What the world needs now is socially-distant robots, says Japan
- Reference: 1599114424
- News link: https://www.theregister.co.uk/2020/09/03/japan_takes_robot_standard_to_iso/
- Source link:
Japan has an ageing population and has therefore made significant investments in robots as assistants for the elderly, even developing a national standard to govern their operations in environments where they work alongside humans including medical settings, public transport hubs and commercial facilities.
And now Japan wants to export that standard to the world.
The move is partly altruistic, because Japan sees robot medical workers as a useful tool to increase social distancing.
Your kids will be glad a UK government-funded robot will be changing your nappy and not them [1]READ MORE
It’s also an industry development play, with the ministry aiming at strengthening industrial competitiveness by expanding the market for helper-bots and hopefully giving Japanese companies a rolling start.
While Japan has signed off on its own JIS Y1001 standard, the ISO’s Technical Committee (TC 299) for “Standardization in the field of robotics, excluding toys and military applications” doesn’t have a document describing best practice in the kind of applications Japan has already considered.
ISO TC 299 has therefore established a new working group, with Japan in the lead, to consider taking JIS Y1001 global.
Which isn’t exactly a “grab some popcorn” moment because deliberations of this sort move slowly, but may be a significant step towards acceptance of machinery in more parts of our lives. ®
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[1] https://www.theregister.com/2019/10/28/uk_invests_in_care_robots_research/
[2] https://whitepapers.theregister.com/
You're thinking of Teleoperation and Telepresence, where a human is in control of a remote - like an existing bomb disposal waldo or military drone. Japan is thinking of standards that would allow autonomous robots to work alongside humans safely in various situations, such as in hospitals, factories, etc
I didn't downvote you, but hey, it seems there's a film critic here.
I was just wondering what the current state of the art of bipedal robots is... I have't heard much for a while, and don't know what the current technological hurdles are. Navigation? Control? Battery power density?
The following from, this year, is being sold to.connercial customers, but as a dev kit for future applications. It's certainly advanced than Honda's discontinued Asimo. I don't know what Japanese companies have in the pipeline.
https://www.theverge.com/2020/1/6/21050322/bipedal-robot-digit-agility-robotics-on-sale-delivery-inspection-ces-2020#comments
It looks alright, but I don't think it would be too hard to fit some retractable wheels to its feet for when it is on flat, level ground - it sounds like someone has left half a horse walking around the office.
Isn't this the plot to the Bruce Willis film 'Surrogates' ?