Commentary / World Sep 20, 2017
Brace for the coming robot arms race
by Peter Apps
Even if mankind can avoid a nuclear apocalypse, the coming AI and robotic revolution may prove an equal existential challenge.
Business / Tech Sep 13, 2017
Robot 'conductor' steals show from Italy's top tenor Bocelli but can't improvise
Italian tenor Andrea Bocelli's voice soars to the rafters of the Tuscan theater, but all eyes are on the orchestral conductor beside him — a robot with an apparent penchant for Verdi. The concert in the heart of Pisa is a world first, with two ...
Business / Tech Sep 8, 2017
New Japanese robot dog sniffs out smelly feet
Do your feet smell bad? Just a little or absolutely awful? If you don't dare to ask a friend, one Japanese startup might have the answer with a new robot dog that will sniff your feet and give you a pitilessly honest verdict — even ...
Business / Tech Sep 8, 2017
More two-income families are shelling out money for machines that free them of daily chores
Robotic vacuum cleaners, washer dryers and dishwashers are popular among two-income households, as they afford families more free time by relieving them of daily chores, according to electronics makers and retailers. Electronics chain Bic Camera Inc. said the number of robot cleaners it sold in ...
Business Sep 6, 2017
Sony's Trinitron TV, Promet robot designated as essential historical materials
The National Museum of Nature and Science on Tuesday added Sony Corp.'s Trinitron color television and HRP-2 Promet, a humanoid robot made in 2003 to a list of important historical materials. The 36-inch model of the high-definition Trinitron TV, released in 1990, was among 15 ...
Business Sep 3, 2017
A peek at airports of the future: Automated check-in, face scans and robot baggage handlers
Passengers' baggage is collected by robots, they relax in a luxurious waiting area and then get a face scan and swiftly pass through security and immigration — this could be the airport of the future. Planners hope this vision will become reality as new technology ...
Business / Tech Aug 31, 2017
How a rice lover's robot revolutionized the modern sushi industry
by Tom Redmond, Nao Sano and Naomi Schanen
Kisaku Suzuki, creator of the world's first sushi robot, once ran a company that made candy-wrapping machines. And he was angry. Why had the Japanese government embarked on a policy to limit rice production, effectively paying some farmers to keep their paddy fields idle? For ...
Commentary / Japan Aug 28, 2017
Graying Japan wants automation, not immigration
by Daniel Moss
A labor shortage could fuel the nation's next innovation boom.
Business / Tech | FOCUS Aug 22, 2017
Prime time in worker-scarce Japan for investing in service robots
by Henry Hoenig and Keiko Ujikane
Faced with their worst labor shortage in decades, Japanese service companies are finally turning to labor-saving technology, an investment that could lift the sector's woeful level of productivity and allow them to raise wages. While the nation's manufacturers are renowned for deploying advanced robotics, most ...
Commentary / Japan Aug 20, 2017
Japan's booming and now needs more immigrants
by Daniel Moss
Japan is favoring more machines over increased immigration to bolster its dwindling workforce, but that solution won't increase domestic consumption.
Business Aug 16, 2017
Pepper the robot to don Buddhist robe for its new funeral services role
by Alex Martin
SoftBank Group Corp.'s humanoid robot Pepper has taken on various roles since its mass-market debut in 2015. The 1.2-meter tall robots with round white heads have been deployed to banks, sushi shops and nursing homes. Now, Pepper will don a Buddhist monk's robe. Kanagawa-based Nissei Eco ...
World / Science & Health Aug 3, 2017
Fountain fall doesn't dampen enthusiasm for security robots
On his first day at work as a security guard, Steve was greeted warmly, drawing attention from passers-by, including some taking selfies with him at the tony retail-residential complex he patrolled. Then he fell into the fountain. Steve was a security robot employed by the Washington ...