Optimus Prime, Walkman, and Aibo inducted into Japan tech hall of fame

Published May 29, 2013 3:59pm

What do Sony's Walkman and Aibo, the original Optimus Prime, and Paro the baby robot seal have in common? They're all featured in this tech hall of fame in Japan.

The hall-of-famers—all hits with consumers during their time—share the spotlight in an exhibition in Osaka, according to a report on PC World's TechHive.

"The exhibition has a bittersweet feeling, however, as many of the manufacturers that are featured, including Sony, Sharp and Panasonic, are now struggling to reform their businesses and stay afloat. It runs through September," it said.

Dubbed the "First in the World" exhibition, the event is organized by a local trade group, a museum and a university.

It aims to capture the glory days of Japanese manufacturers, PC World said.

Among the attractions of the exhibit were:

Sony's original Walkman portable tape player, launched in 1979, which spawned several similar players and is regarded by some as a predecessor of sorts to Apple's iPod.

Sony's robotic dog Aibo, which sold for around $2,500 when it launched in 1999. It sold out its initial run of 3,000 units in 20 minutes, though it has been discontinued in 2006 due to Sony's restructuring.

Paro, the therapeutic baby seal that responds to sounds and being petted, blinking its large black eyes and squirming in digital glee - and sleeping when not in use. It has since become the first widely used therapeutic robot, PC World said.

A Transformer toy built in the 1980s and sold in 1984 as Optimus Prime of the Transformers series.

Sharp's 1973 calculator, regarded as the world's first pocket LED calculator that sold for $270

world's first electric compass chip for cell phones

Other devices included an early electric rice cooker, an automatic squid catcher attached to large fishing boats, and the first instant ramen. — TJD, GMA News

Tags: optimusprime, aibo, sony, sonywalkman, halloffame