In recent days, Japan’s major automakers have been releasing details about the concept cars they plan to unveil at the upcoming Tokyo Motor Show, which will be held from October 24 to November 4, 2009 at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo. Environmental friendliness appears to be the common theme.

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- Nissan Land Glider

Nissan Land Glider [+]

Nissan plans to debut the Land Glider, an ultra-compact, ultra-lightweight EV concept car for urban mobility.

Nissan Land Glider [+]

This fully electric two-seater has a narrow body designed to help reduce traffic congestion and make it easier to find a parking space.

Nissan Land Glider [+]

Inside the cockpit, the driver sits front and center behind a futuristic-looking instrument panel and a steering wheel that resembles a pair of joysticks.

Nissan Land Glider [+]

With the ability to lean into turns like a motorcycle, the Land Glider can handle tight curves with ease, as seen in the video below. [More]

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- Nissan Qazana

Nissan will also exhibit the Qazana concept car, a compact four-seater that made its world debut at the Geneva Motor Show in March 2009.

Nissan Qazana [+]

Designed for tough city streets, the all-wheel drive Qazana crossover is masculine, agile, lean and intelligent.

Nissan Qazana [+]

The five-door compact crossover combines sporty driving with environmental performance, and its exterior and interior are inspired by dune buggies and motorcycles.

Nissan Qazana [+]

Inside, the framework of the seats and doors is partially exposed for an unfinished look, and the center console is designed to resemble a motorcycle fuel tank and seat. [More]

Nissan Qazana [+]

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- Toyota FT-EV II

Toyota will debut the FT-EV II, an ultra-compact electric vehicle.

Toyota FT-EV II

With a range of 90 kilometers (56 mi) and a top speed of around 100 kph (62 mph), the FT-EV II — which stands for “Future Toyota Electric Vehicle II” — is designed for short-distance urban driving.

Toyota FT-EV II [+]

Despite the vehicle’s tiny size, there is seating for four inside. The designers were able to free up interior space by removing items found in traditional vehicles, such as the brake and acceleration pedals, which have been replaced by joystick controls. Other features include a dye-sensitized solar panel, electric sliding doors, and a retro-futuristic interior.

Toyota FT-EV II

By incorporating a variety of communications functions into the dashboard, Toyota aims to demonstrate how the electric vehicle might function as a powerful information device in the networked society of the future.

Toyota FT-EV II

In addition to connecting with navigation services, the FT-EV II can download music and movie content, make recommendations tailored to individual preferences, and communicate with the driver’s home network, thus allowing the driver cruise the information superhighway while tooling around town. [More]

Toyota FT-EV II [+]

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- Honda Skydeck

Honda will debut the Skydeck concept, a six-passenger hybrid minivan featuring a strikingly odd combination of doors.

Honda Skydeck [+]

The Skydeck is equipped with scissor doors up front and a sliding door on the side.

Honda Skydeck [+]

Other features include an all-glass roof, translucent green wheels, and a minimalist interior with center-mounted floating seats.

Honda Skydeck [+]

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- Honda EV-N

Honda EV-N [+]

Honda’s EV-N concept, which looks like a 21st-century version of the classic Honda N600 of the late 60s and early 70s, has a solar roof that charges the battery-powered motor, interchangeable seat fabrics, and a car-to-car communications system in the front bumper.

Honda EV-N [+]

The passenger-side door includes space for storing a Honda U3-X personal mobility vehicle. [More]

Honda U3-X personal mobility unit fits into the passenger-side door [+]

The 10-kilogram (22-lb) U3-X is a self-balancing unicycle equipped with Honda’s state-of-the-art omni-directional wheel system.

Honda U3-X personal mobility unit [+]

Using the latest in balancing technology obtained from Honda’s ASIMO robot, the U3-X is capable of detecting slight changes in weight shift and adjusting its directional path accordingly. By leaning, the rider can steer the U3-X forward, backward, side-to-side and diagonally, as seen in the video below.

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- Honda CR-Z

Although Honda still calls it a concept car, the CR-Z hybrid hatchback is slated for production early next year in Japan.

Honda CR-Z [+]

The two-seater is powered by a 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine and has a six-speed manual transmission. [More]

Honda CR-Z [+]

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- Mazda Kiyora

Mazda Kiyora [+]

Mazda plans to exhibit an updated version of the Kiyora, a compact and lightweight concept car first unveiled in 2008.

