Commentary / World Jul 16, 2018
Robots will make life grim for the working class
by Noah Smith
Cheap technology will sweep away lots of jobs. That's an argument for a better safety net.
NEWSWORTHY
Business Jul 12, 2018
Asian factory workers face slavery risks with rise of automation in manufacturing: analysts
The rise of robots in manufacturing in Southeast Asia is likely to fuel modern-day slavery as workers who end up unemployed due to automation face abuses competing for a shrinking pool of low-paid jobs in a "race to the bottom," analysts said Thursday. Drastic job ...
Business / Tech Jul 4, 2018
Kangaroo-like transforming robot, created by Chiba university, keen to carry your groceries
by Kazuaki Nagata
Chiba Institute of Technology unveiled Wednesday a transformable machine that can play dual roles — as both a robot, fused with artificial intelligence technologies, and a vehicle to enhance personal mobility. https://youtu.be/B2-YdU2TOCg The three-wheeled robot called CanguRo — meaning kangaroo in Italian — resembles the animal, ...
World / Science & Health Jun 29, 2018
'Flying brain' CIMON designed to follow German astronaut blasts off Friday
A floating, ball-shaped artificial intelligence robot specially trained to follow around a German astronaut at the International Space Station is scheduled to blast off Friday on its ground-breaking mission. The basketball-size device, called CIMON (Crew Interactive Mobile Companion), was described as a "flying brain" by ...
World / Science & Health Jun 29, 2018
British doctors go on the defensive due to 'high-performing' 'GP at Hand' app
A medical chatbot said to perform as well as or even better than human doctors has sparked a war of words in Britain, in a clash over how much the cash-strapped public health service should rely on artificial intelligence. AI company Babylon, which is already ...
Business / Corporate Jun 28, 2018
It has played football with former U.S. President Barack Obama and danced for German leader Angela Merkel, but Honda's ASIMO robot may have reached the end of the line. Launched in 2000, the humanoid machine resembling a shrunken spaceman has become arguably Japan's most famous ...
Business Jun 27, 2018
An inspirational new version of Barbie will encourage young girls to embark on careers in engineering and the sciences, the iconic doll's manufacturer Mattel said on Tuesday. Barbie, who first hit the shelves in 1959, prides herself on trying out jobs where women aren't strongly ...
National | Regional voices: Chubu Jun 25, 2018
Aichi team develops self-driving robots to tackle labor shortage in farming
Amid a severe shortage of manpower, a team comprised of researchers from private companies and a university in Aichi Prefecture is working on developing a self-driving robot that uses cutting-edge technology to support flower-growing farmers. In fiscal 2019 the group hopes to start marketing automated, ...
Commentary / Japan Jun 9, 2018
Japan's robot revolution in senior care
by Thisanka Siripala
Being cared for by robots is becoming the method of choice among elderly residents.
Business / Tech May 12, 2018
SoftBank-owned Boston Dynamics prepares to unleash its dog-like robot
A robotics company owned by SoftBank Corp. and known for its widely shared videos of nimble, legged robots opening doors or walking through rough terrain is preparing to sell some after more than a quarter century of research. U.S.-based Boston Dynamics CEO Marc Raibert said ...
National May 1, 2018
In Japan, Aibo robots get their own funeral
by Miwa Suzuki
The robot dogs lined up in their dozens last Thursday in Chiba Prefecture were no tech fair display. They were the dearly departed being honored with their own traditional "funeral." In some respects, it was a funeral like any other in Japan, with incense smoke ...