Saturday, November 12, 2011

robots in Tokyo


This week-end, there was the International Robot Exhibition in Odaiba.


Although I was expecting it to be crowded, I was surprised at how many artists (complete with canvases, easels, etc...) all seemed to be going to see it. All was explained when we got into what looks like an airport concord, and it turned out Hall 1 was hosting an exposition on design, and the robots were in Hall 2! All the artists duly went in to hall 1, as did all the young girls, and all the younger men, and, ALL the women, ...
Leaving me with a load of mid-age men in business suits. That's not much of a problem, but the lady at the ticket counter asking me if I was sure I hadn't gotten the wrong hall was just one layer too much!

Once in, however, I had lots of fun. They had lots of industrial machines, as well as all the medical aid things, and a few humanoid ones as well, of course. They didn't have Honda's Asimo, unfortunately. It seems weird, but I think my favorite one was a box-unfolding-taping robot.


What they did have were some works of art (he got the wrong expo hall too), made out og cogs and ball bearings and bolts and stuff. The scupltures were amazing, both the science-fiction type ones, as the (no less science-fiction type) trilobites.


After going around the expo twice, I took the oportunity of being in a different part of Odaiba to take a walk around. I never knew it was so big!


Unfortunately, so are the buildings in Tokyo, quite hiding Mt Fuji, which could be seen crystal clear from the train on the way up to Tokyo.

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