Japan: International Robot Exhibition. Why Japan loves robots: the origins of the automation boom

The word "robot" was coined by Czech science fiction writer Karel Capek. But, like most of his colleagues in the shop, with his invention he only predicted the future. Nowadays, the existence of robots no longer surprises anyone, and it seems that there are only a few steps left to independently thinking and acting machines. Of all the countries in the world in this area, of course Japan is in the lead. What is this - an accident or a pattern?

From fiction to reality.

It is one of the priority areas. Every self-respecting Japanese corporation that has at least some connection to technology develops its own robots. In this area, such giants as Honda and Kawasaki have been noted, who have become world famous thanks to their achievements in completely different areas. None of the Japanese corporations that have proven themselves in creating robots are going to stop there - the inventors work tirelessly, and mechanical machines More and more complex human functions are becoming available.

They conquer and surprise the world. They measure blood pressure and pulse, teach, work at the reception, bake pancakes and play musical instruments. Among them there are dogs, seals and even fish. So far, these are mainly demo samples, but looking at them, one can assume that the creation of artificial intelligence is not far off. Japanese robot exhibitions, which take place annually, attract audiences of millions and amaze with more and more new wonders. It seems that The Japanese are simply obsessed with robots.

However, appreciating all this futuristic splendor, you involuntarily ask the question: what is all this for? Billions of yen are spent on the creation of multifunctional “toys”, many of which are of questionable practical use. This behavior of representatives of one of the most progressive countries on Earth seems devoid of common sense. Unlike and , which are strengths Japanese industry and are in great demand both in Japan and abroad, for most of the world they are more of a whim than a necessary household item. However, there is certainly a meaning.

It’s impossible without robots.

Demographic studies show: the birth rate is inversely proportional to the standard of living and technology in the country. In developed Japan, the average human life expectancy is long, but few children are born. The country's population is inexorably “aging” - the percentage of elderly people is becoming increasingly higher. At the same time, the majority of Japanese people strive to obtain an education, a highly paid and in-demand profession, and the use of intellectual and creative potential. This trend, of course, is good from the point of view of the general standard of living and erudition of the population, but this medal also has back side. Fewer and fewer people want to do simple work that does not require knowledge and qualifications. Due to the fact that they strive for self-realization, there are fewer and fewer orderlies, cleaners, waiters and other representatives of blue-collar professions in the country.

Japan does not have enough workers, so more and more new robots are being developed here. It would seem that this problem could be solved more simply, and most importantly, much cheaper. It is enough to attract representatives of other countries to work that does not require qualifications, as is done in the rest of the civilized world. However, in Japan, such practices are viewed negatively and they prefer to spend money on the development and production of much more expensive robots. Why is this happening?

In fact, everything is explained quite simply. It is enough to pay attention to history, culture, and everything immediately falls into place. Japan, like many other countries of the East, treats its traditions very carefully. Cities grow to the skies, more and more new ones arise, but the mentality remains unchanged. If we recall, for quite a long time, more than 200 years, the country was completely isolated from the influence of the outside world, thanks to the sakoku policy pursued by the Tokugawa shogunate. Then the bans were gradually lifted, the Japanese began to actively communicate with outside world, to fill the deficit of scientific knowledge that arose during isolation and, it must be said, they succeeded in this. However, their culture and internal way of life to this day remain very intact and closed to external influence. Here they prefer to cope with emerging problems on their own, without resorting to the help of immigrants. Ethnically, the country's population consists of 98.5% native Japanese - compared to other developed countries, this is an incredibly high figure.

One of the unshakable pillars is respect for the older generation. Elderly people here are surrounded by respect and care, and one of the main tasks of robotics is to make their lives more comfortable. And this problem is being successfully solved. Honda exoskeleton robot allows those who have mobility problems to rediscover the joy of walking, robot nurse RIBA, similar to a toy bear, can carry patients in his arms, and robot seal Paro- intended for lonely people who lack love and is used in the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

People will soon be replaced in other areas as well. They will guard houses, prepare food, issue reference information in the corridors of hospitals, at train stations and metro stations, and the basic selection of the necessary personnel will be carried out not in the agency, but in the store. And they will spend the freed up time and effort on developing more and more new robots.

