{"id":72525,"date":"2015-10-20T20:02:30","date_gmt":"2015-10-20T11:02:30","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/fukuoka-now.com\/?p=67099"},"modified":"2016-04-01T00:49:01","modified_gmt":"2016-03-31T15:49:01","slug":"meet-r2-j1-r2-d2s-japanese-cousin","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/en\/meet-r2-j1-r2-d2s-japanese-cousin\/","title":{"rendered":"Meet R2-J1: R2-D2\u2019s Japanese Cousin"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Napier Inoue had a dream. He dreamt that he had built a fully functioning R2-D2 robot. When he told people about this dream, however, everyone laughed at him (after all, the first R2-D2 was not a real robot, but a man in a robot suit). Thus was born Richard\u2019s determination to build his own R2-D2, called R2-J1.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-007-e1445502187879.jpg?resize=640%2C480\" alt=\"r2d2 oct 2015 007\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67108\" \/><\/p>\n<p>We caught up with Richard, an American residing in Fukuoka, when he took R2-J1 for a walk in Tenjin (much to the delight of the Saturday shoppers!). <\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-003-e1445502134715.jpg?resize=640%2C853\" alt=\"r2d2 oct 2015 003\" width=\"640\" height=\"853\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67104\" \/><\/p>\n<p>He told us that it took $30,000, 110 kg of aluminium, and four years to build R2-J1, but he was finally finished on Nov. 20, 2014. And not only can he move and beep just like the real R2-D2, but he can play and dance to over 400 sounds and songs (like <em>Peanut Butter Jelly Time<\/em>).<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-004-e1445502150353.jpg?resize=640%2C480\" alt=\"r2d2 oct 2015 004\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67105\" \/><\/p>\n<p>This last fact was particularly exciting for the children lucky enough to be passing Iwataya that day, and they crowded round the dancing robot, touching him and chasing him. <\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-002-e1445502122311.jpg?resize=640%2C480\" alt=\"r2d2 oct 2015 002\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67103\" \/><\/p>\n<p>But Richard says that despite all the attention his robot is receiving from fans of <em>Star Wars<\/em>, robot-lovers and kids both young and old, his best memory of their journey together is R2-J1\u2019s first steps. The process was long, and he even had to design his own technology (including \u201cstealth controllers\u201d, which are drawing interest from several tech companies), but seeing the little mechanical guy finally begin to maneuver was a moment of pure joy.<\/p>\n<p><img data-recalc-dims=\"1\" loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-011-e1445502288875.jpg?resize=640%2C480\" alt=\"r2d2 oct 2015 011\" width=\"640\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-67112\" \/><\/p>\n<p>To stay up-to-date with R2-J1s movements, you can follow him on Twitter <a href=\"https:\/\/twitter.com\/d2r2d2japan\" target=\"_blank\">@D2R2d2japan<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div class='photo-galleria' >\n\t\t<style type=\"text\/css\">\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 {\n\t\t\t\tmargin: auto;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-item {\n\t\t\t\tfloat: left;\n\t\t\t\tmargin-top: 10px;\n\t\t\t\ttext-align: center;\n\t\t\t\twidth: 33%;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 img {\n\t\t\t\tborder: 2px solid #cfcfcf;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t#gallery-1 .gallery-caption {\n\t\t\t\tmargin-left: 0;\n\t\t\t}\n\t\t\t\/* see gallery_shortcode() in wp-includes\/media.php *\/\n\t\t<\/style>\n\t\t<div id='gallery-1' class='gallery galleryid-72525 gallery-columns-3 gallery-size-thumbnail'><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon portrait'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-008-e1445502200826.jpg?fit=768%2C1024&ssl=1' title='r2d2 oct 2015 008'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-008-e1445502200826.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-009-e1445502212936.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1' title='r2d2 oct 2015 009'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-009-e1445502212936.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-012-e1445502302353.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1' title='r2d2 oct 2015 012'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-012-e1445502302353.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><br style=\"clear: both\" \/><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-001-e1445502110769.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1' title='r2d2 oct 2015 001'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-001-e1445502110769.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl><dl class='gallery-item'>\n\t\t\t<dt class='gallery-icon landscape'>\n\t\t\t\t<a href='https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-006-e1445502173258.jpg?fit=1024%2C768&ssl=1' title='r2d2 oct 2015 006'><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"150\" height=\"150\" src=\"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-006-e1445502173258.jpg?resize=150%2C150&amp;ssl=1\" class=\"attachment-thumbnail size-thumbnail\" alt=\"\" \/><\/a>\n\t\t\t<\/dt><\/dl>\n\t\t\t<br style='clear: both' \/>\n\t\t<\/div>\n<\/div><!-- .photo-galleria -->\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Richard Napier Inoue had a dream. He dreamt that he had built a fully functioning R2-D2 robot. When he told people about this dream, however, everyone laughed at him (after all, the first R2-D2 was not a real robot, but a man in a robot suit). Thus was born Richard\u2019s determination to build his own [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":26469,"featured_media":67120,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_locale":"en_US","_original_post":"67099","_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[45],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-72525","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-culture","location-tenjin","en-US"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/i0.wp.com\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2015\/10\/r2d2-oct-2015-014.jpg?fit=519%2C692&ssl=1","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72525","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/26469"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=72525"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72525\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":84352,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/72525\/revisions\/84352"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/67120"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=72525"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=72525"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.fukuoka-now.com\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=72525"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}