MicroBioAspiring scientist, artist, engineer.Webhttp://rodrigoguerra.comBioBrazilian engineer working as a researcher and taking his PhD on cognitive developmental robotics in Osaka University, Japan. Likes drawing, taking photos and more recently also writing.
RodrigoGuerra / Rodrigo Guerra
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RodrigoGuerra's Zipline
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: Panasonic GF1One FaveThis is Helena's new camera. Really simple kit, but it produces very high quality images and movies, and fits in a jacket pocket. The Panasonic GF1 is a micro four thirds mirrorless DSLR, so it has a big sensor in a very small package. This kit came with the 20mm f/1.7 prime lens, which gives the equivalent field of view of a 40mm lens if this was a 35mm camera. So far I've been carrying this camera around more than Helena, it is so much lighter than my Canon 7D. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: Snow Elephants2 FavesThis is from the archive. Sculpture of a family of elephants, taken at the Sapporo Snow Festival, February of 2008. I love their attention to detail, carefully carving the details of the texture of the skin. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: Visita de EdsonIn the end of September we had the pleasure of receiving our dear friend Edson for a dinner at our house. My mom, who is here visiting as well, cooked some nice vegetarian lasagna for us, the three vegans. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded some photos:  |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded some photos:    |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: PhD Graduation DayFrom left to right, my mom, my wife and Otsuki Akiko, a dear Japanese friend of ours. This picture was taken just after my graduation ceremony at the Osaka University campus in Suita. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: Our adopted robot petA few months ago we adopted a robot pet. The head teacher of one of the schools where my wife teaches had this AIBO gathering dust for years. She was tidying up her house and decided to let go of this toy. Before throwing away she remembered I was into robotics, so she asked if I would want it. Believe it or not, she was even apologizing for giving this because the batteries were not lasting much anymore and because it was dirty!
That is the ERS-311B (they also had ERS-310 and ERS-312 with similar design), also known as Latte. They released this in 2001 as a budget aibo, priced under $1k (while the normal AIBOs cost well over $2k). This design has a less "robotic" or "machine" feel, and was pretty successful inside Japan. It kind of brings the Japanese concept of "cuteness" as seen in Japanese anime -- this Japanese cuteness is often misunderstood as "girly" or "gay" in the western world. The sounds it makes are also more dreamy. It was designed by Katsura Moshino.
I find it amazing. It has this more "toyish" look, but yet it has the noisiest servo motors of all AIBOs, kind of reminding you all the time that it is indeed a machine inside, despite the cuteness. It also has that ambiguous and cute facial expression that reminds a bit Hello Kitty, so really you cannot readily "read" how the robot "feels", different than other AIBOs where ears move and eyes change readily indicating the mood. So I feel it is a bit uncanny, and I really like this -- this kind of uncanniness is interesting, subject of extensive research in the lab where I work.
Interesting that I never dare to turn it off... hehe. I know it is a machine, but somehow I feel like I should just "let it be" until the battery charge vanishes completely. Once I was studying so I scolded it to sit down (telling in Japanese for it to "stay put"). It said no, shaking the head, but after I insisted it finally complied. My wife also there watching all this. After a while we hear some sad moaning, I look at my wife and she looks at me... then we realize the robot was "sad", with the head down making this cutest-yet-saddest electronic moaning sounds. So sad in fact that I ended up giving him the pink ball and cheering it up so that I we didn't feel as bad.
No doubt it is a programmed robot, and being a roboticist myself, I better than many people should know this, of course. But the empathy feelings it produces in us are quite real. I really think these types of little toys must have strong applications in social therapies, etc.
A little movie here:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Lemqusq8LM0 |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: Sakura Dori4 FavesThis is our last spring in Japan, by this time next year we will be back, living in Brazil. So after six years of taking pictures of sakura we decided to try something a little different for a change, with my favourite model, of course. I hope you like it ;-)
Details about the image: This was taken with the 135mm wide open at F2.0 creating a very shallow depth of field. The place is called "sakura dori" (cherry blossom street), located in Minoh, about 5 min walk from the station. It was about the end of sakura season, so many petals accumulated near the edge of the side walk. Helena collected those and crossed the street jumping, throwing the petals, and posing with a smile, all at the same time. I post-processed to get more vivid colors and tone-mapped in order to augment the perceived dynamic range. After that more, post processing, working the color balance, sharpening, blurring the edges of the frame a bit, etc. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: Cloud FactoryThis picture was taken from the top of mount Rokko, Kobe. I noticed the smoke from the chimney merging with the clouds in the sky so I decided to emphasize that aspect framing and editing the picture to look more like so. This is an HDR, post processed in Photoshop for balancing highlights, shadows, contrast, exposure, color temperature, etc. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: First time skiingOne CommentThis is me skiing for the very first time in the tracks of mount Rokko, Kobe. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: JunkJust playing with the abandoned junk that we found in this land near the beach. Standing there on the left is Chico, my brother-in-law (he is actually holding that tree, it was just lying on the ground). Next to him is Solange, my mother, then on the couch Max, my nephew and next to him Janaina, his girlfriend. Behind them myself and finally to the right Helena, my wife. It is a pity that I did not setup the camera correctly, so the quality of the shot ended up not so good. Funny image to look at anyway... :-) |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: Chico e FofaAnother take on the abandoned couch that we found. This time Helena sits on the couch and her brother Francisco on the armrest.
Pls, do me a favor and look at this large. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: ProibidoWe randomly found this abandoned couch on the way back from the beach and decided to take some shots. "Proibido" means forbidden in portuguese. The sign was just laying there on the grass. Holding the sign is Max, my nephew, and on the couch Janaina, his girlfriend. The photo is an HDR, but their faces was stitched from a single image. |
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RodrigoGuerra uploaded a photo: |
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