Having built many humanoid robots entirely by himself, from simple concepts to production, Takahashi's designs have been featured in several art exhibitions celebrating the creation of Astroboy,[1] Time Magazine's Coolest Inventions of 2004,[2] and promotions for Bandai,[3] Panasonic, and Pepsi.
Inspired by his childhood obsession with Astroboy and other fictional characters, Takahashi decided to study robotics after completing a sociology degree.
The form, or outer shell, can be made in two ways: traditionally-sculpted molds which are vacuum sealed, or through the use of CAD software and a rapid prototyping machine (3D printer technology).
The MANOI PF01[17] (so-called PerFormance Type) is a 1:5 scale bipedal r/c robot, standing roughly 2 feet tall or 40 cm, and weighing 1.6 kg (battery included), with 17 degrees of freedom (neck x1, arm x3, leg x5).
Rather than emphasizing the mechanical aspects of a robot's design, the PF01's internal parts are almost completely encased inside its anime-inspired plastic body, appealing to a broader audience than conventional kits.
[18] The robot is as sold as a do-it-yourself hobby kit, which includes more than 100 pieces and PC software for programming movements and gestures, and can store and play up to 50 audio recordings.
It comes in a set color scheme of black and cream, but early models off the production line may be copper and gold, or silver and white.