Robots for Daily Life

ANCHOR:
Robot designers gathered at Robo_Japan 2008 in Yokohama, Japan to showcase their latest developments. NTD's Yukichi Negishi brings us there.

STORY:
Within the last decade, cell phones and computers have become a part of modern life. In the near future, we might see robots not only in assembly lines but just as much a part of our daily life as cell phones, cars, and computers. Tomotaka Takahashi, award winning robot creator, hopes to see robots in our life not just for convenience but also as our friends.

[Tomotaka Takahashi, Robot Creator]:
Robots are going to be in your home and your family member pretty soon. We tend to think about the practicality or usage robots, but we never think that way (about) your family or your boyfriend or girlfriend. Please treat them as your friend.

Current robot designs mostly resemble male qualities like stiff movement and dont have many feminine qualities. Creating feminine robots is one of next steps to making robots a part of our daily life.

[Tomotaka Takahashi, Robot Creator]:
I think first of all there is no female type robot because there are technical problems. The first one is its harder to put all the parts inside the body. I [have to] use smaller parts and also design. Second one is that most of researcher in the robotics field is male, so we dont know how to realize female type robots. You know, it has nothing to do with wear skirts or having longer hair.

Tomotakas mini climbing robot helped the electronics company, Panasonic, set the Guinness World record for the longest lasting battery. This robot climbed a 530-meter rope up the Grand Canyon in 6 hours and 46 minutes on two Panasonic Evolta AA batteries.

Im Yukichi Negishi, NTD, Yokohama, Japan.