Daunting challenges like a declining birth rate and an ageing population are enough to paralyze any nation, but Japan, with her deep reservoirs of fortitude and ingenuity, faces up to these challenges squarely by investing hugely in ‘carer robots’ to look after the elderly. Propelled by this impetus, robots have since been used in many fields of society, ranging from customer care service and entertainment to even pet therapy and humanitarian relief. Just why is Japan’s robotics industry so advanced? Where can travelers interact with robots in Japan? And how do Japanese people view these robots, really? Now that robots are fast becoming a norm in Japanese society, it is high time that we explore all these burning questions and more!
Spurring on children’s curiosity
Many Japanese children pick up an interest in robotics from a young age as they visit the many robotics museums in Japan. For instance, in Fukuoka City, children can spend many a fulfilling afternoon learning about robots in fun and interactive ways at Robosquare. There is even a Kuroda Bushi samurai robot that performs to the Kuroda Bushi folk song at Robosquare, so children can learn about their heritage in a quirky case of tradition-meets-innovation! Aside from museums, children also have a platform that they can aim towards and develop their expertise in robotics: RoboCup Junior. RoboCup Junior is an international competition held annually that enables participants to compete in the three categories of robot soccer, robot dancing, and rescue. Thus, many Japanese children work hard to hone their robot-building and design skills so that they can represent their nation and showcase their talents at this prestigious competition! Such initiatives serve to inculcate in children a healthy and positive regard for robots.
Serving customers with omotenashi
Japanese children (and adults) are also exposed to robots who sincerely serve them as receptionists and customer service officers, the most famous of which has to be Pepper, a sleek white life-size robot. An intelligent robot which can not only recognize your emotions but adapt its speech and movements to respond empathically to you, Pepper sheds away the stiff speech patterns that we are accustomed to in earlier robots. Pepper is currently the rage in Japan — more than 500 companies, including Nestlé and Mizuho Bank are using it. The telecom giant, Softbank has even opened a new store in the swank Omotesando shopping district that is mainly staffed by 5-6 Pepper robots!
Entertaining you with sleek dance moves
Robots in Japan are amazingly versatile; they can be programmed to sing and dance for you and add some cheer to your life. The Robot Restaurant in the Kabukicho district in Shinjuku certainly has something going for it as you will be bombarded by the sight of surprisingly nubile robot dancers showing off their groovy moves! Definitely out-of-this-world, in-your-face entertainment at its best. For a more toned-down performance, check out HRP-4C’s performances. Developed by National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology, HRP-4C easily captures your heart with her attractive looks (She is modeled after a typical young Japanese lady) and soulful singing (She sings using synthesized sounds)!
Falling in love with robots a distinct possibility
The hectic pace of contemporary life leaves us with little time to forge and build relationships. The same can indeed be said for Japan, where many Japanese people are swearing off relationships as they find them too troublesome to manage. This will most likely pave the way for some Japanese men to fall in love with female androids, especially so when these androids resemble pretty young ladies. Already, well-known relationship counsellor Ai Aoyama has noted that one of her clients cannot get sexually aroused unless he watches female robots on a game similar to Power Rangers. Such a trend in which Japanese men prefer cultivating relationships with robots to courting real women will only perpetuate in future.
Robots in Japan were first conceived to tackle the manpower crunch. While rapid advancements in robotic technology have meant that we can now rely on robots in our daily lives and even have delightful exchanges with them, Japanese society must nonetheless proceed with caution so that her people do not turn to robots as a means to satisfy their love needs.
