Sdtrk: ‘Cet air là’ by France Gall

This is another reason why I ended my recent Holiday from Blogging a couple of days early — news concerning the World of Synthetik Companions is fast and ever-flowing, like a… high-pressure fire hose. Yeah, that’s it! No, that’s not it.

+ KnightHorse have been busy developing raw affictitious sexiness. For only $2500 USD plus shipping, those ‘leg people’ amongst you can now make their dreams come true with their newest product, Lovable Legs. And really, why wouldn’t you?

She’s half-off, har har har

Here are the full measurements on the Lovable Legs (and therefore also the legs of the body 1 and 2 Lovable Dolls):
Total length of piece: 42″ from top of torso to the heel
Inseam (inside leg measurement from groin to ankle): 28″
Thigh at widest point: 18″
Waist: 22″
Hip: 30″
Buttocks at fullest point: 36.5″
Shoe size: 7 for open toe shoes, 8 for closed toe shoes and boots
Weight: 43lb

I bet the rest of her is concealed by the back of the loveseat

For convenience, they come with an eyebolt and a carabiner for hanging. I approve! Now, all KnightHorse need to do is create Lovable Dolls that are just the Doll from the waist up, so over-enthusiastic customers can re-enact that one scene from the film ‘Beetlejuice’. You know which one I’m talking about.
They’re exactly like the Lovable Feet, but, well, with more behind it, pun intended. As a matter of fact, keep watching ‘Shouting etc etc’, as I might well be able to tell you more about their Lovable Feet rather soon…

Not only that, they’ve finalised two new heads: Ally (left), and Sayuri.

Ally’s sculpt is based off one of Hiroo’s (head of 4woods) favourite models, and the Sayuri head is inspired by ideas from an iDollator. Very impressive!

Finally, KnightHorse are negotiating with various adult film stars, to make licenced Synthetik versions of them. Further news is pending, but when they know, I’ll know, and when I’ll know, you’ll know, and when you’ll know, your pets will know. Is that how it works? I don’t know.

+ Speaking on the topic of Gynoids momentarily, the site Plastic Pals mentions that one of KiTECH’s EveR-series lasses has taken after HRP-4C, and made her debut, walking down the runway in a fashion show. But not really.

‘They’re really big rollerblades! SHUT UP AND LEAVE ME ALONE’

Korean Android gets to “walk” the runway, too

South Korea’s Yongsan National Museum had a fashion show this Saturday, August 29th 2009 – that featured a robot model posing on the catwalk in designer Lee Young’s latest threads.

Though this move mirrors the recent appearance of the Japanese android HRP-4C appearing in a fashion show and later in a wedding dress, EVE (the android developed by KITECH) doesn’t actually walk as it is not a biped. The dress hides the robot’s wheeled base.
the rest of the article is here

On the one hand, you have to say ‘well, she’s moving, so that counts for something,’ but on the other hand, that’s a wee bit deceptive, KiTECH. It’d be more honest for them to simply admit that their Gynoid doesn’t walk, but I’m sure once they saw the initial footage of HRP-4C making her sexy mechanical way in front of the cameras, they probably felt the need to step up their game. After all, Baeg Moon-hong did promise that EveR-4 would be a walking model. I am holding you to that promise, sir.

+ Speaking of that EveR-3 lass, remember how I’d briefly mentioned in July’s post how she was performing in a play? Apparently back in May of this year, Swiss director Christian Denisart teamed up with Swiss robotics group Bluebotics SA, and put together a play unexpectedly entitled ‘Robots’. Yes, in Switzerland. Now were there actual robots involved? Of course there were!

Shame she doesn’t resemble EveR-3. But I like his dress sense

Robots steal the musical show
swissinfo.ch | May 6, 2009 – 10:56 AM

They could be accused of giving somewhat mechanical performances, but this was the first time Igor, Leila and Bruno had trodden the boards – and they are robots.

The three high-tech actors are currently starring alongside two human thespians in the world premiere of “Robots”, a musical which mixes drama, humour and science.

An eerie sound echoes above the audience from the lungs of the world’s biggest cinema organ. The curtain opens and a flickering candle glides into the 19th-century-style living room, carried by Igor, a metallic butler, accompanied by Bruno, a state-of-the-art robotic dog.

