{"id":38631,"date":"2016-03-10T11:42:55","date_gmt":"2016-03-10T02:42:55","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/?p=38631"},"modified":"2016-03-10T11:47:58","modified_gmt":"2016-03-10T02:47:58","slug":"38631","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.waseda.jp\/top\/en\/news\/38631","title":{"rendered":"Bizarre characters from the world of Osamu Tezuka brought to life in robotic form and perform in theatrical production"},"content":{"rendered":"

From February 26-28, the Human Art Theater (HAT)<\/a> performed the third installment of its \u201cFusion of Comics & Theater\u201d that focuses on the works of iconic manga artist Osamu Tezuka. Appearing in the performance were robots playing the role of Spider and Hyoutan-Tsugi, both of whom are gag characters that made numerous appearances in Tezuka\u2019s works. Waseda University\u2019s Takanishi Laboratory<\/a> (Faculty of Science and Engineering) and Hashimoto Laboratory<\/a> (Institute for Advanced Study) lent their support to the production.<\/p>\n

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Members involved in the robots\u2019 development. Pictured center is Kenji Hashimoto. To the left are two Spider robots and to the right is the Hyoutan-Tsugi robot.<\/p><\/div>\n

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Osamu Tezuka\u2019s bizarre characters Spider and Hyoutan-Tsugi<\/h3>\n

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Spider and Hyoutan-Tsugi are gag characters that defy explanation. Inspired by the mischievous drawings of Tezuka\u2019s siblings, the bizarre creatures appear out of the blue in Tezuka\u2019s manga and provide comic relief during serious situations. Their robot counterparts successfully fulfilled this role in the Human Art Theater\u2019s production.<\/p>\n

The Takanishi and Hashimoto Laboratories also successfully recreated \u201cThe Human Sore\u201d from the manga \u201cBlack Jack\u201d by fusing robotics with special makeup techniques.<\/p>\n

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Last year, the Waseda laboratories developed the \u201cPinoko\u201d robot<\/a>, which debuted in the Human Art Theater\u2019s first installment of its \u201cFusion of Comics & Theater.\u201d Commenting about the team\u2019s experience developing the robots for the most recent installment, Professor Kenji Hashimoto<\/a> said, \u201cPreparations began in August of last year. We developed the robot over a period of around half a year as part of a class with third year undergraduate and first year master\u2019s students. We were able to manipulate the robot using a wireless video game controller. During the fourth performance, one of the Spider robots began acting strange. However, we were able to get through it thanks to adlibs from the talented performers.\u201d<\/p>\n