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Panasonic has a long history of supplying high-tech medical devices to institutions throughout its home country of Japan. Combine that expertise with its emerging robotics know-how and this is what you get – the world’s first robot bed that lifts the occupant up when needed and transforms itself into a wheelchair that can move off on its own.

Sony‘s new Bravia Postcard service for cellphones pretty much does what it says on the pack - sends virtual message cards from compatible phones to net-connected Bravia TV sets.

It’s official - Japan is in the grip of the swine flu pandemic. Or, at least, its media is, but what about possible ways to tackle the disease?

You’ve seen the pictures of people wearing face masks to prevent catching the H1N1 swine flu. If you’re going to wear a mask, why choose plain blue? People in Japan wear masks out in public all the time, for colds, the flu, and hay fever. Japanese mask-wearing citizens demand the finest quality, menthol cool wet-filtered, nonstick lipstick-ok face masks. From single-use to 7-day to designer…

In the spirit of the amazing Kowa anti-pee pills, we bring news of another product helping Japan move toward ending the need for people to urinate entirely.

The world and his dog know how space-age Japanese toilets can be (well, not this one), so it’s no great surprise to see the latest model add a little something extra to the mix in the shape of personalised RSS feeds from the throne.

As the world’s supply of fossil fuels shrinks, it’s heartening to see one company pressing ahead with serious plans for alternative ways to power our homes.

When I visited NTT last October for a private demo of its new cellphone RFID loyalty-card system, it was still in its early stages of development, so there wasn’t a great deal to write home about at the time.

Battlestar Galactica fans on a budget might get a kick out of this Japanese Mama Chari (or ‘Mom’s bike’) named for their favorite pseudo swearword.

The Osaka-based electronics maker will be investing a whopping ¥6 billion ($65 million) to build a new solar cell plant in Kaizuka, Osaka Prefecture.

If actual karaoke in the nasty ole world beyond your bedroom is a bit too scary, then how about doing it in front of a computer with any Tom, Dick or Taro looking in? Best of all, you can even do it in Japanese.

Banana gadgets, super-soapy shower slippers and ingenious uses for empty drinks bottles are among the zillions of products you didn’t know you needed, but now can’t live without, that are on display at this week’s International Gift Show in Tokyo.

An innovative package for natto – the popular fermented soybean food – lets users start eating quicker by eliminating two steps from the usual preparation process. Previously, after removing the package lid, one would have to peel off the top film, stir the natto….

The marvelously named Pacific-Rim Symposium on Image and Video Technology, which kicked off this morning here in Tokyo, is home to many wondrous devices, but few as likely to alter our lives as a piece of software from Toshiba.

Knowing when the quake will arrive keeps getting easier in Japan. Official earthquake warnings that pop up in a window on your computer screen is the latest alert method. Already earthquake warnings are broadcast on TV. Cable TV providers and telecoms offer…

Hydrogen fuel cells are clearly a great idea, but the fact that much of the gas that goes into them still comes from fossil fuels is a bit of a problem. That’s why researchers are looking at alternative sources of hydrogen from substances as diverse as dough and sewage.

Kids carrying an RFID contactless transit smartcard can also use it to automatically notify parents of their whereabouts.

This isn’t entirely new, but it’s worth bringing you a snippet on Sega Toys’ Pekoppa – a tiny pot plant that apparently nods in agreement when anyone talks to it.

A new fixed-line phone from Sanyo uses an internet connection to receive and announce earthquake warnings.

Hey kids, see this sweet candy? You probably want some, right? Here you go…no, can’t have it! Put it back behind the counter. It’s dangerous. And don’t let grandma buy it either.

This cute heater can be kicked, tipped, tossed, punched and undressed and it will continue to keep you warm without turning off. Free-standing gas, kerosene and electric heaters in Japan usually…

In honor of the much-televised locker-room celebrations sports teams worldwide love so much, Bandai has found a way to turn spraying carbonated beverages from a filthy pastime into the very embodiment of cleanliness.

Voice-powered technology can be pretty hit and miss at the best of times, but a new approach to creating remote controls that hang on our every word looks promising.

Take a look at that photo - yes, your eyes are not playing tricks on you; and no, you don’t need to do one of those cartoon double-takes on the whiskey bottle in your hand before throwing it over your shoulder. It really is a portable wooden room that is designed to be set up inside another room.

Yutapon’s the name, getting your feet warm in bed’s the game.

They say any fool can be a blogger and, judging by the standard of my usual garbage, who’s to argue? Still, I bet no one ever guessed Japan’s latest online star would be a humble pot plant.

There’s nothing particularly unusual about Kashimura’s new range of ¥350 ($3.50) travel adapters for AC plugs apart from the fact that each one lights up blue when the juice is flowing.

After so many reports about how slow US/UK/wherever broadband really is, this is kinda like rubbing salt into the wound, but we really do need to tell you that Japanese homes are about to get hooked up to 1Gbps fibre internet connections from next month. Yes - that’s a freakin’ gigabit per second.

Vegans should probably look away now – researchers at a Japanese agricultural institute are so concerned about global warming putting livestock off their food they’re testing ways to make them eat better.

Although it was announced in the US a while back, it’s only this fall that other territories will get their hands on Chumby, the so-called alarm clock of the future.

Summer is the time of year when evenings are often filled with the fizz and crackle of winged insects obliterating themselves on outdoor lights, but did you know that it’s the ultraviolet part of the spectrum they really dig?

Worrying news from the Nikkei this morning as the august organ reports that Japan has made concrete plans to exploit methane hydrate deposits on the ocean floor 1km down in a wide area off its coast.

Although much has been made of Sony’s recent resurgence under Sir Howard Stringer, the Tokyo monster may be surprised to learn that it has been toppled as the public’s favourite producer of quality electronics.

Of the many huge Japanese electronics purveyors that we’ve long been familiar with, one name that rarely stands out from the pack is that of Sanyo.

When it comes to consumer electronics, Japan is generally an excellent weathervane for forecasting the picture in the West a few months ahead. With that in mind, the latest electronics sales figures suggest a balmy Fall lies ahead.

Earlier this month, when we looked at the future of mobile technologies from an academic’s perspective, one of the predictions that stood out was that phone companies looking to encourage mobile micropayments using their handsets would be well advised to team up with a solid financial institution first.

One other cool thing I saw at the super-funky Panasonic Center last week was the company’s take on a wall-mounted surface computer.

In this age of environmental awareness, a couple of high-tech Japanese companies have turned the clock back over a hundred years to reduce energy consumption using 19th-century lighting techniques.

Japan has long enjoyed the reputation of being home to some remarkable craftsmen in fields as diverse as ceramics and woodblock prints, but today’s mail brought the first piece of art I’ve ever seen that’s designed to be bashed around by kids at meal times.

Come the end of next month, one of the last refuges of escape from the digital onslaught of the modern world will be cruelly ripped from us, when Panasonic’s new, fully connected car navigation system goes on sale.