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Japan’s Humanoid Robots Nearly Ready for Primetime?

  • Born in 1974, Shimizu Masaharu has been involved in robot system architecture R&D ever since his days as a graduate student at Aoyama Gakuin University, where he studied robots under the guidance of Professor Tomiyama Ken. After working for the Japan Science and Technology Agency, he joined the Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo) of the Chiba Institute of Technology in 2003. © Yamada Shinji.

    Born in 1974, Shimizu Masaharu has been involved in robot system architecture R&D ever since his days as a graduate student at Aoyama Gakuin University, where he studied robots under the guidance of Professor Tomiyama Ken. After working for the Japan Science and Technology Agency, he joined the Future Robotics Technology Center (fuRo) of the Chiba Institute of Technology in 2003. © Yamada Shinji.

  • The Morph3 robot was jointly developed by the Kitano Symbiotic Systems project, funded by the Erato program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the industrial designer Yamanaka Shunji. The Morph3 R&D team shifted its base to fuRo on June 1, 2003, and their work has continued to the present day. © fuRo.

    The Morph3 robot was jointly developed by the Kitano Symbiotic Systems project, funded by the Erato program of the Japan Science and Technology Agency, and the industrial designer Yamanaka Shunji. The Morph3 R&D team shifted its base to fuRo on June 1, 2003, and their work has continued to the present day. © fuRo.

  • The two-legged Core robot, capable of moving while carrying a person or payload weighing up to 100 kg. © Yamada Shinji.

    The two-legged Core robot, capable of moving while carrying a person or payload weighing up to 100 kg. © Yamada Shinji.

  • The robot designed by Schaft Inc. is able to operate a motor vehicle. © DARPA.

    The robot designed by Schaft Inc. is able to operate a motor vehicle. © DARPA.

  • On June 5, 2014, SoftBank Chairman Son Masayoshi (right) and the CEO of its affiliate Aldebaran Robotics, Bruno Maisonnier, unveiled Pepper, a robot capable of reading emotions. © Jiji Press.

    On June 5, 2014, SoftBank Chairman Son Masayoshi (right) and the CEO of its affiliate Aldebaran Robotics, Bruno Maisonnier, unveiled Pepper, a robot capable of reading emotions. © Jiji Press.

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