Video: Japanese Robot Climbs Up And Down Ladders By Itself

We're getting closer and closer to the Robocalypse: Osaka-based industrial equipment maker Muscle Corporation and a few other Japanese companies have developed a humanoid that can climb up (and down) ladders all by itself. Considering how hard it still is to create robots that can walk smoothly, this is quite an accomplishment.The so-called "Dream Robo" was actually showcased last year during the Shanghai Expo. It stands 1.4m high, weighs about 30kg and moves with the help of five motors that are built into its body.]]>

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Japanese Telco KDDI Buys Content Delivery Network CDNetworks For $167 Million

Quite big news from Asia's web world today: Japanese telecommunications giant KDDI (US$40 billion revenue) announced [JP] it will buy an 85.5% stake in CDNetworks, the Korea-based content delivery network, for US$167 million.KDDI says the plan is to turn the CDNetworks HQ in Seoul into a subsidiary and to expand its global business (CDNetworks also has offices in the US, China, Europe, and KDDI's home market of Japan). ]]>

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3DPF: Japanese Company Creates Super-Realistic 3D Face Replicas

If you've ever dreamed of getting an super-realistic replica of your face for whatever reason, here's your chance: a Japanese company called REAL-f [JP] is creating so-called 3DPFs ("3 Dimension Photo Forms"), copies of human faces "in 3D". The startup offers two versions, a mask type replica and the so-called mannequin type, a replica of the head.The way it works is that REAL-f first shoots pictures of a person's face from various positions and imprints the image on vinyl chloride resin stretched over a mold. According to the company, it's unique production technology makes sure that even details like the iris and blood vessels are replicated accurately (see the pictures to judge for yourself).]]>

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