Japan has long declared her love for robots. It is in this country that “artificial intelligence” is not treated as coldly and warily as in other cultures. It seems that in Japan the difference between animate and inanimate has long been erased. Thanks to the duo of reporter Hiroko Tabuchi and photographer David Guttenfelder, we can get to know the project about robot culture in Japan, during which they learned that engineers in this field are real philosophers who approach every detail with a dose of philosophical inspiration. The project by Tabuchi and Guttenfelder is simply called “A Lonely Man.”

as a partner at the ball. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

A worker looks at a poster of a robot killing a monster. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

PaPeRo – living companion on the set of a children's program in Tokyo. This robot can recognize up to 10 faces. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

Simroid so far without skin at an exhibition in Tokyo. He has false teeth and can “cry” in pain if a medical student does something wrong during an “operation.” (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

Latest version Manoi– a domestic companion – debuts in . (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

The robot, which works at the reception desk at Aizu Wakamatsu Hospital, greets patients, escorts people to elevators, performs simple tests and entertains visitors in the waiting room. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

Development engineers are tearing the skin off a robot's head in Tokyo. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

Robot traffic inspector helps cars get around the place construction work in Tokyo. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

A clockwork robot serves tea to the Japanese. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

Robot child with a biomimetic body helps in child development research in Osaka. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

A visitor to an exhibition in Tokyo got scared when robot child in his arms began to cry. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

Hiroshi Ishiguro with his robot doppelganger in the laboratory in Osaka. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

The designer explains how he programmed the robot to turn and dance to music. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

A researcher examines a human leg bone to study the workings of the knee joint in detail. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

Anatomy of a toy robot. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

In order to create humanoid robot facial features, resembling this person, a 360-degree scan of his head was performed. (HIROKO TABUCHI/David Guttenfelder)

A snake-like robot with a CCD camera developed by NEC Corp, which was used to conduct search operations during earthquakes

An article about how Japan is compensating for labor shortages with the help of robots was published on April 16, 1990 in the American Forbes

Japanese companies, which think about the future like no other, place almost all their hopes regarding business development on more wide use industrial robots. What happens if these robots do not pay off immediately? After all, they are great way improve product quality and avoid rising labor costs.

At the Matsushita Electric factory where Panasonic video players are made, a special robot threads a thin wire, a little thinner than a human hair, through the eye of a needle in the video head 16 times and then solders it. There are 530 of these robots constantly working in production, doing this again and again 24 hours a day. They do it five times faster than humans, and much more reliably. Until recently, the same work was done by 3,000 suburban housewives using microscopes. And robots can even check their own work.

American companies would not be able to use such technologies, even if there was a production base for this. Mastushita developed and assembled all 530 wire winding robots itself to have an advantage over its competitors.

Robots were invented in America, and the United States still leads the way in complex technologies, from robotic machines for neurosurgery to classified underwater robotic fighters. But when it comes to solving practical problems - on the job site or in Everyday life- then Japan has no equal in this.

For most people outside the Land of the Rising Sun, robots are something out of science fiction. And for the Japanese - the usual order of things. They are already accustomed to robots doing everything for them, for example preparing sushi or playing Chopin. Ichiro Kato, a roboticist at Waseda University in Tokyo, developed the famous robopianist-musician named Wabot. Its creator claims: “In the 21st century, there will be at least one robot in every home.”

The engineer hopes that robots will wash dishes or clean people's homes. Kato expects that humanoid robots with movable arms and a synthetic voice will help lonely elderly people move around and become good conversationalists for them. The specialist adds: “I would really like to live to see that day.” Thanks to advances in artificial intelligence, all this is becoming possible.

In the USA in Lately You are unlikely to hear anything about robots, and there are reasons for this. Robots have become an unfortunate disappointment for many American manufacturers. But in Japan, even small companies use them. With the help of these machines, you can quickly change the production line and eventually produce several varieties of products. If we're talking about about “flexible production systems”, in which the main role is assigned to robots, then it is suppliers from Japan who are ahead of the rest of the planet. And now these technologies are expanding beyond industry, appearing in hospitals, concert halls and restaurants.