Mazda Kiyora [+]

Equipped with a six-speed automatic transmission, the new Kiyora is powered by a fuel-efficient 1.3-liter gasoline engine that gets up to 75 mpg with the help of regenerative braking, advanced aerodynamics and a system that shuts the engine off at stops. [More]

Mazda Kiyora [+]

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- Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept

Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept [+]

Billed as an environmentally-friendly grand touring car, the Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept is a four-passenger hybrid vehicle equipped with gullwing doors for a sense of openness.

Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept [+]

During normal driving, the all-wheel drive Hybrid Tourer is powered by a 2.0-liter direct-injection turbocharged gasoline engine. The vehicle’s two electric motors are used for low-speed driving and recharging the lithium-ion batteries, and for providing an boost when extra acceleration is needed. [More]

Subaru Hybrid Tourer Concept [+]

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- Mitsubishi PX-MiEV

Mitsubishi plans to exhibit the PX-MiEV concept, a plug-in hybrid crossover loaded with features designed to boost fuel efficiency and safety.

Mitsubishi PX-MiEV [+]

The PX-MiEV’s front and rear wheels are powered by two permanent magnet synchronous motors, while a 1.6-liter gasoline engine powers the front wheels and works as a generator. The vehicle’s smart control system automatically switches between the various driving modes depending on the vehicle speed, battery level, and road conditions.

Mitsubishi PX-MiEV [+]

A 3-way battery charging system allows the vehicle to be charged using either a 100-volt or a 200-volt domestic supply, or a high-power quick-charging station. In addition to powering the motors, the battery can also supply electricity to user’s home during the daytime when domestic power consumption is highest, and it can be used used as an emergency power source in the event of a natural disaster. Devices can also be plugged into the vehicle’s 100-volt AC auxiliary socket in the rear luggage compartment.

The PX-MiEV uses heat reflective glass and paint for a cool interior. Each of the four seats is equipped with an individual air conditioner, while a negative-ion aroma humidifier and oxygen enricher improve the comfort level and reduce fatigue.

Mitsubishi PX-MiEV [+]

Safety features include a monitor that displays a composite image of the vehicle’s immediate surroundings, as well as a driver monitoring system that uses a camera to detect drowsy eyes. If the system detects a lapse in concentration, the driver is alerted by a series of attention-getting lights, sounds, vibrations, and smells. [More]

Outfitted with Yamaha’s Vocaloid singing voice synthesizer software, the HRP-4C female fashion model humanoid robot developed by AIST earlier this year has been entertaining CEATEC Japan visitors with renditions of popular songs.

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In this video, HRP-4C sings a rendition of Hitoto Yo’s “Hanamizuki.”

Hundreds of companies have gathered to showcase their latest technology at CEATEC Japan 2009, the largest consumer electronics trade show in Asia, which is being held at Makuhari Messe near Tokyo until October 10. Here are a few photos from the event.

Nissan EPORO robots [+]

Nissan stole the show with their demonstration of the EPORO robot concept car, which travels in groups and is designed to avoid obstacles and collisions by mimicking the behavior of fish. [More]

NTT DoCoMo’s eye-controlled music player [+]

NTT DoCoMo showcased a set of earphones that enable the wearer to control a music player simply by shifting his or her eyes. Electrodes embedded in the earphones detect the subtle changes in eye movement.

TOUCH WOOD: Front [+] // Back [+]

NTT DoCoMo’s TOUCH WOOD prototype handset is made from the surplus wood of trees culled during forest-thinning operations. [More]

A model wears special glasses to promote Sony’s 3D Full HDTV displays [+]

Sony’s booth featured a variety of new 3D Full HDTV displays, and the accompanying presentation starred a pair of models wearing special 3D glasses.

A model wears special glasses to promote Sony’s 3D Full HDTV displays [+]

Vaio concept [+]

Sony also displayed a few concept items incorporating their flexible display technology, such as this future Vaio notebook.

Panasonic 3D Full HDTV PDP [+]

Panasonic exhibited their latest 3D display technology, which includes 50″ 3D Full HDTV plasma displays.

Sekai Camera [+]

Sekai Camera, an augmented reality social tagging application for the iPhone, was on display at the Yamaha booth. [More]

Squid robot 1 [+]

Representatives from Hakodate showcased a pair of squid robots designed to attract attention to their area. The robots are part of an unorthodox campaign that includes some entertaining tourism promotion videos. [More]

Squid robot 2 [+]

Fujitsu exhibited a selection of interesting concept phones submitted by participants in the mobile phone design competition.

F-Circle: Fujitsu concept phone [+]

The F-Circle phone, designed by Yuji Ito, has a “timeless” appearance that departs from the typical rectangular mobile shape.

