Robots to the rescue
By David Pilling
Of the world's 800,000 industrial robots busily welding and painting cars, 43.5% are operating in Japan, compared to 1.8% in Britain and 14% in the US
Today, 70% of these machines are designed and built in Japan, which is also far ahead in developing human robots. Last month, a hospital in Fukushima took delivery of three robots
a blue receptionist and two green helpers to guide people to elevators and carry their bags.
Yoichi Takamoto of Tmsuk, the company that manufactured the devices, says, "Right from the start we decided to make robots that are not toys, but rather robots that are able to do something humans cannot do."
Tmsuk is working on rescue robots able to withstand intense heat and to work in collapsed buildings. Its emergency robot, developed with the fire department, has a 12-meter arm span and giant hands able to lift a car.
Banryu, a security-guard robot fitted with infra-red sensors, smoke detectors, and cameras, is a good example of how household robots might develop from futuristic fantasy to viable tools. Even if halfway around the world, users can operate it by cell phone, getting it to send pictures to a 3G handset, If it senses an intruder, Banryu calls the owner, relaying pictures of the suspicious incident.
"Automation of menial tasks, or ones too difficult or dangerous for humans, will help solve multiple economic problems, including how to compete with foreign labor and replenish the f domestic workforce says Shin Takayama. In a recent book, he argues that robot technology will become one of Japan's main competitive advantages "Robots will come to Japan's rescue.