In 1988, Japan accounted for two-thirds of all robots used in the world, and $2.5 billion worth of new robots appeared there in 1989. Compared to the Land of the Rising Sun, only $400 million worth of robots appeared in the United States during the same period. John O'Hara , President of the Robotics Industry Association states: “ Total number There are about 37,000 robots in the US. In Japan, that many robots are put into operation in just one year.” However, there are still many outdated technically small factories, so overall performance labor in Japan is lower than in the USA. But with the help of robots, this gap is closing.

For example, American automakers widely use robotic mechanisms. However, the Japanese are installing new robots not only to automate production, but also to make it more flexible. For example, the newest Nissan factories can produce hundreds of different variations a certain model, while simply reprogramming the robots that paint bodies and install seats, engines, batteries, windshields, tires and doors. In Japan, even small enterprises use robots for such simple operations like welding metal.

This is another example of how Japan cleverly takes new technologies and makes them work for itself, while others are still wondering what to do. This happened in the field of consumer electronics, the production of memory chips and industrial machines. Now it's the turn of robotics.

While the number of robots in Japan is growing like mushrooms after rain, the American market for such labor is recovering very slowly after a sharp drop in the mid-80s. In February 1990, Deer & Co. decided to abandon robots for painting tractor chassis and entrust this work to people. Robots for painting various objects need to be reprogrammed all the time. Washing plant Whirlpool machines in Clyde, Ohio, for some time used special articulated arms resembling a human wrist, elbow and shoulder to remove washing machine drums from injection molds. But complex robots are not designed for round-the-clock production. The company has decided to no longer use robots for these tasks, opting instead for hard automation, a technology at which the United States excels.

James Spicer, Director of Engineering Operations at Whirlpool, said: “Robots bring greater flexibility to the manufacturing process, but not without challenges. To lift one cylinder at a time, you don't need to copy the movement of a human hand."

So many other American manufacturers have scrapped or shelved robots that robotics in the United States is now in decline. Companies like Westinghouse and General Electric, early adopters of robots, abandoned robotics in the 1980s due to poor sales. And once successful enterprises such as Unimation and GCA Industrial Systems ceased to exist independently, becoming part of a larger large companies, while Prab and Automatix are suffering heavy losses.

One of the most profitable American robotics companies is GMFanuc, a joint venture between automaker General Motors and Fanuc Corporation, the leader in the Japanese robotics market. In 1989, GMFanuc earned several million dollars in net profit from sales of $165 million. Japanese robot manufacturers cannot boast of high earnings either. But many Japanese firms develop and produce robots for their own needs in order to increase their competitiveness and product quality, so profit in such cases is not the goal. They don't buy robots based on how quickly they will pay for themselves.

Now American companies are in an awkward situation: they need to license new Japanese technologies, which are based on technologies developed in the United States and licensed in the 60s for use in Japan. For example, Cincinnati Milacron Corporation, third largest producer robotics in the United States, pushed the Japanese company Matsushita Electric to get into robots when it licensed the technology. In 1989, Milacron became the American distributor of small soldering robots produced by the same Matsushita company.

Why does Japan love robots so much? It's not just about economics. Japanese businessmen and government members believe robots key tool in the fight against the acute labor shortage in the country. Alternatives would involve moving all labor-intensive operations overseas or allowing immigrants into Japan. The first option would take away her manufacturing skills. Tadaaki Chigusa, director of the Japanese division of McKinsey & Co., argues: “If you can fully automate production, there is simply no need to go to Southeast Asia.” The second option - immigration - is unacceptable in the homogeneous, sometimes even racist Japanese society.

And while Chinese, Filipinos or Koreans might not receive a very warm welcome in Japan, there is no such prejudice against robots. The Japanese have been groomed for the robot age by positive images in popular culture since the early 1950s, much earlier than in the United States. Japanese toy manufacturers have produced millions of toy robots, and there are many robot heroes in cartoons and comics from the Land of the Rising Sun. They were based on Astro Boy, a character created in Japan in 1953 and later brought to the United States.

