Time Magazine: “What’s Behind Japan’s Love Affair with Robots?” “If Japanese engineers had their way, we might soon be cheering on a robotic World Series. Every year or two, Japanese researchers roll out a new robotic invention — the latest to grab headlines earlier this month was a mechanized baseball duo of a batter and pitcher that can throw 90% of its pitches in the strike zone. And while the majority of Japanese robotic inventions — from the dazzling to the horrifying —have largely been unable to break into the mass market, Japanese scientists aren’t likely to short-circuit their robotic ambitions anytime soon: Robotic technology plays a larger role in Japan than anywhere else in the world.”

Austin Stateman: “Segway inventor brings his passion for robotics to Austin.” “Dean Kamen may be best known to the public as the inventor of the Segway, the electric-powered vehicle that is used for everything from shopping-mall patrols to mail delivery and city tours. But Kamen’s biggest passion is using technology to improve the quality of people’s lives.”

Gizmodo: “Toyota Humanoid Robot Gives Asimo a Ron for its Money.” “At 7 km/h it’s not going to win any wind sprints in the Olympics, but nevertheless this thing is airborne for 100ms between strides as it skirts across the floor (i.e. genuine running). For comparison’s sake, Honda’s Asimo robot can only manage a meager 6 km/h. We assume Toyota was able to squeeze the extra kilometer per hour out of their robot with a strict training regimen and what can only be described as a mild dose of physical abuse—their robot can re-balance itself when pushed lightly, as you can see in the video.”