For four decades Doraemon, a blue robot cat from the 22nd century, has been an icon of Japan’s manga comic world — but now some of its coolest sci-fi gadgets exist in the real world.
Invisibility cloaks, micro-robots and brain scanners reminiscent of the cat’s “Dream TV” are just some of the cutting-edge, Doraemon-style inventions going on show at Tokyo’s Miraikan museum from today until Sept. 27.
Mamoru Mori, a former astronaut who heads the museum, said the earless feline has been beloved of generations of comic fans, including his three sons who have “lived by the thought ‘Doraemon will come and rescue me.’”
PHOTO: AFP
Doraemon’s world also “became the dream of many researchers and scientists, who have contributed to creating a world that is a little bit more convenient,” Mori said at a media preview of the show.
One piece of gear that could be straight from the cat’s gadget pouch is a “retro-reflective fabric” that makes the wearer appear invisible — essentially a movie screen that, chameleon-style, shows the image behind the wearer.
The real-time image transmission gives the illusion that the person wearing the coat is see-through — an innovation that has not yet been commercialized but could have a variety of applications in future. If applied to the interior of a car, for example, it could allow drivers to effectively “see through” their doors to get a clearer view of the traffic.
“Developers also say this could be used by surgeons whose own hands block their view of the organs beneath,” museum curator Asako Ogita said.
Another new gizmo on display could be inspired by Doraemon’s “small light” which, when beamed at someone, shrinks them to miniature size — a prototype “medical micro robot” that measures just 3cm.
Such micro-bots will soon be used inside patients’ bodies to illuminate their innards and take pictures, administer drugs and collect tissue samples, its developers from Ritsumeikan University said.
Another technological marvel is a brain-wave sensor that, organizers say, is reminiscent of Doraemon’s “Dream TV,” which helped the manga tabby glimpse other people’s dreams on a screen.
The device by US firm NeuroSky, with a headband that measures brain waves, can tell how hard the wearer is concentrating and shows the result by bringing into a focus an image of flowers on a screen.
Despite the wonders of science on show, those who are waiting for a real-life Doraemon will have to wait just a little longer, said Shinichi Hirose, science communicator at the museum.
“However, robots that could live in harmony with humans are being developed,” he said, pointing to the invention of mock plants that nod in agreement as people talk to them.
Mori said he could imagine how he might wield the latest technology.
“If I wear an invisible cloak, nobody would ask me for an autograph on a crowded train,” he said.
SILICON VALLEY HUB: The office would showcase Taiwan’s strengths in semiconductors and artificial intelligence, and help Taiwanese start-ups connect with global opportunities Taiwan has established an office in Palo Alto, one of the principal cities of Silicon Valley in California, aimed at helping Taiwanese technology start-ups gain global visibility, the National Development Council said yesterday. The “Startup Island Taiwan Silicon Valley hub” at No. 299 California Avenue is focused on “supporting start-ups and innovators by providing professional consulting, co-working spaces, and community platforms,” the council said in a post on its Web site. The office is the second overseas start-up hub established by the council, after a similar site was set up in Tokyo in September last year. Representatives from Taiwanese start-ups, local businesses and
EXPRESSING GRATITUDE: Without its Taiwanese partners which are ‘working around the clock,’ Nvidia could not meet AI demand, CEO Jensen Huang said Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co (TSMC, 台積電) and US-based artificial intelligence (AI) chip designer Nvidia Corp have partnered with each other on silicon photonics development, Nvidia founder and CEO Jensen Huang (黃仁勳) said. Speaking with reporters after he met with TSMC chairman C.C. Wei (魏哲家) in Taipei on Friday, Huang said his company was working with the world’s largest contract chipmaker on silicon photonics, but admitted it was unlikely for the cooperation to yield results any time soon, and both sides would need several years to achieve concrete outcomes. To have a stake in the silicon photonics supply chain, TSMC and
‘DETERRENT’: US national security adviser-designate Mike Waltz said that he wants to speed up deliveries of weapons purchased by Taiwan to deter threats from China US president-elect Donald Trump’s nominee for US secretary of defense, Pete Hegseth, affirmed his commitment to peace in the Taiwan Strait during his confirmation hearing in Washington on Tuesday. Hegseth called China “the most comprehensive and serious challenge to US national security” and said that he would aim to limit Beijing’s expansion in the Indo-Pacific region, Voice of America reported. He would also adhere to long-standing policies to prevent miscalculations, Hegseth added. The US Senate Armed Services Committee hearing was the first for a nominee of Trump’s incoming Cabinet, and questions mostly focused on whether he was fit for the
INDUSTRIAL CLUSTER: In Germany, the sector would be developed around Taiwan Semiconductor Manufacturing Co’s plant, and extend to Poland and the Czech Republic The Executive Yuan’s economic diplomacy task force has approved programs aimed at bolstering the nation’s chip diplomacy with Japan and European nations. The task force in its first meeting had its operational mechanism and organizational structure confirmed, with Premier Cho Jung-tai (卓榮泰) the convener, and Vice Premier Cheng Li-chiun (鄭麗君) and Minister Without Portfolio Ma Yung-cheng (馬永成) the deputy conveners. Minister of Foreign Affairs Lin Chia-lung (林佳龍) would be the convener of the task force’s strategy group in charge of policy planning for economic diplomacy. The meeting was attended by the heads of the National Development Council, the Ministry of Economic Affairs, the
RSS