- Japanese robotics
While robots often elicit ambivalent reactions in the west, because of the not-so-distant possibility that the technology may play an integral role in the future due to a quickly aging, large generation of
baby boomers inJapan , Japanese society generally shows a high enthusiasm for all kinds of robots. [http://www.reuters.com/article/technologyNews/idUST27506220080408]History of Japanese Robotics
Among Japan's oldest robots are the
karakuri ningyo , or mechanicaldoll s. Karakuri ningyo are believed to have originated in China. During the Edo period (1603-1867),Takeda-za developed a mechanical-puppet theater whichflourished inOsaka 'sDotonbori district. [http://int.kateigaho.com/spr05/robots.html]In middle of 20 century, Ichiro Kato professor of
Waseda University studied humanoid robot. He made "WABOT-1" the full scale humanoid robot in 1973. WABOT-1 has two arms, walks by two legs, watches with two camera eyes. [http://www.humanoid.waseda.ac.jp/booklet/kato_2-j.html]In 1996, Honda announced P2 humanoid robot. After that, a number of companies and institutes started to develop humanoid robots for many purposes.
Types of Robots
Humanoid Entertainment Robots
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ASIMO , manufactured byHonda
*QRIO
*HOAP(*1) Robot Series (Humanoid for Open Architecture Platform), Manufactured byFujitsu [http://www.automation.fujitsu.com/en/products/products12.html]
*TOYOTA Partner Robot , manufactured byToyota . [http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/special/robot/]Androids
Android s are robots designed to strongly resemble humans.*
Actroid is a realistic female robot demonstrated most prominently atExpo 2005 in Japan.Animal (four legged) robots
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AIBO is a commercial robotic dog manufactured bySony Electronics .ocial robots
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PaPeRo
*Paro, a robot baby seal intended for therapeutic purposesGuard robots
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Guardrobo D1 is manufactured by Sohgo Security Services.
*Banryu , manufactured bySanyo andTMSUK . [http://www.banryu.jp/index_e.html]Domestic robots
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SmartPal V , manufactured byYaskawa Electric Corporation . [http://www.yaskawa.co.jp/newsrelease/2007/25.htm]
*TWENDY-ONE , developed byWaseda University . [http://twendyone.com/index_e.html]
*TPR-ROBINA , manufactured by Toyota. [http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/07/0822.html]Mobility Robot
*WL-16RIII, developed by Waseda University and TMSUK. [http://www.takanishi.mech.waseda.ac.jp/research/parallel/wl_16rrr/index.htm]
*i-foot , developed by Toyota. [http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/news/04/1203_1d.html]
*i-REAL , developed by Toyota. [http://www.toyota.co.jp/en/tech/p_mobility/i-real/index.html]
*Murata Boy, developed by Murata Manufacturing Co. Ltd. [http://www.murataboy.com/en/index.html]Rescue robots
*T-53
Enryu , manufactured byTMSUK . [http://www.enryu.jp/]Industrial Humanoid Robotics
*HRP-3 PROMET Mk-II, manufactured by
Kawada Industries , designed byYutaka Izubuchi . [http://www.kawada.co.jp/mechs/mk-II/index.html]Industrial Robotics
Eventually the deeper long term financial resources and strong domestic market enjoyed by the Japanese companies prevailed, their robots spread all over the globe. Only a few non-Japanese companies managed to survive in this market, including Adept Technology, Stäubli-Unimation, the Swedish-Swiss company ABB (ASEA Brown-Boveri), the Austrian manufacturer igm Robotersysteme AG and the German company
KUKA Robotics.This includes the one used by the robot based automative production plants. Assembly line robots
Characteristics
The Japanese movie
Robocon (2003) is a fictional account of an inter-schoolrobot competition .Mobility and movement
One of the characteristics and advances of Japanese robotics over that of other countries is the movement and mobility of the robots used.
Commercial Applications
Japanese engineers expect robots to be available for commercial household use by 2010. The domestic market for Japanese commercial and industrial robots may be as high as $8 billion dollars by this time [http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501020701-265481,00.html] .
Japanese robotics companies
General robotics
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Sony Corporation
*Honda
*Toyota
*Toshiba Industrial robotics
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Fuji Yusoki Kogyo
*Denso Corporation
*Epson
* FANUC
*Intelligent Actuator
* Kawasaki
*Nachi
*Nidec Sankyo
*Yaskawa Electric Corporation
*Kawada Industries See also
*
Baseball batting robot External links
* [http://www.karakuri.info/ Karakuri]
* [http://int.kateigaho.com/spr05/robots.html Japan's Playful Robot Partners]
* [http://www.time.com/time/asia/magazine/article/0,13673,501020701-265481,00.html "Tin Men"] from Time Magazine
* [http://economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=5323427&no_na_tran=1 "Better Than People"] , from the Economist
* [http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/8330600/ "Japanese robots to guard shops and offices"] , from MSNBC
* [http://www.bmc.riken.jp/~RI-MAN/index_us.html RI-MAN]
* [http://www.vdare.com/sailer/japanese_robots.htm Japanese robots]
* [http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/g/a/2005/08/25/apop.DTL ASIAN POP Robot Nation - Why Japan, and not America, is likely to be the world's first cyborg society] - SFGate.com
* [http://www.robot-museum.net/ Nagoya Robot museum, Japan] (page in Japanese)
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