1957-8 – “Toffee-kun” the Robot Elephant – “Kowa Display Company” (Japanese)

Caption: 森永製菓のロボット象、街を行く=熊本市内 (English translation: Morinaga robot elephant goes to the town–city Kumamoto) Other than the image, I have little other information about this mechanical elephant. Image was taken in 1958 in Japan, I believe. RH update Feb 2011 – Thanks to Hisashi Moriyama from Japan I now  have the following information. Robot Elephant was made …

1978-9 – PV-II 4-Legged Walking Machine – Hirose & Umetani (Japanese)

Photo.2 Sensor based stair climibing walk of the PV-II. KUMO-I (1976, see here), PV-II (1978-1979, Photo. 2). The method of locomotion called “walking” requires considerably more actuators than the wheel me thod of locomotion, the drive system is heavy; and it is not simple to control. However, walking machines, because they can move while separately …

1976 – KUMO-I 4-Legged Walking Machine – Hirose & Umetani (Japanese)

Research on Quadruped Walking Machines     KUMO-I (1976, see photo above), PV-II (1978-1979, see here). The method of locomotion called "walking" requires considerably more actuators than the wheel me thod of locomotion, the drive system is heavy; and it is not simple to control. However, walking machines, because they can move while separately selecting the point …

1976-9 “ReCUS” Underwater Walking Machine – Ishino et al (Japanese)

from "Walking robot with a circulating gait – Intelligent Robots and Systems – IROS 90. by JE Bares Perhaps the simplest walkers that can travers rough terrain are frame-type walkers. An example is the Komatsu underwater octopod. ReCUS, which consists of two rectangular frames, each with four telescoping legs – the machine walks over rough …

1981 – “Joggercycle” Hybrid Walking Bicycle – (Japanese)

"Bicycle built for shoe" Oct (19th?), 1981 Tokyo, Mon. – On your bike – and run! This ingenious contraption, being driven by a Japanese inventor, is a joggercycle. Pedal power drives a pair of running shoes through a mechanical linkage. The joggercycle reached the finals of a Japanese industrial firm's [RH-Honda] idea contest.