FOLD-A-PHONE: Fujitsu concept phone [+]

Designed by Hanna Sahlen and Sachiko Munakata, the FOLD-A-PHONE is a paper-thin handset that can be folded into a compact shape. The design was inspired by the “Miura-fold” origami method.

chamelephone: Fujitsu concept phone [+]

The chamelephone, designed by Hiroyuki Tabuchi, has a body that changes its appearance to match the texture of the surface it is placed on.

KAORA: Fujitsu concept phone [+]

Designed by Wataru Igarashi, the KAORA concept features a curved design that can assume various configurations to suit different uses.

Amoeba Phone: Fujitsu concept phone [+]

The Amoeba Phone (designed by Kwak Yeon), whose entire surface is a touchscreen, has a concave shape designed to fit the user’s face when they are talking on the phone.

Sento-kun [+]

Sento-kun, the official mascot character for next year’s Commemorative Events of the 1,300th Anniversary of the Nara-Heijokyo Capital, was on hand to promote investment in Nara prefecture.

Tarako Kewpie is at it again with a new pasta sauce commercial.

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Researchers from Kitasato University in Tokyo have been awarded this year’s Ig Nobel Biology Prize for demonstrating a method to reduce kitchen waste by more than 90% by using bacteria derived from Giant Panda excrement.

Professor Fumiaki Taguchi, who shares the prize with fellow researchers Song Guofu and Zhang Guanglei (both from the Kitasato University Graduate School of Medical Sciences), began the project in 1998 after suspecting panda feces must contain bacteria capable of breaking down even the hardiest of foods because of the bear’s vast consumption of bamboo.

Found in only a handful of areas in mainland China, the Giant Panda has a diet which is 99% bamboo. The rare and exotic animal, which can weigh as much 150 kilograms (330 lbs), feeds on 25 varieties of bamboo and consumes as much as 9 to 14 kilograms (20 to 30 lbs) per day.

After identifying some 270 different microorganisms in panda dung obtained from Tokyo’s Ueno Zoo, the researchers isolated five types of bacteria that were the most efficient at breaking down proteins and fats and that could reproduce easily even under high heat.

In one experiment, the researchers mixed the bacteria with 70 to 100 kilograms (lbs) of raw garbage, including vegetable stems, potatoes (raw and fried) and fish remains, and placed it in an industrial waste disposal machine. Seventeen weeks later, only 3 kilograms (6.6 lbs) of waste remained, while the rest had turned to water and carbon dioxide. With a digestive rate of up to 96%, the bacteria from panda excrement is significantly more effective than most commercial disposal bacteria, which has a digestive rate of around 80%.

In 2003, Taguchi also claimed it was possible to harvest about 100 liters (26 gallons) of hydrogen gas for every kilogram (2.2 lbs) of waste treated with panda poo. At the time, he was exploring the possibility of integrating a hydrogen fuel cell into a waste disposal unit to sell to food processing companies in Japan.

Interestingly, Taguchi is not the first Japanese scientist to receive an Ig Nobel Prize for excrement-themed research. In 2007, researcher Mayu Yamamoto won the chemistry prize for developing a method for extracting vanillin — an ingredient in vanilla fragrance and flavoring — from cow dung.

Taguchi is the 13th Japanese person to receive an Ig Nobel Prize since the awards were established in 1991. Previous prize-winning achievements from Japan include the invention of karaoke, which received the Peace Prize, and the Tamagotchi, which received the Economics Prize.

The annual Ig Nobel Prizes are meant to honor scientific achievements that “first make people laugh, and then make them think,” according to the founders at science humor magazine Annals of Improbable Research.

[Links: Improbable Research, Abstract (2001), ABC (2003)]

The University of Hawaii at Manoa hosts an online collection of about 1,500 magic lantern slides created in the 1930s and distributed around the world to educate people about Japan. Here are a few.

Buddhist story [+]

Scary kite [+]

Sanitation campaign [+]

Sanitation campaign [+]

Sanitation campaign [+]

Sanitation campaign [+]

Buddhist story [+]

Story [+]

Buddhist story [+]

Buddhist story [+]

Hell [+]

Hell [+]

Hell [+]

Hell [+]

Hell [+]

Snake woman [+]

Earthquake [+]

Buddhist story [+]

[UHM Magic Lantern Slides Collection via ephemera assemblyman]

Engineers from Activelink, a Kyoto-based subsidiary of Panasonic, are hoping to turn science fiction into reality with a powerful robotic exoskeleton suit that gives its operator superhuman strength.