Frederik Schodt, author of the book Kingdom of the Robots, believes that the Japanese are instilled with a positive attitude towards robots from a young age: “Astro Boy is as popular in Japan as Mickey Mouse and Donald Duck are in America. He is a sweet, friendly robot boy who always fights for justice."

Nowadays, in popular Western culture, robots are mostly made into positive characters, from R2-D2 in the film epic Star Wars to the cartoon Jetson family from the future. However, in the Western tradition, robots have often been portrayed as soulless humanoid machines or negative heroes - as was the case in the 1927 silent film Metropolis, directed by Fritz Lang, and the play R.U.R., written in 1920 by Czech playwright Karel Capek. In the play, the word “robot” was used to describe man-made monsters that attack and kill their masters.

In Japan, friendly and peace-loving robots, many hope, will solve the problem of labor shortages. The number of school graduates is not growing, and there are fewer and fewer people willing to get their hands dirty. Naohide Kumagai, deputy director of the robotics division at Kawasaki Heavy Industry, believes: “Young people would rather work in hotels or fast food restaurants than in factories.” It's not that hard to avoid hard factory work: in 1989, the average Japanese school graduate received 2.5 job offers from employers.

Robots are not just a replacement human labor. There are some things they can do better than humans. Toshitsugu Inoue, a senior engineer in Matsushita's robotics development division, believes that "robots are becoming indispensable because they can offer precision, quality and purity that humans cannot offer." Thus, robots perform actions at a certain speed and do not make mistakes, and it is easier to control production.

As components become more miniaturized, robots are becoming increasingly necessary to improve quality and profitability in the production of everything from large integrated circuits(some "clean rooms" in Japan are no longer manned) to wristwatches and VCRs. The opposite statement is also true: thanks to robots, Japanese manufacturers can make products even more miniature. The process changes its very essence. Many consumer electronic devices are designed from scratch so that they can be assembled exclusively by robots.

At the Victor Co. video camera plant. of Japan (JVC) there is an eerie silence in Yokohama. The automatically controlled system silently delivers wafers containing components to 64 robots performing 150 assembly and inspection tasks. Two employees operate robots that assemble eight models of the device on one production line. Before 1987, when the robots were installed, the company needed 150 people to do the job. Equally important, JVC began redesigning cameras and their components. Some parts need to be examined almost under a microscope, and all in order for robotic assembly to be more efficient. Robots also provide some flexibility in the process: they work around the clock, so there is no need to pay overtime, sick leave or bonuses.

Government officials involved in industrial planning have provided a series of incentives for robotics research and development since the 1970s, as well as for their practical application. The government allows accelerated depreciation of capital goods in order to purchase sophisticated robots. It has set up its own company to rent out robots at low prices to private entrepreneurs. Japan's Ministry of International Trade and Industry provides interest-free loans to small and medium-sized companies to purchase robots. The agency is also investing $150 million to design robots to handle hazardous substances at nuclear power plants or fight fires at oil refineries. This is impossible to imagine in the US because it is very similar to political regulation of industry.

But if we ignore politics and the difference in mentalities, the question arises: why is the United States so far behind Japan in the use of robots in production? Roger Nagel, Automation Manager at International Harvester (now known as Navistar) in the early 1980s and now a professor at Lehigh University in Pennsylvania, believes: "The companies that sold the robots simply lied about the power of their equipment and the operating conditions." After two years of unsuccessful attempts to eliminate software error in a robot for loading and unloading stamped parts from the press, Nagel decided to recycle the robot. Customers from Japanese companies would likely work more closely on design with the supplier and incorporate ideas from engineers and even assembly staff into their own jobsite.

The reason for the inflated expectations was that American robotics engineers often came from the field of artificial intelligence and had almost no experience working on a production floor. They were crazy about the idea of ​​a mechanical man, and this idea, in turn, was picked up by the company's governing bodies, hoping to replace living employees and manage deserted factories. The result was robots that were too complex from a technical point of view, which were very expensive and could not cope with the assigned tasks during the production process.

