Abenomics to Robonomics
The use of robots forms a major pillar of Japan's revised growth strategy
Published on Jun 30, 2014 1:24 AM
Japan leads in the field of industrial robots in factories (above), and recently showcased more of its robot power inventions such as the exoskeleton, an artificial robotic limb, and humanoid robots Pepper as well as Kodomoroid, seen here with Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, and Otonaroid, with former astronaut and director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Mamoru Mori. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Japan leads in the field of industrial robots in factories (above), and recently showcased more of its robot power inventions such as the exoskeleton, an artificial robotic limb, and humanoid robots Pepper as well as Kodomoroid, seen here with Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, and Otonaroid, with former astronaut and director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Mamoru Mori. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Japan leads in the field of industrial robots in factories (above), and recently showcased more of its robot power inventions such as the exoskeleton, an artificial robotic limb, and humanoid robots Pepper as well as Kodomoroid, seen here with Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, and Otonaroid, with former astronaut and director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Mamoru Mori. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Japan leads in the field of industrial robots in factories, and recently showcased more of its robot power inventions such as the exoskeleton, an artificial robotic limb, and humanoid robots Pepper (above) as well as Kodomoroid, seen here with Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, and Otonaroid, with former astronaut and director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Mamoru Mori. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Japan leads in the field of industrial robots in factories, and recently showcased more of its robot power inventions such as the exoskeleton (above), an artificial robotic limb, and humanoid robots Pepper as well as Kodomoroid, seen here with Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, and Otonaroid, with former astronaut and director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Mamoru Mori. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
Japan leads in the field of industrial robots in factories, and recently showcased more of its robot power inventions such as the exoskeleton, an artificial robotic limb, and humanoid robots Pepper as well as (above, from left) Kodomoroid, seen here with Osaka University professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, and Otonaroid, with former astronaut and director of the National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation Mamoru Mori. -- PHOTO: AGENCE FRANCE-PRESSE
By Hau Boon Lai Japan Correspondent In Tokyo
KODOMOROID looks poised, does not break into a sweat, has a good voice, and is able to navigate difficult tongue-twisters effortlessly.
Last week, she found a job as a newsreader. But as her name - a cross between kodomo, or child, and android - suggests, Kodomoroid is not human but a life- size android robot, made in the image of a girl of about 12 years old.
She reads the news to visitors of the Miraikan, or National Museum of Emerging Science and Innovation, where she is on display.
Japan, this month, showcased its robot power with the launch of Kodomoroid, robotic power suits that can be controlled by the wearer's thoughts, and Softbank's Pepper, a humanoid robot that can "read" human emotions. And it could not have come at a better time for Prime Minister Shinzo Abe.
On June 19, he announced that the government would engineer a "robot revolution" that will treble the size of the market to 2.4 trillion yen (S$29.6 billion) by 2020.
The development and use of robots is a pillar of the revised growth strategy that he unveiled last week, after the first two arrows of ultra-aggressive monetary easing and massive fiscal spending, particularly on public works projects.
A government panel will be set up to channel expected state subsidies of billions of dollars into the research and development of robots that can be sold round the world. The electronic workforce could also ease Japan's labour shortages arising from an ageing population and a declining birthrate, in sectors such as health care and agriculture.
According to the revised growth plan, Japan seeks to double the market for industrial robots and expand the smaller non-industrial robot market twentyfold.
To help achieve the targets, the government will promote greater cooperation between universities and private companies such that cross appointments can be made.
Mr Takeshi Kitaura, an analyst with Deutsche Securities, said Mr Abe's plan is sound, provided he focuses on industry-wide cooperative efforts rather than individual companies and sets clear paths for the industry to take.
"The first step is gathering the people who make the robots or develop them and getting them to identify what to focus on... it's like how car companies in Japan joined hands to develop a new diesel engine," he told The Straits Times.
Japan is a leader in the use and production of industrial robots, such as those used to die-cast, weld and move car parts in assembly lines, and holds more than 50 per cent of the global market share.
Last year, about 179,000 industrial robots were sold worldwide, a record high, according to the International Federation of Robotics (IFR), which expects sales to exceed 200,000 next year.
Japan is the biggest supplier of industrial robots to China, a fast-growing market that last year bought 37,000 such robots, becoming the world's biggest market for the first time.
But China still has a long way to go to reach Japan's level of automation, so its demand for industrial robots is expected to be strong for many years, the IFR said in a report.
Mr Abe, in a clear signal of Japan's priority in the non-industrial robot sector, visited a factory in Tokyo that makes care-giving robots on June 19 and personally put on a robotic suit that helps its wearers carry heavy loads.
Because its population is ageing rapidly, the Health Ministry has projected that Japan will need another one million nursing care- givers by 2025, many of whom have to be recruited from overseas. But Mr Abe and most of his colleagues oppose bringing in large numbers of foreign workers.
If the government succeeds in helping the industry produce cheap caregiving robots, it is expected to ease the need for more caregivers.
One country to watch as Japan pursues its robotic ambitions is the United States. Google late last year went on a shopping spree, gobbling up eight robotics companies, including a Tokyo University venture, Schaft, which has developed a robot that can operate in extreme conditions such as disaster areas.
Osaka University Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, creator of Kodomoroid, said another player to watch is the US military, which is ahead in areas such as artificial robotic limbs and bomb detector robots. But he also said Japan is clearly in the lead when it comes to companion robots, which are already becoming more affordable.
He paid tribute to Softbank's Pepper, a 1.2m-tall robot that has the ability to tell jokes, understand human emotions based on facial expressions and tone of voice, and learn from its communication with humans.
"It's amazing that Pepper will cost only 200,000 yen when it goes on sale next year," he told The Straits Times. "That's about the price of a laptop."
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