Hundreds of robots have gathered at the International Robot Exhibition (IREX) now underway at Tokyo Big Sight. Here are a few photos from the event, which runs until November 28.
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Yaskawa Electric Corporation displayed a variety of Motoman industrial robots able to perform tasks ranging from menial factory work to synchronized swordplay.
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Taizo, a clown-like assistant trainer robot by General Robotix, encouraged passersby to do stretching exercises.
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Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru) exhibited their AV-T3 autonomous cargo transport robot.
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Fuji Heavy Industries (Subaru) also showcased their autonomous floor cleaning robot (developed jointly with Sumitomo), which was recognized as Robot of the Year in 2006.
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Neko-Tencho, a cat robot developed by RT, danced with its naked skeleton.
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The Manoi PF01 and AT01 athlete humanoids relaxed on a table at the Kyosho booth.
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Figla exhibited an interactive robot (prototype) with remote camera.
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An Actroid was on hand at Kokoro's booth to demonstrate new camera-based face mimicking technology.
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TOPIO, a ping pong playing robot by TOSY (Vietnam), waited for a worthy opponent.
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The iRobi home robot by Yujin (Korea) can monitor the home, provide weather information and news, respond to voice commands, and entertain the kids with songs.
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NT Research (Korea) demonstrated their RAMeX humanoid with tele-operated arms and hands.
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An intelligent building guide robot with arms, speech capabilities, and face/voice recognition skills was on display at the "Premium Korea" booth.
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Alderbaran Robotics (France) exhibited Nao, a fully-programmable autonomous humanoid.
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NEC's display included the Papero-mini tele-collaboration robot, which lacks the AI brain of its big brother and functions as a home videoconferencing tool.
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Fujitsu's Enon robot received some minor adjustments at the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO) booth.
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NEDO also exhibited a Muratec receptionist robot.
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A mini-humanoid blended into the crowd.
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CMC Technology Development Co., Ltd. exhibited Robockle, a collision avoidance robot loaded with an array of CMCTD's sensors.
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Kawada Industries demonstrated their NEXTAGE next-generation industrial robot.
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They also exhibited their HIRO humanoid upper body for R&D purposes.
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Saya, a receptionist robot, was on display at the Kobayashi Laboratory (University of Tokyo) booth.
FutureMatt
Do any of them have artificial intelligence? If they need to be programmed to do stuff, I'm not interested. Give them the hardware and they should be able to use it on their own.
[]Adam
Obviously you have no idea what robotics is. This isn't some hollywood movie where anything with a integrated circuit in it is self-aware. Modern computers don't have anywhere near the processing power needed to simulate the human brain, and that's probably the only way they'll ever become as smart as you expect them to be.
But more importantly, why does that matter? An industrial robot doesn't need to know or do anything more than exactly what we need it to do. There is no reason to spend all the time and money giving "artificial intelligence" to robots that have no use for it.
[]Todd
I think what he means is "is it autonomous?" AI has come to mean something different than the old sci fi definition. AI is used in all kinds of stuff. Video games, mars rovers and the industrial robots you know all about. Old industrial robots were not robots but automated tool delivery systems that bore a slight resemblence to an arm. The car or whatever had to be perfectly aligned and in the exact same place every time and the arm was designed to weld in that exact place every time. If the car was on the line crooked the weld would be wrong. Now robotic AI can look at the car and find the proper place to weld and examine it's own welds for accuracy weld density etc. But of course it has to be programmed, told what to do and where. It is not a true robot if it is not autonomous, but of course it doesn't have to be smart. I don't think the guy deserved a "you no nothing" comment. I knew exactly what he meant. You sound more ignorant because everyone knows the term AI is regularly used in topics as varied as computer software and space probes and robots and nobody means an actual thinking machine.
As for actual AI...I will vote for the first system kernal to run for president. All Hail our Machine Overlords!
[]Branden
Matt,
You obviously aren't a programmer. The task of simulating artificial intelligence is a great one that is somewhat of a taboo word in robotics. I'm not saying it's not possible, but part of what makes us human is the fact that we are organic and have emotions. Machines aren't going to grow self-aware and go on a rampage and kill us all like some people think. They only do what we tell them to do, which sadly, happens to be mostly funded from the military in creating killing drones versus building robots that are revolutionary and life changing.
Another thing to keep in mind, the more robots we build, the more people lose their jobs because people are in direct competition with robotic workers. Society needs to become updated in order to overcome our shortcomings in the near future. Once the robots replace the 78% service sector in the United States, no one will have jobs anymore, so I don't think AI robots will be coming any time soon.
[]BvG
Eventually technology will outdo us all, which only shows a fundamental design flaw in our current society.
[]medo
if we really in the near or even far future gonna lose our jobs cause of better performance of robots..they i guess they should start teaching programming from elementary school and all humans can work as AI programmers...we in the end only searching to satisfy our needs with less work possible :D
[]ha
@futurematt, you are an idiot.
