|
|
Article: "How do you do?" Close encounters of a humanoid kind: after visiting Aichi Expo 2005 our writer concludes robots play to Japan's strengths but will need to be more like us if we are to accept their help.
- Article from:
- Japan Inc.
- Article date:
- September 22, 2005
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2005 Japan Inc. Communications. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
|
Journalists like robots. Robots intrigue. The stuff of science and industry, fiction and fantasy, they require no introduction. That may explain why the stars of Japan's big summer event, Aichi Expo 2005, were robots. Robots cleaned, greeted, and protected. Robots with rhythm busked for Toyota. Others amused children, and young women, for hours without raiding the fridge, using the telephone, or corrupting young minds. These robots grabbed more attention than the three robots that debuted at the AAAS Meeting in the United States in February. Those robots marked a design advancement enabling simple, energy-efficient bipedal mobility--no need for the huge battery pack or ...