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Hair-washing robot among the best at Tokyo's CEATEC show
'Glassless' 3D TVs, new e-book readers and a mechanical coiffeur impress at gadget gathering
As this year’s CEATEC gadget-fest near Tokyo approaches its climax, we take a look at just a few of the highlights that are expected to draw around a quarter of a million visitors to the halls of Makuhari Messe in Chiba.
The annual event, which features consumer electronics vendors as well as their more grimy parts suppliers, is typically dominated by one or two headline grabbers and the 2010 edition is no exception.
Toshiba's 'glassless' 3D TVs
Visitors to CEATEC (it’s open to the public and free on Saturday) can’t fail to notice the rows of 3D TV sets on the stands of the major AV players.
Toshiba takes particular pride in its so-called ‘glassless’ (Japanese for ‘you don't need special specs’) 3D technology.
It's due to hit the streets of Japan this December in a 20-inch Regza-brand set that’ll sell for ¥240,000 (US$2,900). A smaller, cheaper 12-inch model will join it although we’re not sure why.
Sharp Galapagos e-book reader
E-book alternatives to Amazon’s Kindle and Apple’s iPad were also on show, with the most prominent being a color-screen number from Sharp called the Galapagos.
Available in 5.5- and 10.8-inch varieties, the device comes with the now-typical Wi-Fi connection for automatic content delivery and a slew of media partners that will dictate what owners actually get to read.
Naturally with e-books, content remains king, so the success or otherwise of the Galapagos will depend heavily on those partners providing sufficiently compelling books, magazines and more to turn browsers into buyers.
The Galapagos will be available only in Japan -- though you wouldn't guess it from the name -- from December, starting at an undisclosed price.
Panasonic's hair-washing robot
Lastly, shows like Ceatec are large enough to leave room for the less-glam gear, such as a machine from Panasonic that it’s touting as the world’s first hair-washing robot.
The chair-like machine uses sensors to determine how much pressure to apply when doing the actual head-scrubbing and rinsing off.
The company says it was designed for use in hospitals and similar facilities, where staff may be unavailable to tend to patients’ cosmetic needs as often as they’d like.
There are no firm plans for sales or deployment in the field yet, but rather than just describe the watery ‘bot, here’s an excellent primer video from NetworkWorld.