[]SuperMegaRobot
I wonder if some of these are real functional robots or just prototypes for display. The ping pong robot doesn't seem to have much mobility, at least for what I see on that photo. Anyway, very interesting set of photos. I hope you don't mind if I mention it on my blog.
[]BotHead
I wonder about the ping pong robot too. This is just my guess, but it looks huge in the photo. I'm thinking it never needs to move it's feet. It could just lean over the table and cover all the shots with it's one arm.
At least that's how it looks from the photo to me, I am just guessing though.
[]kelekun
it didn't move at all for all exhibition...well actually it did once and it fell down like a stone...that was it...as SuperMegaRobot said, it is more plastic and cover than robot...
[]Bastien
Hi guys,
Nao for Aldebaran robotics is already in sales for Labs and will hit the general public market in 6 months... and it really works :
[]Billy
That Hiro unit looks awesome! If I ever actually manage to visit Japan hopefully it will be for an event like this ;)
[]EmcoWheaton
these things are really awesome!!
[]thanks to the technology that we have now, it makes our life easier and lighter.
I also agree with Adam, robots are made to assist human that's why they need to act like one, but they don't have to think like people do, Don't you think that's horrifying, if robots will have the artificial intelligence and will develop or grow?, be afraid because they may invent a technology to rule the world and rule over us.
Whoaw! futurematt, you don't want that to happen do you?
LOL
Techie101
I have just been watching the Star Wars series, so how ironic to visit this page!
Futurematt maybe you should have yourself cryogenically frozen to wait for the future. rofl
Seriously though; AI raises a number of issues. Ok, so I am a bit of a movie buff and I will use movies to illustrate my points ;-)
- Is our current global economic policy conducive to having another high-level intelligence on this planet? If one imagines robots taking over people's role in the economy, how will people survive? Think of Spielberg's AI.
- Is human nature, mature enough to play "God"? The "assisted reproductive tech", cloning and gene modification already have lots of people in a moral dilemma. We are such jealous beings that having a robot that can do everything better than we can will lead to the apocolyptic consequences of The Matrix, Terminator and Battlestar Gallatica.
So, what will it take to have successful AI:
- we need to change to our economy. check out http://www.thevenusproject.com/
- we need to realise that we live on a rock in a vast space where there are much larger and even smaller rocks that threaten our existence. check out
http://www.popularmechanics.com/science/air_space/4201569.html
- we need to mature to the point where we can live together and work towards common goals such as finding other rocks to live on.
- we need to be able to treat and respect AI beings as if they are our children, which essentially they will be.
ok, my wife says I must stop LOL
[]BvG
lol! yea, women always tell us techies to stop when we're on a roll... Kudos for pointing out The Venus Project and the "living together, working towards common goals" remark.
[]Oh, and remember not to confuse Hollywood movies with reality. ;)
Carmen Henesy
Most amazing!
[]Deadly Robot
And now the end of all humans by robots!!!
[]Joey1058
Nice bots. I've been waiting for a couple of years now for the Papero or the Nao to be released to the general public. I've learned not to hold my breath. Korea says it's planning to have a bot in every home in some unspecified year. It's changed twice to my knowledge. The only bots to hold any real promise are still the industrial line bots. Until then, we're still going to have to put up with hobby robots.
As for AI. It's a software issue. I'll know it's happened when I'm swinging a mop at night, and some voice starts to talk to me over my iPod via wifi. Until then, you folks need to contend youselves with the AI from console and PC games.
[]minuteforce
If you want to get into movies ... AI never bodes well for humanity in movies. ;)
[]ntopics
I almost forgot how fun it is to see robots.
The Japanese never stop improving them, and
they are becoming very useful and exciting.
thanks from tony
[]Chronic
Gotta love robot slaves. i don't question how long until robots can mimmick human intelligence. i question how long before we have to pay them reparations!
[]Technology
That Hiro unit looks awesome! If I ever actually manage to visit Japan hopefully it will be for an event like this ;)
[]krolik
NEXTAGE next-generation industrial robot the best! :)
[]Web Promotion
Robotic technology may perform what appears to have no market, however each development and action may be used various ways and therefore has a larger application field than just dancing or holding an egg. I can see many applications. These may be the precursors to the next industrial revolution . Granted we need a stable economy if these small wonders are to be put to the following applications.
[]fi glover
Damn those robots are awesome!
[]Fotos Kostenlos
Wow, some of these somehow make me think about this "I, Robot" movie...
[]Todd
Everybody who thought futurematt was talking about C-3PO are dumb. AI is used all the time. He didn't mean a thinking machine, he meant the more mundane AI used everyday. When a machine is programmed to do something autonomously and make decisions with variable parameters and under tbd conditions that is called AI. They tell the mars rovers to go "there" and the rovers AI picks its route around the rocks in the way (not since they've broke though, now they program every wheel turn). That's called AI now. Where have you people been?
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