The two humble servants prepare to wake their master, a man (actor Branch Worsham) who lives in self-imposed exile with his automatic friends. They announce the imminent visit of a woman (Laurence Iseli) who will turn his passionless, controlled world upside down, forcing him to choose between the new intruder and her robotic double, Leila.
the rest of the article is here

To be honest, the plot sounds a wee bit trite — ‘Cherry 2000’, anyone? — but once again, I completely support the idea of utilising robots as actors, as it’ll be simply another method of assimilating artificial beings into society. Frankly, once it gets to the point where robots, Androids, and Gynoids are actors in plays and films that I personally can’t stand — such as anything by Michael Bay, for example — that’ll be a turning point. Because among other things, that will mean that having them as cast members will no longer be a novelty or gimmick, and the general public will have grown used to the idea.
If you’re further interested, there’s a site called Robots Forum, where a podcast was made from an interview with Mr Denisart and Nicolas Tomatis from Bluebotics SA, that you can download from right here.

+ Summertime is a rather big deal for the Japanese. Traditionally, they hold festivals, light fireworks, and set things on fire in general. In that vein, Orient industry have done a set of photos as yukata matsuri (kimono festival) postcards, bearing the images of some of their lovely CandyGirls wearing light, gaily-coloured summer yukata. Nice!

Mizuki, of the Real Love Doll Ange line, thinking about arson

Not only are they artfully done, they’re even safe for work! Print up a couple, and tell your coworkers that they’re models you happen to know.
In the interest of full disclosure, they were originally available as downloadable .pdf files, but only from 07 – 31 August. Sorry! I was away, what do you want??

+ And according to the News section of Orient industry’s site, it appears there is a film due out from Japan, entitled ‘Love Doll‘. It’ll be out on 10 October, and the DVD release is on 20th November, a week after my birthday. Hint, hint. The English section, as of this writing, isn’t online yet, but it doesn’t look too bad. Scenes of Dutch wives in contemporary Japanese settings? You have captured my interest. What will you do with it?

Looks bleak back there. Did she take a bus to Seventies-era Manchester?

It looks like a video collection of still shots, from the look of things, but nevertheless, as I’m a collector of this sort of thing (I prefer the term ‘archivist’), it’s a must-buy regardless…

Well now! The Autumnal Equinox has just ticked over, and we should be all caught up on the World of Synthetik Companions, right? Far from it, my friend. Far from it.
*cue ominous music*

Technorati tags: KnightHorse, Lovable Dolls, 4woods, iDollators, KiTECH, EveR-3, HRP-4C, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, AIST, Baeg Moon-hong, Christian Denisart, Bluebotics SA, Android, Gynoid, robot, Orient Industry, CandyGirl

Sdtrk: ‘Love everlasting’ by Jeremy Jay

Fellow Technosexuals, our goal of walking, talking Synthetik partners is looming nearer. I give you: the first walking Gynoid of the twenty-first century. Yes.

Walking, talking female robot to hit Japan catwalk
The Associated Press | Published: March 16, 2009

TSUKUBA, Japan: A new walking, talking robot from Japan has a female face that can smile and has trimmed down to 43 kilograms (95 pounds) to make a debut at a fashion show. But it still hasn’t cleared safety standards required to share the catwalk with human models.

Developers at the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, a government-backed organization, said their “cybernetic human,” shown Monday, wasn’t ready to help with daily chores or work side by side with people — as many hope robots will be able to do in the future.

“Technologically, it hasn’t reached that level,” said Hirohisa Hirukawa, one of the robot’s developers. “Even as a fashion model, people in the industry told us she was short and had a rather ordinary figure.”

For now, the 158 centimeter (62.2 inch) tall black-haired robot code-named HRP-4C — whose predecessor had weighed 58 kilograms (128 pounds) — will mainly serve to draw and entertain crowds.

Developers said the robot may be used in amusement parks or to perform simulations of human movement, as an exercise instructor, for instance.

HRP-4C was designed to look like an average Japanese woman, although its silver-and-black body recalls a space suit. It will appear in a Tokyo fashion show — without any clothes — in a special section just for the robot next week.

The robotic framework for the HRP-4C, without the face and other coverings, will go on sale for about 20 million yen ($200,000) each, and its programming technology will be made public so other people can come up with fun moves for the robot, the scientists said.
the rest of the article is here

Her programming technology will be made public, so other people can come up with fun moves for her. Well. *adjusts collar*
As I am genuinely speechless with glee, let’s gaze at a few pics of HRP-4C, shall we?

Sexiness: CONFIRMED
Full videos are of course available on Robot Watch; simply look for any pictures with the 動画 kanji beneath them, right-click the characters, and save. They’ve a passel of pictures there as well. You can also check out the page pertaining to her on AIST’s website, if you feel like wading through a bit more kanji. Sure, why the hell not, right?

