The name "Astro Boy" is often mentioned in this Robotics issue of ATR UptoDate. "Astro Boy" may be little known outside of Japan, even though new Japanese animation characters flourish and influence young people around the world today. The history of the comic book series "Astro Boy" dates to 1951. The animation series began in 1963, when it appeared on black and white TV as one of the first cartoon shows. I heard from my parents that in those days, desperate children gathered to watch "Astro Boy" in the house of a rich family who were the only people in the neighborhood to own a TV.
　　The science fiction comic by Osamu Tezuka, now a classic, features a humanoid robot named Atom who fights against evil with his miraculous 100,000-horsepower strength. What makes Atom different and special from all of the other knight-like robots is that he actually has a mind like a human; his mind and his body are free from human control. Atom fights against evil with his own will. Unlike the super heroes such as Superman who conceal their true identities, Atom's identity is openly known to public. He even attends school like every other child. By his efforts to build good relationships between humans and robots, he becomes accepted in society as a friend.
　　With the image of Atom in their minds, most Japanese people have positive feelings toward humanoid robots. In the story, Atom was born in April 2003, a year envisioned as the advanced "near future." Now, in the actual year 2003, Robotics in Japan is not just about making functional mechanical tools controlled by humans. The key to understanding why humanoid robots are developed enthusiastically in this country may lie in the fact that everyone who has read "Astro Boy" has dreamed of having a robot friend like Atom in the near future.
　　The influence of animation, in particular the comic hero "Astro Boy," is truly profound. Only by watching or reading Osamu Tezuka's work can one understand where the "dream" of Japanese robotics and AI technologies is headed. After all, several generations of children who have grown up watching "Astro Boy" are now researchers involved in Japan's development of robotics. The robots introduced in this issue of ATR UptoDate may give you a glimpse of Atom.

TAKAHASHI Machi
ATR UptoDate Editorial Staff