University of Tokyo

Researchers at University of Tokyo have shown us a two-legged jumping robot—Mowgli, a Tarzan character originally came from Rudyard Kipling's short story "In the Rukh".

The Laboratory for Intelligent Systems and Informatics researchers chose a good name to gift their child with amazing abilities to jump. In the video, you will see the robot leap up 50cm in the air and land on an office chair. Mowgli is 1.2m tall and is capable of hopping up and down any platform in its range. Now that bipedals are not much of a challenge anymore (really?), the Japanese researchers are rushing into their next new concept? And yes, Mowgli also knows how to kick a soccer ball. Mowgli will be combined with some other dexterous mechanisms and will be programmed to help humans, to mess in the office for example.

Tokyo-based ZMP Inc showed off a new version of their Miuro Robot last week. The milestone that defined this upgrade from the original Miuro is the implementation of the “Chaotic Itinerancy” software. Masterminded by Takashi Ikegami at Tokyo University, the “Chaotic Itinerancy” software emulates bees circulating flowers and hence enables the robot to move spontaneously instead of following preprogrammed patterns. ... continued