ROBOTICS

The positive impacts of robotics in Japan

The positive impacts of robotics in Japan

Introduction

Nowadays Japanese mass media is making such comments as: “70 percent of the industrial robots in the world are produced in Japan. Sixty percent of the total robot installations are located in Japan. Japan is by far the largest industrial robot country. As for the technology Japan is leading the world as is the case with humanoid robotics. The twenty-first century will be the age of robots when robots will be living together with human beings in every aspect of human society. Japan will continue to be the frontrunner of robotics and it will certainly revitalize the depressed Japanese economy”. However, the reality does not seem so optimistic in my view.

An observer says “it has been long since someone in the robotic community started mentioning the stagnation of the robotics industry. Researchers produced research papers one after another, which, however, has not created any new business in industry. The industrial world is still sticking to the old technology in the 1960s, in the 1970s”. (Kusuda, 2009)

On the other hand the new generations of robots, humanoid robot, walking robots, entertainment robots type of things are the most popular topics of the Japanese media, the majority of researchers in academia are focusing on this new robotics. However, nobody can predict when and how the new generation of robots will contribute to the better life of human beings. Author is afraid that what they are doing right now might result in waste of time, money and efforts.

Software cost in Robotics

In the depressed Japanese economy the demand of the industrial robot declines. Because of “cut-throat” competition the prices of industrial robots are getting lower and lower. Robots which were priced more than ten million yen two decades ago are now available at ...