The National Museum of Nature and Science on Tuesday added Sony Corp.'s Trinitron color television and HRP-2 Promet, a humanoid robot made in 2003 to a list of important historical materials. The 36-inch model of the high-definition Trinitron TV, released in 1990, was among 15 new items designated by the Tokyo museum as Essential Historical Materials for Science and Technology. The cathode-ray tube TV, which first went on sale in 1968, was among the first affordable high-definition TVs for general consumers before digital broadcasting began. The humanoid robot was jointly developed by the National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology and then Kawada Industries Inc., now Kawada Robotics Corp. HRP2 Promet was a milestone in robotics technology development, the museum said, given its ability to walk on an uneven surface and pick itself up when it fell. "I'm very happy to see (Promet) recognized as an epoch-making humanoid robot," said Takakatsu Isozumi, head of technology at Kawada Robotics Corp., a Kawada Industries group company, and leader in the Promet development team.

The National Museum of Nature and Science on Tuesday added Lion Corp.'s enzyme-based laundry detergent Top to a list of important historical materials that have had an impact on Japanese lives and culture. Top, which first hit the market in 1979, was among 16 items honored with the designation by the Tokyo museum as "Essential Historical Materials for Science and Technology." With its protein-removing enzymes, the laundry detergent has been popular for its cleaning performance and environmentally friendly formula. Among the other products chosen to make the annual list this year were NEC Corp.'s PC-9801 16-bit personal computer, which debuted in 1982, and the Yagi-Uda antenna, the world's first directional ultrashort-wave antenna that is now used throughout the world in radios and televisions. The antenna, commonly known as the Yagi antenna, derives its name from one of its developers, Dr. Hidetsugu Yagi of Tohoku University.