Very good job, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology! Although she still has a couple of standards to meet — such as having an actual name, and not looking like she’s shat her keks when she walks — you’ve definitely raised the bar on contemporary Gynoid production. Nice! And one of the best things about the project? It’s government-funded! How fantastic is that??
So Kokoro Co. Ltd, Beijing Yuanda Super Robot Technology Co., Ltd., Hong Kong Human-Robot Center, Kobalabs, and Baeg Moon-hong, you certainly aren’t going to take this development lying down, are you?

Technorati tags: Technosexuals, robots, Androids, Gynoids, HRP-4C, National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, AIST, Kokoro Co. Ltd., Beijing Yuanda Super Robot Technology Co., Ltd., Hong Kong Human-Robot Center, Kobayashi Labs, Baeg Moon-hong

Sdtrk: ‘Syncopot’ by Ron Geesin

Four days into the month, and it looks like a slim showing of news. Perhaps things will pick up, though… I mean, apart from Simroid-chan and Holon-chan, what’s Kokoro Co. Ltd been up to? Or KITECH, for that matter? Didn’t Baeg Moon-hong promise that EveR-3 would be making her debut before we see the back of 2008?? And should I even enquire about the company that brought the world Dion? Don’t tease us, people; it’s impolite…

So what have we got for September? We have

+ a new model of Personal Companion by the name of Brandi-Lynn, from the good blokes at 1st-PC.

CAUTION: does not come with hairbrush

At 5’5″ and around 55 lbs, boasting measurements of 36.23.35, she seems rather pleasing! And to me, she bears a passing resemblance to Heather Graham. I think it’s the hair. Put her in a pair of rollerskates — the old-style ones, not the inline kind — and see if I’m wrong…

+ Phoenix Studios, as expected, has added yet another sexy Boy Toy to their sexy stable.

CAUTION: pointy hair

Miss September is an enticing lass, I’d say. And did you notice that she’s got, err, more to offer in the bust department? ‘I come with enhanced breasts at no extra charge!’ she says. That’s a pretty positive selling point, so you have to admire her initiative.

+ And rounding out this month’s report is a personal item; this Sunday past, I was once again the subject of a blitzkrieg ten-minute interview conducted by Tanya Gold, for The Independent, a newpaper from the UK. She’d sent an Email asking if I’d be willing to speak about being Sidore’s long-suffering husband, so I naturally said Yes. At the very least, it should be interesting; for one, she seemed genuinely startled when I mentioned that my ideal partner would be a walking, talking Gynoid… I mean, who knew, right? *gestures to ‘Shouting etc etc’ in general*
She tells me the article should materialise sometime next week, and of course, once I know, you lot will know. You know?

Technorati tags: Simroid, Holon, Kokoro Co. Ltd., KITECH, 1st-PC, Phoenix Studios, Boy Toy Dolls

Sdtrk: ‘Why you never became a dancer’ by whitehouse

So I’d mentioned that I’d found a couple of additional scraps of info about the Chinese Gynoid known as Dion, right? I quite literally happened to luck into them, as the thought of navigating sites in Chinese fills me with an unescapable dread. The company that built her — with the fantastically-lysergic name of Beijing Yuanda Super Robot Technology Co., Ltd. — has some facts about her on their home page. In English, yet! Well, as good as they can get it.

Lovely choice of top

Characteristics of the simulated intelligent robot developed by Beijing Yuanda Super Robot Technology Co., Ltd. are as follows:

His (her) figure and body height are same as that of actual person;

He (she) has the facial features and hair just like that of actual person;

He (she) can have all kinds of rich expressions on face, such as happiness, anger, sadness, pleasure, sorrow, naughtiness, shyness and displeasure, etc.;

His (her) degree of lip-rounding is the same as actual person’s when speaking, he (she) can use different tone, manner of speaking and languages to talk with people;

He (she) has the artificial skin, dermatoglyph and elasticity just like that of actual person;

He (she) is the same as us, has body temperature, pulse, breath and heartbeat.

His (her) main parts of body like head, neck, waist, arm, hand and leg, etc. can hold various postures and any actions just like that of actual person.
the rest of the article is here

The ‘his (her)’ bits indicate that they’re referring to their Androids as well. The one Android bloke I saw footage of was rather funny. He’s dressed in a military uniform, and he doesn’t so much speak, as tersely shout. That’s his schtick, I suppose — the cranky, shouting Android from mainland China. Cranky as Geminoid looks, at least he doesn’t shout. Indoor voice, sir; indoor voice.

And The Korea Times comes through again, with an update on everyone’s favourite (completely) Synthetik pop star, KiTECH’s EveR-2 Muse.