Dennis Wisnoski, former vice president of GCA Industrial Systems Group, once the second-largest robot manufacturer in the United States, explains: “American companies made robotic arms so complex that in many cases such robots simply had no chance of proving their usefulness in a manufacturing environment.” . The Japanese, on the other hand, started with simpler robots, such as machines for spot soldering parts in automobile factories. Then Japanese engineers began to create more complex devices, such as, for example, robots that check the paint job of a car using visual sensors.

In the United States, robots have never advanced beyond automakers and their first line of suppliers. According to a survey conducted by Deloitte & Touche, less than 30% of American manufacturers experienced significant benefits from the introduction of new technology. Two years earlier this figure was 60%.

This situation probably worries those who remember sad story production of CNC machines in the USA program controlled. The technology was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the 50s, and then it was developed by the Japanese. George Chrissoloris, a lecturer in mechanical engineering at the same Massachusetts Institute, believes: “From a technological point of view, the United States has not been very successful in promoting this area of ​​​​industry.” To compete more successfully with exporting manufacturers, Japanese companies needed more complex machines. And what is the result? When American companies came to their senses and realized the need for sophisticated, high-quality manufacturing tools, they had to turn to Japan.

One of the main reasons U.S. manufacturers don't get into robotics as deeply as their Japanese competitors is because companies in America are typically run by salespeople or accountants. In the United States, industrial engineers are generally not held in high esteem. Japan is a completely different matter: here they often manage companies. The most famous of them are Soichiro Honda at Honda and Akio Morita at Sony. On the contrary, it is very difficult to name the names of American industrialists who climbed the career ladder from the very bottom to the very top, like automaker Henry Ford or researcher Charles Kettering from General Motors. While the Japanese respect industrial workers, Americans honor entrepreneurs and investors. Now it’s clear why in the USA a process engineer with a couple of years of experience behind him earns only $37,000 a year, while a developer software products- $44,000. Why would a smart American boy bother with robots and assembly lines when he could make a fortune by creating new program for a personal computer or developing a hedging strategy for an investment firm?

The Japanese, in turn, are more patient and willing to wait high income longer. According to Edwin Mansfield, director of the Center for Economics and Technology at the University of Pennsylvania, if the Japanese had used the standard American formula of 30% return on invested capital (rather than Japan's 20% return), investment in robotics would have halved. The Japanese prefer a simpler comparison. average price industrial robot costs $40,000, about the same as the annual income plus bonuses of a skilled worker at a Nissan factory. But the price of robots is falling, and labor costs are rising. If you invest now, you can save money in ten years.

Should we expect robots to return to the US? Yes, over time. Companies that were moving away from robots to perform complex tasks are now reintroducing them to more efficient work. simple tasks. Deere Corp., for example, has decided to remove robots from its spray painting line, but uses them to tighten a row of 20 identical bolts on a tractor transmission. This is boring, monotonous work with high risk human error. Instead of robotizing everything and everyone, some companies are making robots part of sweeping transformations throughout the entire production process. Electrolux has designed a new upright vacuum cleaner to be easy to assemble by robots and employees at its new $40 million automated plant in Bristol, Virginia.
All this will not be done quickly and not immediately. Most new robot in Japan it will be used in construction. Komatsu has designed a robot that installs panels weighing up to 500 kilograms on the external walls of buildings and thus increases productivity six times. Shimizu produces its own robots to spray fireproof coating on street structures, place ceiling panels in buildings, plaster floors and lay concrete blocks in tunnels.

Does the United States construction industry care about any of this? Not at all. David Panos, a fellow at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and assistant director of the Field Robotics Center, which is trying to spark interest in robots in construction, laments: “Basically, nothing is happening. Same story. For America, the short term is important. For the Japanese it’s long-term.” In addition to this, large construction associations are opposed to the introduction of robots, as they see them as a threat to the employment of ordinary people.

Invented in the USA, used in Japan. It seems like we've already seen this somewhere.

