Social impact of robots in Japan and globally

Social Impact of Robots

From 1952-1968, Tetsuwan Astomu, known outside Japan as Astro Boy, was a popular cartoon series created by Japanese cartoonist Osamu Tezuka (Robot). Astro Boy, supposedly born in 2003, went on to become a television series that ran from 1963-1966, with a new version running from 1980-1981 (Robot). Robots are no longer things of the distant future, but are beginning to appear throughout society for numerous and various purposes (Robot).

While industrial robots have been around for some time, humanoid robots, designed to function as partners of human beings, are making their way onto the marketplace and into mainstream society (Robot). ROBODEX 2000, held in Yokohama, was the world's first robot exhibition dedicated to humanoid robots. The event showcased some 200 robots designed to resemble humans, animals, and insects (Robot). ASIMO, created by Honda Motor Company, looks like a child dressed in a spacesuit. It walks smoothly, holds out its hand to greet people, and moves its body in time to music (Robot). The ASIMO display drew such a large number of visitors, that organizers of ROBODEX 2000 had to limit the number of visitors and were forced to stop selling same-day entry tickets (Robot). Another popular display was AIBO, the popular dog robot created by Sony Corporation (Robot).

Approximately 20 of today's most advanced robots were on display at the ROBODEX 2000 event. One of the robots had a caterpillar thread, which would enable it to search for and rescue people buried in rubble during earthquakes, while another was a planetary exploration robot that could be operated by remote control and could be used on the moon or Mars (Robot). Another robot can actually turn around when tapped on the shoulder, can shake hands, with motions so smoothly that it appeared totally natural (Robot). Robots are also turning up at other kinds of events, such as toy expositions (Robot). Since AIBO, several other appealing animal robots have hit the market, such as a jellyfish and a fish, both of which can actually swim underwater (Robot). Apparently, people find it therapeutic to watch the swimming motion of the robots, and the market for these companion robots is growing in Japan (Robot).

In August 2000, Tsukumo Robocon Magazine house, a store specializing in robots, opened in Tokyo's Akihabara area (Robot). The store offers some 30 finished products, including an insect robot named WonderBorg, along with semi-finished products and assembly kits (Robot). For the serious hobbyists who want to try making a robot, Tsukumo carries such components as transistors and bearings, tools, and relevant publications (Robot).

A number of major trends in Japanese society have created demand for non-industrial robots, including the falling birthrate and the aging society (Robot). These personal robots are designed to aid human beings with a variety of tasks (Robot). Japanese society has been infatuated with robots ever since the days of Astro Boy, and has long since been open to the idea of living with the mechanical beings, a mentality which has the potential to lead to the flourishing of a unique robot culture (Robot).

The March 14, 2005 issue of the Washington Post reported that Japanese society is embracing this new generation of robots that are designed to make their lives easier at home and at work (Faiola; Yamamoto). One such robot is Saya, a humanoid receptionist that wears a canary-yellow suit and beams a smile behind her desk as she asks, "May I Help You" (Faiola; Yamamoto). Saya offers not only greetings, but even answers questions posed by visitors (Faiola; Yamamoto). When she failed to welcome a workman, a professor reprimanded her and called her 'stupid,' to which she replied, "I tell you, I am not stupid," as her face wrinkled into a scowl (Faiola; Yamamoto). Voice recognition technology allows Saya some 700 verbal responses and an almost infinite number of facial expression from joy to despair, surprise to rage (Faiola; Yamamoto).

Saya's inventor, Hiroshi Kobayashi, associate professor at the Tokyo University of Science, says "She has a temper...and she sometimes makes mistakes, especially when she has low energy" (Faiola; Yamamoto).

According to analysts, Japan is leading the world in a new generation of consumer robots, the latest of which, such as Saya, were demonstrated at the World Expo in Nagoya in March 2005 (Faiola; Yamamoto). Many scientists believe this wave of technology will change human lifestyles more dramatically than the advent of the personal computer and the mobile phone (Faiola; Yamamoto). Although it may be years away in other countries, this "Jetson" world is beginning to unfold in Japan, as robots enter the workplace as receptionists, night watchmen, hospital workers, guides, and even as personal companion pets (Faiola; Yamamoto).

In fact, in Japan, robots are changing the way people live, work, play and even love, which has led Japan's government to establish a committee to establish safety guideline for the keeping of robots in homes and offices (Faiola; Yamamoto).

However, according to the Daily Yomiuri newspaper, Japan's NEDO institute, which coordinates national science and research development, found it far too difficult to set a single standard to cover the variety of robots, but the panel did ensure that the design of robots at the World Expo would not harm humans (Faiola; Yamamoto). As interaction between machines and humans in the household becomes more commonplace, safety has become the focus for domestic robot makers (Faiola; Yamamoto).

In January 2005, officials predicted that every household in Japan will own at least one robot by 2015, if not sooner (Faiola; Yamamoto). The year 2005 was dubbed the unofficial "year of the robot" by scientists and government authorities (Faiola; Yamamoto). At the Expo, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries' yellow midget robot, Wkamaru, greeted visitors in four languages and guided them to their desired destination, while a trio of humanoid robots by Sony, Toyota and Honda, danced and played musical instruments at the opening ceremony (Faiola; Yamamoto). Parents at the Expo could even leave their children in the care of NEC's PaPeRo, a robotic babysitter that recognizes the individual faces of children and can notify parents by mobile phone in case of an emergency (Faiola; Yamamoto).

Other robots on display included a wheelchair robot that navigates traffic crossings and footpaths using a global positioning and integrated circuit chip system (Faiola; Yamamoto). Expo visitors were allowed to enter a robot room to see a more distant vision of the future (2020), in which merely speaking a word from the couch will open the refrigerator door, allowing a personal robot assistant to deliver a beverage of choice (Faiola; Yamamoto). Kazuya Abe, an official at NEDO, said,

We have reached the point in Japan of major breakthrough in the use of robot technology and our society is changing as a result. People are and will be living alongside robots...This is all about artificial intelligence, this is about the creation of something that is not human, but can be a complement or companion to humans in society. The future is happening here now"