Android to Get Plastic Surgery
By Kim Tae-gyu, Staff Reporter | The Korea Times, 02-12-2007

Korean “female” android, dubbed the EveR-2 Muse, undergoes a plastic surgery for more attractive looks, according to its creator Baeg Moon-hong at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology on Monday.

As the country’s second female android (technically gynoid), the EveR-2 Muse gained prominence late last year with its ability to sing a song.

In response to opinions that it looks homely in comparison to its predecessor EveR-1, however, EveR-2 has not appeared in public events for the past couple of months.

“Originally, I thought that EveR-2 is prettier than EveR-1 because the former looks like a real, flesh and blood human being while the latter looks like a doll,” Baeg said.

“But the public seems to disagree with me and has favored EveR-1. So we decided to conduct the facelift of EveR-2 while making its hands smaller,” said Baeg, who also crafted EveR-1.

Baeg said his team may change the facial skeleton of EveR-2 and the skin will be replaced with a better one. Then he predicts EveR-2 will be a “beauty.”

“Unlike humanoids geared mainly toward developing a variety of functionalities, androids need to look good since they meet people face-to-face,” Baeg said.

“Through the ongoing surgeries, EveR-2 will give a better impression. Good appearances will help its various expressions and good shapes stand out,” the 48-year-old said.
the rest of the article is here

Now see, this is the thing I don’t fully understand. During my image searchings for EveR-2 Muse, I’ve seen three different versions of what she’s supposed to look like.

Three faces of Eve(R-2 Muse)

The far left was, I suppose, some prototype sculpt; the middle was the one that made her ill-fated singing debut; and the last was the version that was featured recently. It might well be a case of the second and third are the same, just with different hairstyles; I always thought the middle one was the least attractive, but if she’s the same as the third pic, it just goes to show you how stage lights can make anyone look horrible. In any case, a facelift wouldn’t go amiss. But I like the last one!…

And since it’s once again that time again, Shi-chan’s got some more videos up at her Dailymotion.com site; as always, the link is at the top of this blog. Happy 23rd!

Finally, surprise upswing regarding voting on spending quality time with a modern-day Gynoid, thanks to blurbs on both tiny nibbles and Shake Well Before Use. Seems like Actroid DER2 was chosen Most Likely To Be The Populace’s Favourite Sexy Gynoid Overlord. Now how do I go about showing the results to Hiroshi Ishiguro?
Coincidentally enough, one of the new videoclips uploaded is her nattering on about whatever. Enjoy it responsibly, and thanks to all that voted!

Technorati tags: Android, Gynoid, Synthetik, Actroid, Hiroshi Ishiguro, EveR-2 Muse, KITECH

Sdtrk: ‘My little brother’ by Art brut

KITECH, Korean creators of the EveR series of Gynoids, have been making all sorts of ace statements recently! You can’t stop ’em!

Korea to Create Dancing Android
By Kim Tae-gyu, Staff Reporter | 29 November, 2006

Korean scientists are working on creating the first android capable of walking and dancing like an entertainer.

Baeg Moon-hong, who crafted the country’s first female androids (technically gynoids) called EveR-1 and EveR-2, Wednesday said that his team aims to develop a mobile model by 2010.

“Beginning next January, we plan to upgrade our EveR series to EveR-3 by 2008 and EveR-4 by 2010,’’ said Baeg, a senior researcher at the state-run Korea Institute of Industrial Technology.

“EveR-4 will be able to walk and dance as well as sing a song. Its intelligence will also substantially improve by then,’’ the 48-year-old said.

There are several humanoids that can move with a human-like gait, including Hubo of Korea and ASIMO of Japan, but scientists have yet to develop a walking android.

“Humanoids have thick legs because of the many modules, motors and actuators incorporated in them. Thick legs are OK for humanoids, but we must cram all of them into the thin legs of androids since the latter should look like real flesh and blood human beings,’’ Baeg said.
the rest of the article is here

I have to stop here and give a hearty thumbs-up to the reporter, for actually using the term ‘Gynoid’ in their article. Well done sir/madam! There’s quite a difference between Androids and Gynoids — mainly that Androids are designed to look like male Organik humans and Gynoids are modelled after female Organik humans — so it’s best to get used to using the proper terms now. After all, you wouldn’t call a young lass ‘mister’, would you? Unless, of course, you have poor eyesight. Or you’re utterly deranged.

If they can pull this off, that’ll be beyond amazing. Mechanical balancers are a tricky bit of business, however, and being able to put all of that machinery into a Synthetik and still have her retain a petite shape and weight (well, more than likely, the first proper Gynoids are probably going to be rather heavy — EveR-2 Muse clocks in at 135 lbs, and she doesn’t even walk) will be quite an accomplishment. Given their track record, KITECH should be able to do it, though. Unless Hiroshi Ishiguro and Kokoro Co. Ltd pull it off with Actroid-chan first, of course.