Translation by Anton Bundin

The Japanese are very fond of robots and everything connected with them. This is expressed not only in their culture (just remember the numerous anime series like Gundam), but also in everyday life. Many Japanese buy robots for various household purposes, and for children - toys in the form of robots.

In this regard, the residents of the Land of the Rising Sun are far ahead of the residents of the USA or Germany, although robotics there is no less developed. The answer lies in the Japanese themselves. Their ancient culture accepted robots completely organically.

The Myth of Robots as a Threat to Spirituality

The traditional religion in Japan - Shinto ("way of the gods") - deifies natural forces and phenomena. From time immemorial, the Japanese believe that even inanimate things have a spiritual essence - kami. Shinto sees kami in stone, in a household item, in a mechanical device. How could you not see a kami in a robot?

In the Japanese opinion, only a spiritually empty person can claim that robots are a threat to spirituality. It is not things that pose a threat to spirituality, but people.

Gundam anime series trailer

This attitude is evident from childhood. In the West, children sometimes cry and scream in horror at the sight of robots, which is not surprising after watching numerous films about rabid killer machines. But for Japanese children, robots are kindred spirits, playful and always ready to help.

Little Japanese not only play with robots, but also create them themselves. Of what? From everything that comes to hand, from disposable forks to vegetables and plush toys. This fun is not alien to adults either, judging by the championship Hebocon(heboi can be translated as “bad” or “wretched”). First the competition was held in July 2014, last- in August 2016. The next big competition is scheduled for mid-2017, and a large-scale event is planned for 2020, which will be held in parallel with the Olympic Games in Tokyo.

"To make a heboi robot, you only need to buy very simple materials or use what you can find lying around on the street near your house. You don't need to think about the complexity of the movements and functions, you don't even need a complex design. Just do it, so that your robot can move, but it doesn’t matter how. And even if your robot can’t start moving on its own, push it, there’s nothing wrong with that,” says championship organizer Daiju Ishikawa. And to make “the best worst robot in the world,” Ishikawa advises, “leave the making of the most important part to a five-year-old child.”

Perhaps at least the residents are not so childish rural areas? Still, they should be concerned about the fate of wildlife, fields, and gardens. But in Japan, hopes are pinned on robots to save agriculture.

The myth of robots as the antipode of nature

Last year, Japan's Ministry of Agriculture developed a new socio-economic program, the main idea of ​​which is to replace retiring farmers with robots. As Minister Hiroshi Moriyama notes, the average age of Japanese farmers today is 67 years. As farmers retire, there are fewer and fewer able-bodied people employed in agriculture. This threatens a food crisis.

It is worth recalling that in many European countries The problem of labor shortage on farms is solved by attracting seasonal migrant workers. In Japan, immigration is not encouraged, to put it mildly. Instead of foreign labor, they decided to breed robots.

According to the program, 20 new types of robots should be developed, for example, a machine that will sort ripe and overripe peaches directly during harvest. Each retiring farmer will be replaced by several types of robots, including unmanned tractors. The Kubota Corporation is developing such machines. A prototype of an unmanned tractor has already been created, which determines the boundaries of the working field using GPS, can independently analyze the condition of the soil, and also plow the field and fertilize it. Companies Iseki and Yanmar create various types of combines, and Hitachi is developing systems for agricultural robots.

But the Japanese are not at all going to displace farmers with robots. For those who want to work in agriculture, robotics creates new opportunities. The same Kubota announced the development of a special lightweight exoskeleton that will make it easier for farmers to harvest crops and carry containers of fruits and vegetables.

The Myth of Robots as Human Competitors

Nevertheless, the problem of people being displaced by robots exists. Passengers will soon be able to see firsthand the robotization of Japan international airport Narita in the eastern part of Greater Tokyo when robotic assistants begin to help them Hospi(R) from Panasonic. Last month, those were already tested at the airport and at the adjacent ANA Crowne Plaza hotel.

The Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency is active participant programs on the International Space Station. But, if before it sent the living there astronauts, then in the near future the first humanoid in the history of space exploration will appear on the ISS robot – Kirobo.

