Recently in Japan, robots have been celebrated with high public expectations. Since its establishment, ATR has been engaged in a wide range of research on robotics, from the basic science and key technologies in AI through various human interfaces. In this issue, we make a new statement on our Intelligent Robotics Technologies.
In Japan, while the economic depression has hung over the sky since the 90's, science and technology have been hailed as the "stars of hope" to clear off the clouds. The stars, however, cannot start shining instantly, since R&D needs time. Japan has neglected investment on R&D for at least the half-century since WWII. Money can be raised in a short period of time once we make up our minds, as the government is now trying to do, but human talent cannot be raised in such haste. R&D in Japan is suffering from the debt accumulated over the last half century. Moreover, the reality in this country is that while saying in general terms that basic research is important, most funding schemes demand positive proof of the potential for quick practical application and profitability deriving from the research. We are concerned that soon somebody will start to complain that there have been no visible fruits of the investments made in the last few years.
I'm even afraid that the bandwagon of this robot boom will quickly pass by and the fever will soon disappear. It will be a long time before we can develop truly useful robots, and this will take great efforts. After all, even from my amateur point of view, the current robots are merely gimmicks for children. From the R&D point of view, however, robot development is a worthwhile challenge. I feel that robots have more potential than we can ever imagine now, and will be used in a wide variety of ways in the future. It is still fresh in our memory how products that are currently popular - the mobile phone or the Internet for example - marked unexpected social phenomena and revolutionary change within themselves. We have also seen that in the case of such products, not necessarily the best technologies have survived the commercialization process. However, we need advanced technologies to reach a mature state of development. In the case of robotics technology, we are only now standing at the entrance.
There are roughly two types of robots: mechanical robots, or "mecha-robots," and communication robots, or "com-robots." ATR is the world leader in com-robots, thanks to the high level and breadth of its research. To enhance our research activities and contribute to the development of robotics, we launched the "Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories" last October and the "Computational Neuroscience Laboratories" in May of this year. We are going to build stronger ties with outside institutions, knowing that useful robots of the future can only be made through the synthesis of mecha-robot and com-robot technologies. A number of collaborations with businesses and research institutes have already kicked off. Also in the pipeline is an antenna laboratory in the heart of the city, so that we can get more feedback from the "general public" in the streets. We believe that the true demand for future robots will emerge from the so-called "general public" rather than a handful of enthusiasts. Through this antenna laboratory, we want to discover where the real needs for robots lie; under what circumstances will people need robots, how they will accept and prefer to use them, and ultimately, to find out how robots will blend into our society.
I guess I am willing to be taken along by this robot boom for a while.
In Japan, while the economic depression has hung over the sky since the 90's, science and technology have been hailed as the "stars of hope" to clear off the clouds. The stars, however, cannot start shining instantly, since R&D needs time. Japan has neglected investment on R&D for at least the half-century since WWII. Money can be raised in a short period of time once we make up our minds, as the government is now trying to do, but human talent cannot be raised in such haste. R&D in Japan is suffering from the debt accumulated over the last half century. Moreover, the reality in this country is that while saying in general terms that basic research is important, most funding schemes demand positive proof of the potential for quick practical application and profitability deriving from the research. We are concerned that soon somebody will start to complain that there have been no visible fruits of the investments made in the last few years.
I'm even afraid that the bandwagon of this robot boom will quickly pass by and the fever will soon disappear. It will be a long time before we can develop truly useful robots, and this will take great efforts. After all, even from my amateur point of view, the current robots are merely gimmicks for children. From the R&D point of view, however, robot development is a worthwhile challenge. I feel that robots have more potential than we can ever imagine now, and will be used in a wide variety of ways in the future. It is still fresh in our memory how products that are currently popular - the mobile phone or the Internet for example - marked unexpected social phenomena and revolutionary change within themselves. We have also seen that in the case of such products, not necessarily the best technologies have survived the commercialization process. However, we need advanced technologies to reach a mature state of development. In the case of robotics technology, we are only now standing at the entrance.
There are roughly two types of robots: mechanical robots, or "mecha-robots," and communication robots, or "com-robots." ATR is the world leader in com-robots, thanks to the high level and breadth of its research. To enhance our research activities and contribute to the development of robotics, we launched the "Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories" last October and the "Computational Neuroscience Laboratories" in May of this year. We are going to build stronger ties with outside institutions, knowing that useful robots of the future can only be made through the synthesis of mecha-robot and com-robot technologies. A number of collaborations with businesses and research institutes have already kicked off. Also in the pipeline is an antenna laboratory in the heart of the city, so that we can get more feedback from the "general public" in the streets. We believe that the true demand for future robots will emerge from the so-called "general public" rather than a handful of enthusiasts. Through this antenna laboratory, we want to discover where the real needs for robots lie; under what circumstances will people need robots, how they will accept and prefer to use them, and ultimately, to find out how robots will blend into our society.
I guess I am willing to be taken along by this robot boom for a while.