While Japanese robotics companies have made robots that look and move like human beings, the goal of making a society where human beings and robots interact in everyday life has remained out of reach.
Hisashi Taniguchi, a 44-year-old robotics engineer, wondered why humanoid robots could not be turned into a hugely profitable business.
Honda Motor Co.'s spacemanlike robot Asimo and Sony Corp.'s robotic dog Aibo caused a buzz in the industry, but Sony pulled out of the robotics business in 2006 over concerns about profitability.