The Japanese have long been firmly established in the field of creating robots for various functions. As examples of such achievements of the Land of the Rising Sun, one can mention advertising the Tokyo restaurant Robot Restaurant, or.

The new achievement of Japanese engineers was a robot, which will soon be sent as a full-fledged crew member to the International Space Station.

We are talking about Kirobo - a miniature robot with a height of only 34 centimeters and a weight of 1 kilogram. It was created on the basis of Toyota technologies and operates under the control operating system Android.

Kirobo has the most complex programs, allowing him to perform a huge number of actions automatically, such as general, and highly specialized. This robot is equipped with the ability to receive, process and interpret a wide range of information, including communication. He can easily carry on a conversation in several languages, while distinguishing facial expressions and tones in the voice of his dialogue partner.

Kirobo can recognize faces and objects, as well as search and find a variety of things. He can record audio and video, as well as communicate with the world through global network Internet.

In 2009, a Japanese astronaut, while aboard the International Space Station, communicated with people via Twitter, performing various exercises and actions that other users of this resource advised him to do.

Now the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency plans to conduct a similar communication session with Kirobo. He, just like his living predecessor, will try to complete a series of physical actions, orders for which the robot will receive from Twitter users.

Perhaps in another couple of decades, 2001: A Space Odyssey will become a prophecy. After all, it showed an interplanetary flight, the participants of which did not even suspect that one of them was a humanoid robot.

People in Japan get used to robots from childhood, as the labor shortage also affects kindergartens. As in many other fields, robots are filling this gap. For example, last summer Global Bridge Holdings, a startup based in Tokyo, introduced a robot nanny. The small robot with the head of a teddy bear is called Vevo. He recognizes children by sight, greets them when they come to kindergarten, and at the same time can measure their temperature.

Hotels

Working at the reception requires real endurance: you have to answer the same questions and carry out routine operations, for example, registering guests without losing the friendliness.

Robots such as RecepROID from the Japanese company Kyoei Sangyo or the French Nao, presented last week at the RoboDEX exhibition, can replace humans in this difficult task. What sets them apart from humans is not only their tirelessness and resistance to stress, but also their knowledge of languages. RecepROID speaks four, Nao speaks 15.

Such robots are already in use: two years ago, a hotel opened in Nagasaki in which the main staff are robots. They greet guests, collect their luggage and take orders for room service. Fortunately, not all of them look like mannequins from nightmares come to life: the anthropomorphic robot at the reception is assisted by two cute dinosaurs.

Factories

The developments of another exhibitor, Kawasaki Heavy Industries, focus on those areas where people usually work, since for machines the operations performed are still too complex, as they require human expertise: is a nut tightened tightly when assembling a mechanism, how much pressure can be applied to the surface when polishing it. Automation of such work requires disproportionate costs: the use large quantity sensors and re-equipment of production lines. The system the company has developed to solve these problems is called Successor.

The idea is this: first, a person controls the robot using a remote control, which is made in such a way as to convey the sensations during operation as accurately as possible. A robot equipped with artificial intelligence learns the necessary operations and can then reproduce them.

Hospitals

Another difficult job, both mentally and physically, is caring for the sick and infirm. In Japan there are robots for this too. Robobear, developed at the Japanese Center for Research on the Interaction of Robots and People, is designed to lift bedridden patients, carry them, and help them sit in a wheelchair.

And to improve the psychological state of patients in Japan, a robotic baby seal was developed. Equipped with a bunch of sensors, it reacts to touch, light, temperature, sounds, responds to its name and can learn: if you stroke it, it will repeat the actions after which it was stroked, and if you spank it, then vice versa.

Funeral

Pepper, a small robot developed by SoftBank Robotics, is a jack of all trades. He greets people in shopping centers and restaurants, sells watermelons - in general, he has many uses. One of them is to read prayers at a funeral.

Considering that death is an expensive business in Japan, and the services of a living priest cost more than $2,000 for a funeral, a robot that can be rented for $500 looks like a very attractive alternative.