Murata, a leading Japanese manufacturer of advanced electronic components, unveiled a group of gravity-defying robots in Tokyo this morning to showcase the company’s latest sensing and communication technologies.
Dubbed the Murata Cheerleaders, the ten small robots – about a foot tall each – balanced on top of metal balls and rolled around the stage in various formations without bumping into each other. The presenters faced a brief “Asimo moment” when a few of the robots fell over – leading the curtain to close and the music to stop – but the issue was quickly corrected before the curtain opened a second time.
Here’s a pre-recorded video released by the company to coincide with today’s live demo:
The Cheerleaders represent Murata’s third foray into robotics, following the bicycle-riding Murata Boy in 2005 and the unicycle-riding Murata Girl in 2008. Instead of balancing on wheels, however, the new acrobatic robots feature three gyro sensors that utilize inverted-pendulum control technology. This arrangement of sensors allows the Murata Cheerleaders to detect tilt angles in a similar way to the Electronic Stability Control (ESC) systems that prevent automobiles from skidding in slippery conditions.
In addition to the gyro sensors, each of Murata’s ten Cheerleaders incorporate four infrared sensors and five ultrasonic microphones, allowing them to detect nearby obstacles – even in pitch black darkness. Group control technology, jointly developed by researchers at Kyoto University, allow the robots to perform synchronized routines without crashing into each other. The company says that this technology could be used in future vehicle and transportation systems (think self-driving cars) to increase driving safety, as well as in internet of things (IoT) applications.
“Someday the sensing and communication tech will be applied to energy management system in houses and buildings, and also to transmit vital signals and health-related data,” says Murata senior vice president Yuichi Kojima.
Unlike Pepper, the personal robot from Japanese telco SoftBank, Murata has no intention of selling the Cheerleaders to consumers – but the technology that makes them possible could prove lucrative from a supplier point of view.
“We’re not thinking of manufacturing robots in the future,” Kojima told members of the press this morning in Tokyo. “The Cheerleaders were made to motivate global innovators. We developed everything ourselves – the gyros, controls, even the aesthetic design. Our company supplies components, so we will maintain our position as suppliers.”
In tandem with the cute design language, Kojima added that he hopes the rolling robots will interest children in the field of engineering.
The Murata Cheerleaders will be on display at this year’s CEATEC expo, taking place next month in Tokyo.
See: Cute or just creepy? 5 of Japan’s most human-like talking robots
Murata, celebrating its 70th anniversary this year, began as a ceramics maker before repositioning itself as a tech company. While you may not be familiar with the company itself, Murata supplies 35 percent of the world’s monolithic ceramic capacitors, 60 percent of the world’s connectivity modules, and 95 percent of the world’s shock sensors – integral components for modern day smartphones, tablets, and laptop computers.
Balancing atop balls, the Murata Cheerleaders roll into Japan’s robot spotlight (VIDEO)
