===================================================================== ASIAN TECHNOLOGY INFORMATION PROGRAM (ATIP) REPORT: ATIP05.037: Robots at Aichi World Expo 2005 To: Distribution From: [email protected] This is file name "atip05.037" Date: 28 July 2005 ATIP05.037: Robots at Aichi World Expo 2005 =====================START OF REPORT ATIP05.037===================== 0 Robots at Aichi World Expo 2005 ATIP/Japan Copyright (c) 2005 by the Asian Technology Information Program (ATIP) This material may not be published, modified or otherwise redistributed in whole or part, in any form, without prior approval by ATIP, which reserves all rights. ABSTRACT: This report is a summary of the various types of robots that were presented and are being used at the Aichi World Exposition 2005, an event taking place from March 25 to September 25, 2005 in Japan. KEYWORDS: Government Policy on Science and Technology, Regional Overview of Science and Technology, Robotics. COUNTRY: Japan DATE: 28 July 2005 REPORT CONTENTS 1. INTRODUCTION EXECUTIVE SUMMARY 2. PAST NEDO PROJECTS 3. WORKING ROBOTS 4. PROTOTYPE ROBOTS 4.1 TELEsarPHONE 4.2 EMIEW 4.3 Repliee Q1expo 4.4 UMRS-NBCT 4.5 MOIRA snake robot 4.6 IMR-Type 1 4.7 Applications of the HRP-2 4.8 WIND 4.9 Robovie Family 4.10 Nagara-3 1 4.11 Robot Suit HAL 4.12 Muscle Suit 5. CONCLUSION 6. CONTACTS & WEBLINKS 7. APPENDIX 1: PAST NEDO ROBOT PROJECTS 7.1 Robots for Hazardous Environments 7.2 HRP: Humanoid Robot Project 7.3 Creating Infrastructure Software to Serve as a Basis for Robot Development Work 8. APPENDIX 2: ROBOT PROJECTS ON DISPLAY AT AICHI 8.1 Working Robots 8.2 Prototype Robots 1. INTRODUCTION The Aichi Expo 2005, officially named the 2005 World Exposition, is taking place from March 25 to September 25, 2005 in the Aichi area (central Japan), 20 km east of central Nagoya (see Figure 1). The objective of the Aichi Expo 2005 is the “pursuit [of] a sustainable and harmonious co- existence for all life on earth.” The Aichi Expo has a large variety of activities, such as presentations of pavilions from various countries, regions, and companies, exhibitions of diverse technologies, as well as family entertainment. Reflecting Japan’s increasing interest in Robotic Technologies (RT) that interact with humans, as opposed to industrial robotics, a variety of robots are being presented at the Aichi Expo. The majority are still prototypes with projected commercialization by 2020 but a few are labeled “working robots” because they are actually being used at the Aichi Expo (i.e., for cleaning, security, or guidance purposes). These activities are being promoted by the Ministry of Economy, Trade, and Industry (METI) and the New Energy and Industrial Technology Development Organization (NEDO), as well as being sponsored by the Aichi Expo Association. Figure 1. Aichi EXPO Location With more than ten million visitors by the middle of 2 July, the Aichi Expo represents a good opportunity to further extend the idea of a robotic society to the public. The present report provides an overview of these working robots, as well as several of the prototypes that were exhibited during the June 9-19 period of the exposition. ATIP offers a full range of information services including reports, assessments, briefings, visits, sample procurements, workshops, cultural/business sensitivity training, and liaison activities, all performed by our on-the-ground multilingual experts. 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Sponsors can also obtain specific follow up information, including copies of proceedings, selected papers, exhibition particulars, updates, translations, query searches, etc. END OF REPORT ATIP05.037a [The remaining sections of this report are available to ATIP subscribers] 3 ATIP05.037 (continued): Robots at Aichi World Expo 2005 Copyright (c) 2005 by the Asian Technology Information Program (ATIP) This material may not be published, modified o r otherwise redistributed in whole or part, in any form, without prior approval by ATIP, which reserves all rights. EXECUTIVE SUMMARY • The Aichi World Expo is an event that has already attracted more than 10 million visitors by mid July. • NEDO, the largest public R&D management organization in Japan, is organizing an exhibition of both prototype robots expected to be commercialized by the year 2020 and working robots. • Japan's robotics technology sets the standard for the world and is expected to grow into one of the key industries of the nation. Years of research and development have already yielded numerous robots that are in practical use today. The market is estimated to reach 1.8 trillion yen (approx. US$16 Bil.) by 2010. • A