Japanese animatronics from 1970 World Expo

Pink Tentacle reports that some bunraku robots from 1970 World Expo in Osaka have been restored for an exhibition at the National Science Museum in Tokyo.

Modeled after classic bunraku puppets, each pre-programmed robot is driven by around 20 pneumatic cylinders that move the arms, torso, head and face in sync with accompanying audio.

The video above shows one that transforms into a demon. Bunraku puppet robots resurrected

Mark Frauenfelder is the founder of Boing Boing and the editor-in-chief of MAKE and Cool Tools. Twitter: @frauenfelder. Come and hear Mark speak at the ALA conference in Chicago on July 1.

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Shelby Davis

Anyone else thought of Bilbo Baggins wanting the Ring back?
sylkworm

*sigh!* Just because there’s a female character who happens to be a demon, doesn’t imply Bunraku is sexist, nor that Japanese people think all women are demons. It’s an element of japanese puppet theater. Really, is it that hard to do a google for “Bunraku”?
jahknow

Help me out here, are these sexist representations of the female form? I can’t ever recall men being depicted like this — especially that scary-mouth face that happens around the 30 second mark. Yikes.
sad dolls

rise of the animatronic dolls!
Wordguy

That’s so cool! The face looks a bit like Data / Brent Spiner (at least until :30).
IWood

I was all set to be much more unnerved than I actually was…I think I’ve been spoiled by Ringu-style horror effects.
Mark Frauenfelder

I like he clicking noise it makes when the demon face appears. It makes it all the creepier!
jahknow

Yes, that clicking really does it for me too!