We’ve begun the robotics class with a video clip of a unique and ground breaking robotic hand.

From Hizook, the Robotics News Portal:

A few blogs are passing around videos of the Ishikawa Komuro Lab’s high-speed robot hand performing impressive acts of dexterity and skillful manipulation.  However, the video being passed around is slight on details.  Meanwhile, their video presentation at ICRA 2009 (which took place in May in Kobe, Japan) has an informative narration and demonstrates additional capabilities.  I have included this video below, which shows the manipulator dribbling a ping-pong ball, spinning a pen, throwing a ball, tying knots, grasping a grain of rice with tweezers, and tossing / re-grasping a cellphone!

There are more vids from the Ishikawa Komuro Laboratory, website directly.

From Robots could do work of 3.5 million people by ‘25, from where else but Japan

Robots could be performing the work of 3.52 million people by 2025 to help cover alabor shortage in the graying society, an industry body said Thursday.

The Machine Industry Memorial Foundation has estimated that “working robots” under development by Honda Motor Co. and many other leading companies could take over about 970,000 jobs in medical and nursing care services.

What’s the skinny from the human seciton of the bus?