Mr. Hiroshi Yokoi

Air muscles may be key technology for developing new types of artificial hands in the future, said Hiroshi Yokoi, associate professor of precision engineering at the University of Tokyo.

"Compared to motor-driven ones, air muscle hands are extremely light and less noisy", Yokoi said.

Air muscles may be key technology for developing new types of artificial hands in the future, said Hiroshi Yokoi, associate professor of precision engineering at the University of Tokyo.

"Compared to motor-driven ones, air muscle hands are extremely light and less noisy," Yokoi said, adding that they may be in practical use in about five years' time.

Air muscles may be key technology for developing new types of artificial hands in the future, said Hiroshi Yokoi, associate professor of precision engineering at the University of Tokyo.

"Compared to motor-driven ones, air muscle hands are extremely light and less noisy," Yokoi said, adding that they may be in practical use in about five years' time.

Mr Hiroshi Yokoi of the University of Tokyo says whiskers help a robot navigate through many types of environment.They are a simple sensor for working in the dark.

He believes rodent-inspired bots might eventually use artificial whiskers to explore confined surroundings and scuttle though pipes to perform repair work.

'The mouse is a really interesting animal because it lives in such a diverse range of environments,' he told New Scientist.

Each AMouse whisker is plugged directly into a capacitor microphone at the front of the robot.

Hiroshi Yokoi, of the University of Tokyo, says whiskers provide a straightforward way for a robot to navigate through many types of environment.

Yokoi believes rodent-inspired bots might eventually use artificial whiskers to explore confined surroundings and scuttle though dark pipes to perform repair work.

He presented his work at the International conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2004 in Sendai, Japan.

"The mouse is a really interesting animal because it lives in such a diverse range of environments," Yokoi told New Scientist.

Hiroshi Yokoi (University of Tokyo, Japan)

Hiroshi Yokoi of the University of Tokyo, and one of the team, says whiskers provide a straightforward way for a robot to navigate through many types of environment.They are a simple sensor for working in the dark, for example, he says.

Yokoi believes rodent-inspired bots might eventually use artificial whiskers to explore confined surroundings and scuttle though pipes to perform repair work.He presented his work at the International conference on Intelligent Robots and Systems (IROS) 2004 in Sendai, Japan on Thursday.

"The mouse is a really interesting animal because it lives in such a diverse range of environments," Yokoi told New Scientist.