Many companies and individuals have turned to robots for use as part of everyday life, and much of Japan’s success with robotics is slowly starting to to be seen here in the U.S.
The growing popularity of robotics in Japan has led to changes over the last few years that include helping people with their health and taking on jobs that humans have always done.
According to research done by The Heritage Foundation in 2014, the Japanese government announced a goal to create an industrial revolution that would be driven by robots. In 2015, the goal was updated to turn Japan into a “robotics superpower” and for society to change to the point where humans and robots can live together on a daily basis.
Recently, a robot in Japan named Robear was created to help with the care of elderly people. Robear was created by Riken, a Japanese research institute, and weighs 308 pounds. The robot is able to do things like lift a person from a bed to a wheelchair as well as lift someone who is in a seated position to a standing one.
“I think that the advanced robotics found in Japan will shortly make their way to the United States,” said Japanese international student Aiko Ishikawa, a junior at CSUN. “I don’t see too much of that out here.”
Some robots created in Japan are used for dueling. In July, American robot inventors MegaBots challenged a team of Japanese engineers to duel.
The much anticipated duel is scheduled for summer of 2016 and according to the American team’s website, they raised over $500,000 to provide new weapons and armor for the robots.
CSUN has a robotics club of its own called Matabots, which constructs robots to compete in Vex Robotics competitions. The club meets every Thursday at 2 p.m. in Jacaranda Hall 1128. One of the Matabots’ most recent creations is a robot that can be seen near the entrance to their meeting room.
Rolling Robots is a Glendale company home to the world’s only robot arena.
“We focus on teaching the youth about engineering so that they could possibly be responsible for the next biggest invention,” said Sam Hill, a spokesperson from Rolling Robots. “Japanese robotics play a big role in what we teach.”
Robots are on the rise and are expected to take over more jobs than can be created by 2025, according to research done by the Pew Research Center.
Robotics technology has come a long way, but still has a long time to go in terms of functionality. According to an article by the Wall Street Journal, robots are becoming smarter, lighter and more mobile, and will only continue to get better with time.
“We came up with the design at the beginning of this summer, and it is now done but is unnamed,” said Cesar Gonzales, a senior at CSUN and a member of the Matabots club.
The Matabots are always welcoming new members.
