Both JAXA and the toy company say they hope the little robot inspires children to pursue interests in science and space exploration. Takara Tomy has released a civilian version of the robot in Japan.

That's one of the most important characteristics in Japanese antique toy robot collecting — they must be made of metal. "I have a Robby the Robot from the movie, 'Forbidden Planet,'" Hardy said.

Japan’s space agency, JAXA, hired Takara Tomy to design a rolling lunar robot called SORA-Q. It’s now en route to the moon.

How the Japanese robot anime morphed into toys, games and more. Japanese anime Mobile Suit Gundam first hit the airwaves in 1979; Today, it is considered the most successful robot anime of all time; ...

The problem for Japanese companies is that the country's falling population means that there are now fewer children than before to play with them. That has led the toy companies to turn to adults as ...

The Japanese space agency JAXA's Smart Lander for Investigating Moon (SLIM) probe launched into space last week, carrying the odd robot dubbed Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) in tow.. Once ...

Japan's recent launch of the SLIM moon lander included a tiny lunar explorer inspired by a children's toy. The Lunar Excursion Vehicle 2 (LEV-2) is a little metal sphere, not much larger than a ...

A toy robot left in a loft for decades and which was about to be given to a charity shop could fetch up to £10,000 at auction after being identified as a "ground-breaking" Japanese rarity.

If all goes according to plan, a tennis ball-sized robot modeled after a children’s toy will soon briefly explore the moon’s surface as part of Japan’s first soft lunar landing.As recently ...

Kevin Hardy has 31 robots so far in his antique Japanese tin toy robot collection. The robots' manufacturing dates range from 1949 to 1969. STAFF PHOTO BY ROBIN MILLER ...