Panasonic’s IFA press event is just underway, and you know what that means: a whole bunch of TVs. 3D TVs, to be exact, and Panasonic has teamed with James Cameron’s flagship 3D feature Avatar to push those wares. Best sign of this blossoming friendship? A few tons of movie prop guarding the Panasonic booth entrance. Hide your pristine wildlife and mystical native forms of understanding, people!

Via

Man, remember that wicked awesome 59 foot tall Gundam they erected in Tokyo? Well, those pictures we saw a month ago were cool, but they’re nothing compared to the splendor of the thing lit-up like a futuristic, killer Christmas tree.

This awesome little manga inspired robot has been created by a Japanese person who goes under the nickname Clockwork and who is a true fan of the manga culture and robotics.

Crazy pictures from Japan show a nearly 60ft tall life-size RX-78-2 Gundam robot. Apparently, this statue was made for the 30th anniversary of Mobile Suit Gundam (Thanks for the comment, Panda) and will only be up for about two months. People have indicated that this is the location of the humongous robot. Word so far is that the rocket packs are NOT operable. What a relief.

More high-res photos available here and here.

Manoi the humanoid robot is going to show you the headspin to the splits. Hey human, can you do that? Video after the break.

Honda brain activity measuring device controlling ASIMO robot by human thought alone. (Photo: Business Wire)

Honda, ATR and Shimadzu Jointly Develop Brain-Machine Interface Technology Enabling Control of a Robot by Human Thought Alone

Tokyo-based security and electronics company ALSOK announced An-9RR [JP] today, a pair of two robots that can be used for security purposes and are also able to replace human receptionists. The An-9RR consists of a “parent” robot that stands 76.5cm tall and its “kid”, which is just 26.4cm tall.

Equipped with a camera and several sensors, the main unit (weight: 35kg) is able to recognize a visitor’s face or voice, take reservations, greet people and say goodbye. It also keeps records of people coming into the buildings it guards.

Visitors can use the parent robot’s built-in touch panel to call people up or get information about the building. In emergency situations, the robot will produce a loud sound and send alarm emails to cell phones of human security personnel.