Robotic Hair Dresser Coming Soon

Panasonic is really branching out with their robotics efforts these days. Their latest development? A robot that washes, massages and blow-dries a user’s hair, the Daily Mail reports.

The robot is being tested in Japan before it’s available for commercial use. And though it was originally developed for the elderly and disabled, it might stop cropping up in hair salons.

Panasonic’s new Head Care Robot has 24 “fingers” that massage a person’s head, which supposedly beats the whole head-massage-from-a-human experience. Each user can customers his or her shampooing experience, and the robot has specially-placed nozzles for rinsing longer hair. It even mists the hair with conditioner to ensure an even coat.

So will people feel comfortable using a robotic hair dresser? Well, Panasonic says the massage portion of the wash is “extremely relaxing.” And not at all creepy. They swear.

Japan Plans Futuristic, Robotic Farm on Tsunami Site

According to the Nikkei business daily, Japan is planning a futuristic farm on the lands that were devastated by the tsunami. Robots, such as unmanned tractors, will work in the fields and the carbon dioxide the robots generate will be captured and pumped back to the crops to enhance their growth.

The estimated $52 million experimental project covering 24,000 hectares will begin on-site research later this year.

Industry leaders, such as Fujitsu, Hitachi, Sharp and NEC , are expected to partner in the project.

13-foot-tall Robot in Development in Japan

Imagine a robot whose legs alone are taller than you. Sure, it sounds like the stuff of science fiction; but soon, a 13-foot-tall robot might be a reality.

Hajime Sakamoto, the president of the Hajime Research Institute in Osaka, Japan, has a dream to build a 13-foot robot that would include a built-in cockpit for humans. (I'm picturing the worker-bots from Avatar.) Sakamoto is currently looking for contractors and sponsors to help him with the project.

Although this will be his largest robot to date, Sakamoto is a robotics veteran. (Check out the video to see him piloting his 7-foot-tall Hajime 33 robot, which can walk, bow and play soccer.) In fact, he's already looking beyond his current project to the awe-inspiring ideas of 26- and 59-foot robots.

Nasty! Robot Uses X-Rays to Debone 500 Hams an Hour

In what can only be another step toward taking over the planet, robots can now debone humans -- er, ham bones.

As Extreme Tech reports, the HAMDAS-R robot "is basically a knife on the end of a very maneuverable robotic arm." Springs on each side of the blade let the bot mimic the fine movements of the human wrist.

HAMDAS-R's X-ray vision is what sets it apart, though. By understanding each ham's unique structure, the robot can work quickly and effectively and mimic a human butcher's motions.

The new bot is obviously a big step forward for the industrial food processing industry. Not only can it work up to 10 times faster than a human butcher, it can also work longer in near-freezing conditions.

Internet 'Kissing Machine' Takes Intimacy Online

Long-distance relationships have always been challenging. But in today's world of Skype, smartphones and Facebook, it's easier than ever to keep in touch. And in the future, keeping in touch--literally--could be easier as well. 

That's because researchers at Kajimoto Laboratory in Tokyo are working on "remote touching" technology that could eventually become a full, person-to-person tactile experience over the Internet. 

The first step is the "kissing device."

Watch as one user "French kisses" another person, remotely, using a device that resembles a plastic straw. The computer program records the straw's movements and mimics them on the receiving end. The second user's plastic straw waggles in his or her mouth, creating (in theory) the sensation of kissing.

The lab is also working to bring you Sense-Roid, a tactile device that, in essence, allows the user to hug and caress himself. All IHF can say is: Finally!