But think about it: in three years’ time, we might very well have mobile Synthetiks. Three years is really not that long of a timeframe. Granted, we’re not going to have Cherry 2000 right out of the gate, but as Sidore-chan would say, ‘Rome wasn’t built in a day, and neither was I’.
The fab thing with technological advances, particularly in this day and age, is that it takes relatively less and less time to move forward — for instance, it took less time to go from computers that used punchcards to the laptop that I’m typing this post on, than it did to get from the wheel to the first horseless carriage — that’s the phenomenon that futurist Ray Kurzweil calls ‘the Law of Accelerating Returns‘. I’ve known about this concept for a while; I just never knew it had a name. Note: must look more into this Kurzweil bloke… But the upshot of it is is now that we’ve had Gynoids since 2003 (the year Actroid Repliee made her debut), the developments will start to come more and more quickly, each subsequent iteration being better than the previous one.

Really, what it all boils down to is one very important question: Should I start saving up for a Gynoid now, or should I wait a couple of years?

Technorati tags: Android, Gynoid, EveR-1, EveR-2 Muse, KITECH, Actroid, Hiroshi Ishiguro, Kokoro, Ray Kurzweil

Sdtrk: ‘Degradation of tapes’ by Merzbow

Whilst scanning my Technorati faves today, I ran across something on a random Japanese site — KiTECH of Korea’s EveR-2 Muse is finally making the scene. In making a couple of enquiries on das InfoBahn, here’s what I came up with:

Looking a lot better than the previous model, I’d say

Korea’s Second Humanoid Robot to Sing for Fans

The world’s first celebrity robot Ever-2 Muse will soon make “her” public debut. Ever-2 will perform a new ballad titled “I’ll close my eyes” at the opening ceremony of Robot World 2006 at COEX on Wednesday, the Ministry of Commerce, Industry and Energy said. The robot can be thought of as the little sister of Ever-1, which debuted on May 4 as the first domestic humanoid robot. Ever-2’s skin is produced with silicon. It has some 60 motors in the face (23), neck (three), arms (six each), hands (four each) and lower body (12), allowing a wide range of actions and expressions.

The robot can express 13 consonants and vowels and can not only lip-synch but can dance to music and hold “conversations” with fans. Since it senses colors and movement, it can respond based on the reactions of those nearby. Baeg Moon-hong, a senior researcher at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology, says Ever-1 with 35 motors was able to express the four emotions of happiness, sadness, excitement and anger, but Ever-2 can express eight, adding fright, discomfort, interest and boredom. Ever-2 is 165 cm-tall, 5 cm taller than its predecessor, and at 60 kg weighs 10 kg more.

Rock the hell on, Korea! This almost makes up for that whole nuke thing.
Surprisingly, Robot Watch doesn’t have anything on her yet, but I’m sure more info about her will be forthcoming. Watch this space!

Technorati tags: EveR-1, EveR-2 Muse, Gynoid

Sdtrk: ‘La fille d’un garçon’ by France Gall

Damn, Korea, you are upping the ante pretty quickly. Well done!

She’s about to do that ‘I’m crushing your
head’ sketch from Kids in the Hall again

Female Android to Chair Info-Tech Fair
By Kim Tae-gyu, Staff Reporter
The Korea Times, 20 July 2006A female android will chair the opening ceremony of the SEK 2006, Korea’s biggest info-tech exhibition that begins a four-day run at COEX in southern Seoul Wednesday.

The life-like android, named EveR-1, was developed by a research team at the Korea Institute of Industrial Technology and went public early last month.

“EveR-1 is poised to introduce notable participants at today’s SEK ceremony before delivering an oral presentation on the annual fair,’’ said Baeg Moon-hong, a senior researcher at the state-sponsored institute.

“We are happy to show off our own android the advanced IT fair. We aim to make efforts to develop the robot to be more like humans,’’ Baeg said.
the complete article is here

In effect, she’s only really doing what the Robot Station emcee version of Actroid-chan did at last year’s Aichi Expo, only seated and not in that delicious race queen outfit. Nevertheless, this is still very fab.
Okay Osaka Labs / Kokoro co. Ltd., what will you do to block? I suggest getting Ando-san a dedicated job as a newscaster, for starters..

Speaking of Kokoro, they’ve redesigned their website, and if you’ll note beneath the logo in the top left corner, it says, ‘a company of Sanrio Group’. Robots + Cute = one facet of the Japanese zeitgeist! It all makes sense now! *nods sagely*