Tokyo’s Future-Humanoids

A department store in Tokyo, Japan, will be using a humanoid robot to welcome customers from now until May 5, continuing Japan’s ongoing decline into near-full automation.
Speaking a multitude of languages, from Japanese to Chinese to English, robot ChihiraAico can do all the tricks that make her appear human—laugh, cry, etc.—and can even display a variety of motor skills.
Upon entering the store, ChihiraAico will greet customers with a rosy smile before kindly directing them to the proper floor by running through prerecorded sound bites. She can’t answer questions, but according to Toshiba Chief Specialist Hitoshi Tokuda—ChihiraAico’s “creator”—such a vision may be achieved in the near future.
“We are aiming to develop a robot that can gradually do what a human does,” said Tokuda.
In an interview with Reuters, Tokuda expanded on his vision of what this “human-like” robot would do.
“It would be good if we can have [ChihiraAico] provide guidance,” he said, “or recommend various things in Chinese, so that people can be looking around and think ‘Oh, if Aiko is around, she can speak Chinese!’ That’s what I hope will happen.”
Owing to Japan’s increasingly steady population decline from contraception, people can expect to see more examples of heavy robotics in place of humans as the future progresses. One phenomenon that has already taken shape is the popularity of their life-like “sex dolls” complete with “realistic-feeling skin and authentic-looking eyes.”

In a world where online shopping is king, Toshiba hopes technology can change the in store experience – with a robo-assistant.

The firm’s humanoid robot is set to start work at the information desk of a department store in Tokyo to help customers find their way around.

The female-looking robot, named Aiko Chihira, will only speak Japanese – but she is also capable of sign language.

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Toshiba’s humanoid robot known as Aiko Chihira, is set to start work at the information desk of a department store in Tokyo.

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Chihira in the work outfit created for the robot

However, Chihira is unlikely to engage in smalltalk its makers admit.

Instead the robot was created to appear, talk and move as humanly as possible.

Chihira blinks, bows and moves its mouth and lips smoothly while speaking.

A Toshiba spokesman told the Wall Street Journal that Chihira is programmed with multiple human-like expressions, and that it will offer six-minute guidance to customers with information about the department store including events.

Chihira has appeared at exhibitions and events, but this is the first time it will provide customer service.

The robot’s appearance wasn’t modeled on any specific person but was designed to give a friendly impression, according to Toshiba.

The robot will be set up at the Mitsukoshi department store in Nihonbashi, Tokyo, on Monday and Tuesday.

Ms Chihira uses sign language to introduce itself to humans.

Toshiba describes the eerie android, which has blinking eyes and a fixed smile, as having the appearance of ‘a friendly young woman.’

At present, the android can mimic only simple movements, such as exchanging greetings and signing in Japanese.

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The robot’s appearance wasn’t modeled on any specific person but was designed to give a friendly impression, according to Toshiba.

With five motors to control paddle movement, it is programmed to serve the ball in a way that makes it easy for the player to return.

‘This ping pong robot is really a demonstration of how a robot can interact with a person and react in an appropriate manner,’ said Takuya Tsuyuguchi, an Omron manager.

‘We envision this robot perhaps being used in a factory or production line and having a role in which it would have to interact with a worker to do or build something.

‘This would involve the robot understanding the needs of its human counterpart and behaving appropriately.’

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Toshiba’s humanoid robot is set to start work at the information desk of a department store in Tokyo,

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One of the most popular devices is TE Connectivity’s dinosaur robot, the TE Saurus, which lets users experience a close encounter with a 6ft 11 (2.1 metre-tall) reptile droid

Toshiba’s ChihiraAico, the life-like robot hostess

But the company soon hopes to integrate its technologies in areas including sensing, speech synthesis, speech recognition and robotic control to create a more social robot by 2020.

The goal is to design a companion for the elderly and people with dementia, to offer telecounselling in natural speech, communicate through sign language, and allow healthcare to keep an eye on elderly people.

THE ROBOTIC CHEERLEADERS THAT NEVER FALL OVER

Weebles may seem like basic toys now, but in their day they used an impressive weight system based on the laws of physics to ‘wobble but never fall down.’

To bring this childhood toy into the modern-day, a Japanese firm has created a troop of Weeble-style robotic cheerleaders who dance and move while balancing on a ball.

And thanks to built-in gyroscopes and infrared sensors, the robots perform in perfect synchronicity – but never fall over.

Tiny self-balancing robot cheerleaders unveiled in Japan

The Murata Cheerleaders were built by Murata Manufacturing. Instead of wheels, the cheerleading robots balance on a removable ball, which rolls in its housing to help the machines dance and move.

They remain upright due to three advanced gyro sensors, which incorporate inverted-pendulum control technology, to detect tilt angles.

Similar gyro sensors are commonly used in digital cameras, car navigation systems, and more recently, the electronic stability control (ESC) systems that prevent cars from skidding.

Each robot is equipped with four infrared sensors, and five ultrasonic microphones to detect surrounding objects, even in the dark.

And, based on the differing speeds of sound and light waves, this system determines the relative positions of the robots within a 172 square feet (16 metre square) space.

Meanwhile a group of 14-inch (36cm) tall cheerleader robots showcased their flawless choreography.

Murata manufacturing, an electronic component manufacturer, presented the cheerleaders with colour-changing pom-poms that use gyroscopic sensors to roll on spherical bases in unison without losing their balance.

‘These robots use our proprietary balancing technology combined with technology that prevents, in real time, the robots from clashing together,’ said Tomoyuki Mori, a Murata engineer.

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A group of 14-inch (36cm) tall cheerleader robots showcased their flawless choreography.Murata manufacturing, an electronic component manufacturer, presented the cheerleaders with colour-changing pom-poms that use gyroscopic sensors to roll on spherical bases in unison without losing their balance

‘It also uses technology that coordinates the movement of all the robots together in a synchronised manner.’

Instead of wheels, the cheerleading robots balance on a removable ball, which rolls in its housing to help the machines dance and move.

They remain upright due to three advanced gyro sensors, which incorporate inverted-pendulum control technology, to detect tilt angles.

Similar gyro sensors are commonly used in digital cameras, car navigation systems, and more recently, the electronic stability control (ESC) systems that prevent cars from skidding.

Each robot is equipped with four infrared sensors, and five ultrasonic microphones to detect surrounding objects, even in the dark.

And, based on the differing speeds of sound and light waves, this system determines the relative positions of the robots within a 172 square ft (16 metre square) space.

Over 500 companies and organisations are exhibiting at Ceatec Japan, which will be held until October 11 in Chiba, east of Tokyo.

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A model displays Japanese mobile communication giant NTT Docomo’s mobile navigation device ‘Yubi Navi’ (Finger Navigator) which uses tactile sensations to guide the user at the Ceatec electronics trade show