ASIA BIZ FORECAST / Archives

Oct. 19, Mon.

Feature: In Search for Astro Boy
It's been 50 years since Astro Boy, a super humanoid child-like robot appeared in Japanese comic books. Since then, Japan clearly has had insatiable appetite for artificially intelligent creatures. During Japan's economic boom, the country became a leader in making robots for industrial use, but recently the shift has been towards robots with a human touch. The housekeeping helper robot, "Kotato", is being developed by Prof. Mizuuchi at Tokyo University of Agriculture. Prof. Kobayashi of Tokyo University of Science designed "Robo-suits" to ease back strain of factory workers.
Through the latest developments at venture firms and universities labs, we'll feature what's making waves in Japan's robot industry and what's to come in the future.