Nikodama (ニコダマ) is a new Japanese high-tech toy: a pair of two gazing eyeballs that you can put on practically any object or surface.

But that’s not all. The fun part: once both eyes are aligned on a surface, they send each other signals and start blinking simultaneously.

Nikodama will make any object come to life.

A pair of Nikodama eyeballs which measure 7.6 cm (3 inches) in diameter is powered by 6 AAA batteries. The package comes with a decoration sheet so you can make the eyes look even more fun which decorative tears, eyebrows, nose and such.

Watch Nikodama in action here:

Nikodama is made by Cube and you can buy it on Japanese Amazon for 3130 Yen (about $36).

Banana vending machine. (Source: http://www.shibukei.com/headline/6996/)

In Japan, you can find vending machines for drinks, ice cream, noodles, umbrellas (!), and many other things. But bananas?

Japan’s first banana vending machine by Dole, installed recently in Tokyo, has become a big hit, selling its entire stock on the first and subsequent days.

The cooled vending machine has been installed in Shibuya Station in an underground connection between the Tokyu Denentoshi Line and Hanzomon Line. In the future, the maker hopes to sell other fruits in vending machines directly inside offices and universities. Dole is apparently targeting people who live alone and don’t have much time to prepare or shop for food.

However, since eating in public is traditionally considered taboo in Japan, most people who buy the bananas take them home, to their office or school.

One banana from the vending machine costs 130 Yen (about $1.50) while a bunch of 5 or 6 bananas costs 390 Yen (about $4.50).

At the Automotive NEXT Industry Fair 2010 in Tokyo last week Waseda Environmental Institute introduced a next-generation, ultra-light electric vehicle called ULV-III.

The vehicle, designed for one person, weights only 72.6 kg (160 lbs). According to the developer, it could be used as a mobile advertising medium for environmental campaigns or as a practical personal vehicle instead of a rental bicycle in areas where train stations are a long way apart, to get from one station to another.

The ULV can reach maximum speed of 40 km/h (25 mph), has a 400 W motor and can be charged in 4 hours. It can travel continuously for 80 km (50 miles). Charging the vehicle will cost you only 35 Yen or about $0.40. In comparison with Toyota Prius, the cost is ten times lower per kilometer.

The Waseda Environmental Institute recently supplied one of these ULVs to a restaurant where it was put to use as a delivery vehicle.

Cyberdyne Inc. employees cross a street during a demonstration of the HAL robot suit in Tokyo, Japan.

Bio-mechanical cyborgs might soon become a reality thanks to Japanese robotics venture Cyberdyne Inc. with its flagship invention — a cybernetic HAL robot suit.

Cyberdyne (don’t confuse it with the evil Cyberdyne from Terminator responsible for destroying humans) has been offering the suit in Japan since last year. HAL (short for Hybrid Assistive Limb), which has been in development for about 14 years and is the first such suit in mass production, has been created with intent to greatly improve physical abilities of disabled people when walking or lifting heavy objects.

According to the inventor, HAL can multiply the original strength of the wearer by a factor of 2 to 10. When wearing, it doesn’t feel heavy because the exoskeleton supports its own weight.

The full-body suit weighs 23 kg (50 lbs). The lower part weighs approximately 15 kg (33 lbs). HAL runs on a rechargeable battery which can operate continuously for about 2 hours and 40 minutes or up to 5 hours under normal activities.

How does HAL work?

When a person attempts to walk, for instance, the brain sends electrical impulses to muscles. When they reach muscles, faint bio-electrical signals appear on skin surfaces. This is where HAL “reads” the signals. The built-in computer immediately analyzes how much power the wearer intends to generate and sends commands to power units. The power units generate torque and put limbs into action. This process is completed in a fraction of a second earlier than the muscles actually move. HAL is the first technological solution of this kind.

HAL robot suit in full-body version.

The many uses of HAL

HAL is expected to be applied in various fields such as rehabilitation support and physical training support in the medical field, support for disabled people, heavy labor support in factories, rescue support at disaster sites as well as in the entertainment field.

HAL has attracted interest from companies in the US and some EU countries where Cyberdyne has established a branch office to introduce the technology to clients there.

Currently, the robot suit is available only to residents of Japan. Monthly rental costs ¥150,000 (approx. $1640) for one leg and ¥220,000 (approx. $2400) for both legs.

HAL helped a quadriplegic man scale mountain

An article at MSNBC has an interesting example where HAL made it possible for a 43-year old Japanese quadriplegic to ascend Breithorn, one of the highest mountains in Switzerland. Wheelchair-bound Seiji Uchida, whose dream was to climb this mountain, has been paralyzed from the neck down for over two decades. Thanks to his friend who wore the HAL suit and carried Uchida on his back, he was able to come very close to the top of the mountain at 4164 meters (13,658 ft).

Demonstration of the HAL robot suit on the streets of Tokyo:

How come this idea hasn’t come out to market before?

Popcorn Yubi-fude (PopCornゆび筆), the latest invention by a Japanese calligraphy supply maker Boku-undo Co., is not your typical brush — it’s a slip-on brush which you can easily put on your finger instead of holding it in hand.

Boku-undo Co. reports that about 6000 brushes have been sold in the first month since the product came out in April.

The company says that consumer interest is especially big among people with disabilities who have trouble holding brushes or pens and among the elderly whose grips are weak.

People who have tried using the brush say it’s very comfortable for calligraphy and painting and does not need any special instructional technique.

Despite the simple concept, it wasn’t so easy to produce such a tool! The maker first started developing the brush in 2006. The idea came from their own childhood when they enjoyed painting with fingers in sand and on fogged windows. One of the first versions of the brush was made in such a way that the holder had to be kept in place by a ring. However, this proved useless because the ring caused blood to pool in the fingertip. The materials which are usually used for brushes were also found to be too soft, making it difficult to paint strokes.

Once they perfected the brush into a useful tool, they named it “Popcorn” because of its resemblance to the shape of a corn cob.

Buko-undo Co. says they are already developing similar tools: fingertip ball-point pens and brushes for make-up.

Popcorn Yubi-fude is sold in Japan in paper and art material stores and comes in three sizes: small (¥630, $7), medium (¥735, $8) and large (¥840, $9).