Short Science, December 2, 2012

Worried the family dog is too chubby? Japanese information technology giant Fujitsu says it may have the solution with a new health management service that lets owners keep a close eye on their pet's exercise regimen through a pedometer attached to its collar. The "Wandant" counts how many steps the dog took during its latest outing, with the data then available online for pet owners' perusal, Fujitsu says. "Wan" is Japanese for "woof", while "dant" comes from the word "pendant".

The device also measures the dog's temperature, while owners can use an online diary to track how much their dog is eating, its weight and "stool conditions". "The data are presented graphically on a custom website that makes trends in the dog's activities easy to understand at a glance," according to the firm. "This helps owners get a stronger sense of their dog's health, while enabling communication with the dog." AFP

Like many Japanese, Kogoro Kurata grew up watching futuristic robots in movies and animation, wishing that he could bring them to life and pilot one himself. Unlike most other Japanese, he has actually done it. His four-tonne, four-metre tall Kuratas robot is a grey behemoth with a built-in pilot's seat and hand-held controller that allows an operator to flex its massive arms, move it up and down and drive it at a speed of up to 10km/h. Reuters