see GM doing a robotic nose flute or kazoo.

      --

      "Have you ever thought about just turning off the TV, sitting down with your kids, and hitting them?"
    5. Re:Very cool, but.. by lionchild · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Something to consider about Japan and their rise in technology, is that since the end of WWII, they haven't had a military to take up financing, (or resources, or R&D, etc..) thus leaving the government, and the culture as a whole, to focus on something else...like business and technology.

      --
      Awk! Pieces of eight. Pieces of eight. Pieces of seven... ERROR: General Protection Fault. [Paroty Error.]
    6. Re:Very cool, but.. by swordboy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      It pisses me off that no American company today would ever do something like this.

      That is because Wall Street is so concerned with short-term profits. Gasoline is at an all-time high while Toyota/Honda are the only companies that had the patience to develop a profitable solution to the problem. In 1997 when Toyota introduced the hybrid, they were losing lots of money on every unit sold. Now, they are selling that same technology to US-based companies.

      Now, Ford isn't buying Toyota technology because it makes environmental sense. Rather, they are doing it because it makes sense for short-term profits - the same mindset that got them into this situation in the first place. This mentality will catch up to the US sooner or later. And where is solar energy?

      --

      Life is the leading cause of death in America.
    7. Re:Very cool, but.. by bwy · · Score: 5, Insightful

      Ford and GM don't have to innovate because the prices of Japanese cars are artifically high in the U.S. due to taxes on imports designed to "level the playing field."

      We don't need to have all these tariffs on products imported from countries that have the same standard of living that we do. The Japanese work hard, yes, but they are paid first world salaries so if the prices of their automobiles is low, it is because they are damn good at building cars and if they want to work a little harder than us to do it, more power to them.

      On the other hand cars imported from Mexico (like the VW I drive) are produced at the expense of some Mexican making 70 cents an hour. We can't have free trade in this scenerio or we'll all be living in cardboard lean-tos just like our counterparts south of the border.

    8. Re:Very cool, but.. by Belsical · · Score: 5, Funny
      Come on, could you see Ford or GM doing this?

      Sure, if you wanted the robot to play a half-tone flat for half an hour and then fall on its face...

      Ben
      --

      "There are no such things as mutual fantasies. Yours bore us and ours offend you."
      - Bill Maher
    9. Re:Very cool, but.. by Nakito · · Score: 5, Informative

      It sounds as if it may be cool, but I wonder if these robotic lips are really as advanced as the article suggests, or if instead some kind of shortcut was taken. I was a music major and I played a brass instrument (french horn). Brass instruments do not have a reed or any other artificial source of vibrations. Instead, the performer's own lips are the source of the vibrations. The performer essentially generates a highly-controlled "raspberry" by constricting the muscles that surround the mouth and buzzing the lips while pressed against the mouthpiece (so the sound of a brass instrument is really just an amplified raspberry, artfully done). This is hard enough to do by itself, but it's made even harder by the fact that brass instruments embody the open harmonic series, which means that the peformer can play many notes without changing the valve settings just by adjusting the tension in the mouth (think of a bugle). One of the things that makes a brass player competent is the ability to hit the correct harmonic without cracking the note (also known as a "clam"). It's very hard to get it right consistently. If this robot is really doing all of this, plus pressing the valves, plus articulating the correct attacks and rhythm, and doing all of it well enough to play "Trumpeter's Holiday," I'm impressed!

    10. Re:Very cool, but.. by Mateito · · Score: 5, Insightful

      | Japan and their rise in technology, is that
      | since the end of WWII, they haven't had a
      | military to take up financing, (or resources, or
      | R&D, etc..)

      True, but the huge amount that the US spends on Military is largely by choice.

      Is it really necessary to have sufficient armaments to destroy the planet seven times over? Is it really necessary to have sufficient firepower to independantly forcibly take over any other country/contitent on the planet?

      And are these things more important than education, health care etc etc.

      Every country sets its own agenda. The US wants to be the untouchable goliath of military power. If the US wanted to be the world leader in non-military research and development, they could be.

      --
      Norman Cook's Ode to Sl
    11. Re:Very cool, but.. by drinkypoo · · Score: 5, Informative

      Here's another one: IBM. Big Blue has been behind so much of the scientific grunt work, a great deal of which has consisted of conceiving of and building experimental scientific equipment.

      --
      "You're right," Fisheye says. "I should have set it on 'whip' or 'chop.'"
    12. Re:Very cool, but.. by BZ · · Score: 5, Informative

      1998 figures on military budgets (from http://www.cdi.org/issues/wme/spend.html):

      US $265 billion
      Russia $48 billion
      Japan $45 billion
      France $38 billion
      UK $33 billion
      Germany $32 billion
      China $32 billion

      Yeah. No military to take up financing. Just 1.5 times the military budget of the UK.

      Japan has one of the largest and best-equipped armies in the world, in fact . It's just called a defence force and theoretically prohibited from taking offensive action by the Japanese constitution.

  2. Alternative Article by luxis · · Score: 5, Informative

    http://cooltech.iafrica.com/technews/309033.htm

    1. Re:Alternative Article by Begossi · · Score: 5, Funny

      "Artificial lips as subtle as human lips
      The 35kg as yet unnamed robot has artificial lips which can alter their position as subtly as human lips as air is forced through them, enabling it to play a trumpet as it presses the stops with its hands."

      Am I the only one wondering...

      --
      Friend of the Wise, Brother of the Brave.
    2. Re:Alternative Article by luxis · · Score: 5, Informative

      Ooo.. found the real homepage :

      http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/special/robot/

  3. Boring ... ZZZzzzzzz..... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Funny

    When are the goddamn SexBots going to be released?! My lifeless real doll ain't cutting it!

  4. Reg-Free Link by _bug_ · · Score: 5, Informative

    Registration free link

    I wish article authors would at least put up some effort to find and use reg-free links when possible.

  5. Long-term investing by BillFarber · · Score: 5, Insightful
    How many companies these days are willing to drop money into some technology that may not turn a profit for many years?"

    How about most drug companies.

  6. Our end is near... by Gunsmithy · · Score: 5, Funny

    ...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.
  7. Hmmm, flexible humanoid lips? by jakedata · · Score: 5, Funny

    I for one can see several applications that might directly appeal to this crowd.

  8. Imagine the future uses of this robot... by MalaclypseTheYounger · · Score: 5, Funny

    "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
  9. Re:Look at IBM by kryocore · · Score: 5, Insightful

    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.

  10. Re:Why automotive companies? by pavon · · Score: 5, Funny

    Don't you know? In Japan all cars transform into fighting robots! Being able to pilot a fighting robot is required of everyone who gets a drivers licence. My friend Mark once saw this giant moth just think about attacking his town and Fighting Robots chopped it head off just like that! I mean, with the restrictions on their official military, it's either that or have you country taken over giant monsters. It's an easy choice in my opinion.