Additional information on the robots in the predictions blog

This morning in the Seattle Times newspaper(March 12, 2005) is an extensive article concerning Japanese robots. They have perfected robots to be used as receptionists, factory workers, and all sorts of tasks. These are created to talk, to do multiple tasks and look human. One of the main reasons is because the birth rate is lowering and the Japanese feel they may not have enough "manpower" to perform the work. The other reason is that the Japanese males feel menial work is beneath them, such as working in a factory.

However, the Japanese, have not invented the robots for war but as useful servants. They say by 2015 all houses will have a robot doing work for them such as in the "Jetsons". Opposite to the Japanese way of thinking is the U.S. way of considering them to become soldiers. "In the quest for artifical intelligence, the United States is perhaps just as advanced as Japan. But analysts stress that the focus in the United States has been largely on military applications. By contrast, the Japanese government, academic institutions and major corporations are investing billions of dollars on consumer robots aimed at altering everyday life, leading to an early dawn of what many here call the 'age of the robot.'"

One last statement in the article says, "In Western countries, humanoid robots are still not very accepted, but they are in Japan," said Norihiro Hagita, director of the ATR Intelligent Robotics and Communication Laboratories in Keihanna Science City near Kyoto. "One reason is religion. In Japanese (Shinto) religion, we believe that all things have gods within them."

"But in Western countries, most people believe in only one God. For us, however, a robot can have an energy all its own."