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The so-called “Power Loader” suit — which takes its name from the fictional hydraulic exoskeleton suit appearing in the sci-fi classic “Aliens” (1986) — is built on an aluminum-alloy frame and weighs 230 kilograms (500 lbs). Described as a “dual-arm power amplification robot,” the exoskeleton suit is currently equipped with 18 electromagnetic motors that enable the wearer to lift 100 kilograms (220 lbs) with little effort. In addition, the Power Loader’s simple, intuitive control system employs direct force feedback, allowing the operator to directly feel the movement of the robot while controlling it.

Power Loader exoskeleton suit in “Aliens”

Not unlike the film version of the suit, which was used for carrying cargo around on spaceships and colonies, the Power Loader is being created to help humans with heavy lifting, particularly in construction and disaster relief operations.

The Power Loader is still in the development phase, but Activelink plans to have a marketable version of the suit by the year 2015.

[Source: Mainichi]

Electric transformer boxes painted with the silhouettes of Ultraman monsters can be seen on the streets of Sukagawa (Fukushima prefecture), the hometown of sci-fi special effects master Eiji Tsuburaya.

Ultraman [photo]

Gomess [photo]

Ultra Seven [photo]

Clockwise from top-right: Antlar, Guts Seijin, Telesdon, Mephilas, Gomora [photo]

Borg Seijin [photo]

Pegira [photo]

Interactive media artist Mio I-zawa’s “mechanical tumor” is a quivering hunk of fleshy, organic-looking material that expands and contracts depending on the amount of stress your computer is experiencing.

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Equipped with a series of motors and pneumatic actuators, the mechanical tumor pulsates gently when the CPU load is low. When the CPU load is high, the tumor’s air compressor is activated, causing the lump of flesh to inflate.

The size of the tumor fluctuates according to the CPU utilization rate, giving the user a very tangible reading of the computer’s stress level.

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Other biologically inspired interactive devices by Mio I-zawa include “external heart,” a squishy latex heart on wheels that beats and rolls around in sync with the user’s pulse…

…and “elastic cell,” a system of 46 soft pulsating cells that react to human touch in a complex, lifelike way.

[Link: Mio I-zawa]

Here are a few samples of Japanese graphic design featured in the “Design X” special anniversary edition of IDEA magazine, 1995.

“I’m Here” poster, Katsuhiko Shibuya [+]

“I’m Here” poster, Katsuhiko Shibuya [+]

Poster for “Life” exhibition, Mamoru Suzuki, 1994 [+]

Poster for “Life” exhibition, Mamoru Suzuki, 1994 [+]

Garbage bag design, Gento Matsumoto, 1994 [+]

“Hiroshima-Nagasaki 50″ poster for JAGDA exhibit, Mamoru Suzuki, 1995 [+]

“Hiroshima-Nagasaki 50″ poster for JAGDA exhibit, Mamoru Suzuki, 1995 [+]

“Hiroshima-Nagasaki 50″ poster for JAGDA exhibit, Mamoru Suzuki, 1995 [+]

Iconova – Portrait of Towa Tei, Keiji Itoh, 1994 [+]

Poster for E Company, Tatsuo Ebina, 1993 [+]

Poster for E Company, Tatsuo Ebina, 1993 [+]

Editorial design for Hanatsubuki magazine, Katsuhiko Shibuya [+]

Poster for Yume-No-Yuminsha theatrical troupe, Noriyuki Tanaka, 1989 [+]

Poster for Yume-No-Yuminsha theatrical troupe, Noriyuki Tanaka, 1989 [+]

“Life/Elements” poster for “Life” exhibition, Keiji Itoh, 1994 [+]

Voice, Ken Miki, 1993 [+]

Primitive, Ken Miki, 1993 [+]

Delicate Technology, Ichiro Higashiizumi, 1991 [+]

Editorial design for “Dress-up Vol.1,” Noriyuki Tanaka, 1994 [+]

Editorial design for “Dress-up Vol.1,” Noriyuki Tanaka, 1994 [+]

Modera Tone, Kazumasa Nagai, 1995 [+]

Godiva advertising poster, Osamu Fukushima, 1992 [+]

Godiva advertising poster, Osamu Fukushima, 1992 [+]

Laforet advertising poster, Takuya Ohnuki, 1991 [+]

Poster for Sapporo wine museum, Kotaro Hirano [+]

Poster for “Life” exhibition, Osamu Fukushima, 1992 [+]

Poster for “Life” exhibition, Osamu Fukushima, 1992 [+]