popular application for robots that would expand the market for interactive robots has not yet been found. Thus, the potential positive impact on the public of the prominent display of robots at the Aichi Expo needs to be considered. • There is a trend towards academic institutions being associated with small companies in the development of their robots and systems. On the other hand, large companies such as Mitsubishi and NEC are developing robots on their own. IMPACT & ASSESSMENT Robotic Technology is a key field that is being promoted by both the central government and several local governments in Japan. However, distinct from industrial robots, efforts are being devoted to develop robots that deal with humans. Further development requires human contact to discover issues and problems that arise from human/robot interaction. Therefore, the Aichi Expo 2005 represents a good opportunity for researchers to take robots outside of the laboratory and for the public to become familiar with the kind of research that institutes and companies are conducting in Japan. 2. PAST NEDO PROJECTS As reported in a previous report (ATIP03.041: Humanoid Robotics Project), NEDO, Japan's largest public R&D management organization for promoting the development of advanced industrial, environmental, new energy, and energy conservation technologies, has been supporting several robot projects. Among them are the following: 4 • Robots for Hazardous Environments. At a cost of 15.5 billion Yen (approx. US$150Mil.), the project lasted from 1983 to 1990. As the name states, the project’s objective was to develop mobile versatile robots to work in various situations and fields, such as nuclear power plants, marine environments, and disaster prevention. • HRP: Humanoid Robot Project. This was discussed in previous reports (including ATIP05.028: Advanced IT in Kansai). The project cost 4.57 billion Yen (approx. US$40Mil.) and lasted from 1998 to 2002. The objective was to create a standard robot platform (see Figure 2) so that it could be used by other groups in joint research. This robot and its simulation systems are now being used by some groups. However, they are not as widely used as was expected. The leader of the project was Dr. Hirochika INOUE. • Creating Infrastructure Software to Serve as a Basis for Robot Development Work. In 2004, this project cost 80 million Yen (approx. US$750,000) and began in 2002. The objective of the project was to build middleware to support the modularization of robotic elements, including standard specifications. Figure 2. HRP2 in Action 3. WORKING ROBOTS During the Aichi Expo Robot Exhibition, several companies presented their robots in operation. The goal is that these robots will be commercially available by 2010. The following were some of the robots presented: 5 • SuiPPi by Matsushita Electric Works Ltd. A successor to the Hospi robot that was reported in an A-Tip (HOSPI Robotic Porters - March 25, 2005), this robot is an autonomous sweeping robot. • Subaru Robohiter RS1/T1 by Fuji Heavy Industries Ltd. The promotional material for this robot is intriguing. It describes the robot as a technology that ‘almost does a better cleaning job than human cleaners’. ‘Almost’ would indicate that the level of technology is not where it would be desired. o The RS1 is resistant to rain and dust and built to work in all weather conditions. It uses global positioning system (GPS) technology for self-positioning (besides a laser triangulation sector, a reflector, and a gyro sensor, among others). This type of robot is now being used to clean the Aichi Expo grounds at night. Fuji Heavy Industries claims that the RS1 uses a coordination system among a group of three, but the coordination algorithm is unspecified. The development of this robot began in 1989. In 1999, the first prototypes were sold but in 2005, the number of units only reached 35. Examples of these robots can be found in the Roppongi Hills Mori Building (an office building in central Tokyo), Narita International Airport, and the new Chubu International Airport (opened in 2005). o The T1 model is built for replacing outdoor trash cans. The company has developed these robots as the logical consequence of their trash collection vehicles that they began manufacturing in 1962. The two-robot coordination system works when one of the robots collects the trash and the other places an empty trash can in the empty slot. This project is led by Hajime AOYAMA, Project General Manager. • ALSOK Guard Robo i by Sogoh Security Services Co. Ltd (see Figure 3). Resembling a Japanese comic book character, this robot is built as a half security robot, half guide robot.