Toyota unveils tour-guide robot at exhibition hall

Toyota unveils tour-guide robot at exhibition hall

NAGOYA, Japan - A robot, developed by Toyota Motor Corp., begins escorting visitors around the various displays at Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on Aug. 27. The new tour-guide robot, called TPR-Robina, is equipped with autonomous movement capabilities for avoiding obstacles and with jointed fingers, allowing it to sign autographs using the Roman alphabet. The 120-centimeter-tall Robina is also able to interact with visitors through a combination of verbal communication and gestures.

Toyota unveils tour-guide robot at exhibition hall

Toyota unveils tour-guide robot at exhibition hall

NAGOYA, Japan - A robot, developed by Toyota Motor Corp., begins escorting visitors around the various displays at Toyota Kaikan Exhibition Hall in Toyota, Aichi Prefecture, on Aug. 27. The new tour-guide robot, called TPR-Robina, is equipped with autonomous movement capabilities for avoiding obstacles and with jointed fingers, allowing it to sign autographs using the Roman alphabet. The 120-centimeter-tall Robina is also able to interact with visitors through a combination of verbal communication and gestures. (Kyodo)

Japanese museum to return Buddha statue to China

Japanese museum to return Buddha statue to China

OTSU, Japan - Photo shows an ancient Buddha statue that was reportedly stolen from a garden in China and then kept at a private museum in Japan. The Miho Museum in Shigaraki, Shiga Prefecture, said April 16 it will return the statue to China in 2007. The museum said it bought the statue in 1995 from a London art dealer and only learned four years later that it may be stolen property. The 120-centimeter tall image was made in China in the early sixth century. The photo was provided by the Miho Museum.