Japan struggles to retain leadership

Astro Boy's appearance in the early 1950s nurtured visions in Japan of an automated world, one in which robots would perform all meddlesome chores while protecting the people from evil. Half a century later, Japanese robots are helping out with household chores, comforting patients and entertaining crowds.

They are still a far cry from Astro Boy, the flying, power-punching, life-saving creation of cartoonist Osamu Tezuka, but robots nonetheless are seen as the future savior of the nation's industrial standing.

Banking on the technological prowess and know-how gained from decades of pushing forward factory automation, the central government and industry are rushing to create automatons that will eventually work side by side with humans.

Japan has long been the world's leader in the industrial-robot field, with complete automation accomplished in auto assembly lines in the 1980s.

But after the economic bubble burst in the early 1990s and production shifted offshore amid the yen's appreciation, manufacturers focused their energies on creating non-industrial-use robots, or service robots, with high-tech sensors and mechanical control systems. After more than a decade of research, the fruits of the efforts appear ready for harvest.

Various biped humanoid robots capable of walking upright, and so-called companion, or communication robots with face and voice recognition capabilities, have drawn wide admiration both in Japan and abroad. Japan is said to lead the world in the development of such technologies.

Special robots are also being designed for the welfare sector, including special ``healing robots'' used for therapy. Robots are also being developed to aid in rehabilitation and assist care providers.

Manufacturers are placing hopes on the practical use of robots, such as home cleaners and security robots. Another area of focus is more in line of Astro Boy's forte-saving people's lives, particularly in disasters.

Behind the growing interest in Japanese robots is international competition. Some industry experts feel that Japanese researchers have not been as pragmatic as their Western counterparts, who have focused on developing technology that can easily give robots a practical use.

In its 2004 survey, the United Nations Economic Commission for Europe-International Federation of Robotics summed up Japan's standing in orders for robots as ``booming in the 1980s and early 1990s.''

``Since the middle of the 1990s, the momentum has moved to Europe and North America. ... In Japan, robot stocks have steadily been falling since 1998, but now shows sign of recovering,'' the report said.

Japanese government officials say the country needs to extend its precarious lead in the field over its rivals.

``There is a growing sense of urgency that other countries may be catching up with, and even ready to overcome, our lead in robotics soon,'' said Yuko Nakagiri, an official at the Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry.

One stark example is the success of U.S. manufacturer iRobot, creator of the robotic vacuum cleaner, which sold its millionth unit last fall. The small, round device sells for about $200 (21,000 yen) and has been a hit in Internet shopping malls.

Not everybody in Japan is despairing. Some experts point that the Japanese industry still has a clear edge in producing precision machinery capable of conducting complex functions.

``We have experience and technology accumulated from working with industrial robots,'' said Kazuya Abe, an official with the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO).

Indeed. About half of all industrial robots used in the world today are made in Japan, according to industry statistics. Japan also leads the world in humanoid robot technology.

The key for Japan's industry may lie in creating a standardized rule or infrastructure model for robots to operate alongside human beings. Experts say such rules, currently nonexistent, will eventually be needed to assure the safe use of robots.

``Creating such a standard or set of rules could give the Japanese industry a formidable advantage'' from an intellectual property standpoint, Abe said.

A unified platform for robotics software and hardware would also allow manufacturers to interface products or parts, raising the industry's competitiveness.

Robot manufacturers and many experts agree that research for enhancing the robotics industry must be undertaken by governments at both the national and regional level.

With an edge in both quantity and quality, Japan now needs a clear strategy.

In its summary report on technology strategy for creating a robot society, the Japan Robot Association identified the absence of a national technological and marketing program as a factor that hurts Japan's competitiveness in creating specialized robots.(IHT/Asahi: January 1,2005)