Exhibition

There's an infestation of robots at London's Science Museum this weekend. Robotville has set up camp in a darkened room on the second floor, where visitors to the museum can drop by to say hello to their mechanized counterparts. There are 23 robots all told, from toy dinosaurs to pressure-sensing fish and all-terrain robot cockroaches (though, being purely remote controlled, the latter isn't a robot in the strict sense). Most captivating, though, were the nine androids that struck Gizmag as being, in one way or another, the most human. Say hello to the robots that might help shape our future. Read More

Australian architecture firm LAVA exhibited its inhabitable "Origami Cave" as part of The Emergency Shelter exhibition, which was held in Sydney earlier this month. The exhibition featured architects from around the globe including Ateliers Jean Nouvel, PTW Architects, Tonkin Zulaikha Greer, Cox, Koichi Takada Architects, Sou Fujimoto and Terunobu Fujimori. Each architect was asked to create a shelter that would not only protect people from the elements during an emergency situation, but would also provide a space that was secure and comfortable in the aftermath of a disaster. Read More

The main event of the Robotech exhibition held in Tokyo this past week featured the Robo-One Grand Prix event, pitting an assortment of bipedal humanoid robots against each other in an improvised octagonal wrestling ring. Many of you might have seen clips of Japan's rastlin' robots, but as there were more than a few impressive takedowns and attacks on show, I thought I'd share a few highlights. Read More

This technology might not be fully appreciated by readers located in earthquake-free locales, but if you've ever felt the ground move beneath your feet you'll be pleased with this technology. At Tokyo Big Sight last week Japanese company THK was demonstrating how their linear motion systems could dampen the shock of an earthquake. One of their systems, when placed underneath an object that you'd like to protect, will absorb most of the shock of an earthquake. Read More

Gizmag attended this year's Green Aviation Show in Paris to take a look at some of the eco-friendly aircraft currently available, as well those which may be just on the horizon. Although representatives from the airship contingent were out in force at the event, electrically-powered planes and paragliders also put in a strong showing, along with some rather interesting ideas for tomorrow's oil-free aircraft. Read More

The International Food Machinery and Technology Exhibition (or Fooma for short) took place last week at Tokyo Big Sight, where a number of companies were demonstrating more efficient ways of producing food. Regrettably, not all of them allowed for photography or video. But for anyone involved in food production, Fooma is definitely a worthwhile exhibition to visit if you can make the trip to Tokyo. Here are just a couple of the food production devices from Fooma 2010 that we found particularly eye-catching... Read More

The dates for 2011’s PMA International Convention and Trade Show have been confirmed. In an unexpected twist, rather than being held in its traditional first quarter slot, the convention has been moved from February to September. The event will now be taking place September 8-10, 2011, in the South Hall of the Las Vegas Convention Center. The shift in dates has been attributed to changes in “industry buying cycles and technology developments." More significant, though, is the announcement that the convention will be open to the public on September 10, with photo enthusiasts welcome throughout the day. Read More

Made famous in concerts by Jean Michel Jarre, laser harps recently gained a boost in popularity after being featured in Make Magazine. That's where one Japanese creator, who goes by the mysterious name of 'nameless911', found inspiration prompting him to make his own for an exhibition at his school. Rick Martin was on the scene to capture this and other Tokyo Make Meeting highlights. Read More

Some of you may recall our piece on Honda's Body Support Assist prototype last year. As a quick update to that story, those of you in the New York area will get a chance to see it in person as a part of the "Why Design Now?" exhibition at the Cooper-Hewitt National Design Museum, Smithsonian Institution. Read More