Astounding Advances in Robotics by Japanese Scientists Rings Bells!

 Recent technological advances by Japanese scientists in robotics brings to mind the movie “The Rise of the Machines”—one of the Terminator classics starring now California governor Arnold Schwarzenegger—advances that pose a serious question.

Will the new robots now coming online—and the incredible ones that are on the immediate horizon—be a boon to mankind (as the scientists claim) or will they evolve into a new order of intelligence that becomes self-aware (as in the movie “I, Robot”) and themselves decide on what the human-robot relationship should be?

Japanese scientists, who continue to make one break-through after the other in programming  robots to feel, hear, see and think like human beings, maintain that their goals are to create robots that will be able to act as assistants, caretakers and nurses for Japan’s rapidly aging population.

That sounds both benign and worthy of pursuing, especially since the elderly are expected to make up 40 percent of Japan’s population by 2055—with similar demographic changes in other countries as higher living standards and better education results in a decline in births and longer life-spans. 

Scientists in Japan are now engaged in creating the technology for a range of robots that includes caretakers, general servants, technicians and engineers. Technology already developed and being used includes most of the eye, hear, arm and leg functions that distinguish human beings.

The latest advances in robotics involves placing incredibly sensitive sensors all over the bodies of robots that emulate the tactile response of human skin—a development that has far-reaching and profound implications. The bodies (and fingers) of this new order of robots are just as sensitive as human bodies.

This growing effort to humanize robots is being spearheaded by a combination of government and private industry sponsorship under the heading of an organization called the Information and Robot Technology Research Initiative (IRT), which is aimed at fusing information technology and robot technology. In other words, the goal is to provide robots with human-like skills and brains.

Project teams are well into applying new control systems developed by such companies as Toyota and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries. To avoid making the robots look like humans, and therefore a possible threat, these teams are coming up with forms based on the work the robots are designed to perform.

Their public rationale is that a robot designed to do mechanical repairs on a washing machine, for example, does not have to look like “Mr. Maytag;” a robot that prepares and serves meals would not necessarily have to look like a chef. But people would surely be more comfortable if it did, and it is this human emotion that will no doubt determine the appearance of most future “domestic” and “service” robots!

The efforts of the IRT are being directed by Isao Shimoyama, a professor at the University of Tokyo, who says his goal is to create a class of robots that will be integrated into human society on the level that machines, electrical appliances and electronic devices now play.

The several million people who visited the Expo of 2005 in Japan’s Aichi Prefecture got a glimpse of the robotic world of the future, but the walking and talking robots that were introduced at that exhibition pale when it comes to the generation of robots that will go into the first stages of production in 2009.

The time has come when the Laws of Robots devised by science fiction writer Isaac Asimov in 1940 should be dusted off and turned into non-fiction laws worldwide. In summary, these laws state that under no circumstances can a robot harm a human being…and they would at least set standards that scientists should follow.

In the meantime, we are getting a preview of the future!

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Boye Lafayette De Mente is the author of 40-plus books on the business practices, culture and language of Japan, including JAPAN’S CULTURAL CODE WORDS. For a synopses of his books on Japan as well as China and Korea see: boyedemente.com.

Japanese Scientist “Clones” Himself!

<p>What would you do if you were suddenly faced by an android that looked exactly like you and acted exactly the same way you act—especially if you didn’t like what you saw?

 

     That is exactly what happened to Osaka University Professor Hiroshi Ishiguro, one of Japan’s leading robotic engineers who recently created a robot that was not only in his own image but also had many—if  not all—of his subtle behavioral habits.

 

     The professor is not a bad looking fellow, so he was not upset with the appearance of his double, but what really got to him were some of the odd behavioral ticks exhibited by the robot that he found uncomfortable to watch.

 

     It seems that the professor had programmed the android to be an exact duplicate of himself in both appearance and in behavior….resulting in him finally seeing himself as others see him…which turned out to be a bit of a shock.

 

     The good professor was further disturbed by the fact that his peers, coworkers and students all agreed that the android was a virtually perfect clone…that it exhibited all of his behavioral traits…putting him in a position of experiencing something that no one else had ever experienced before.

 

     Prof. Ishiguro’s creation of an android clone of himself was not inspired by any ego trip, but by a strong desire to understand the scientific basis for human individuality…something that has never been identified much less quantified.

 

     In addition to seeing his outward self as others saw him, Prof. Ishiguro extrapolated that if his inner self was revealed in the same way both he and everyone else who saw him would be even more surprised or shocked.

 

     While this thought was even more disturbing to him, as a scientist he saw it as a big step forward in understanding the internal makeup of humans…which led him to begin asking questions of his students that surprised and shocked them. With one telling example being asking them to compare their daily activities with that of cockroaches…which, like humans, eat, sleep and propagate themselves.

 

     Prof. Ishiguro notes that all individuals have personalities and characteristics that distinguish them from others to varying degrees, but the lives of most people are based on their financial and social status rather than inherent qualities that differentiate them from cockroaches.

 

    He sees this phenomenon as a cultural failure that is the source of most of the self-made problems that have afflicted mankind since day one. He says that the most important thing that humans can do and other life forms cannot do is think about the fundamental questions of life and the world at large, and respond—rationally or irrationally.

 

     While he doesn’t spell it out, he infers [correctly] that most people do not habitually think and respond in a rational, positive manner, which more or less puts them on the level of cockroaches.

 

     Prof. Ishiguro adds that the only people who deserve to be called individuals are those who ask what human beings are, and have well thought-out perspectives of themselves and the role in life they should play to achieve the fullest potential of human beings…which makes him a philosopher first and a robot-maker second.

 

     Many past philosophers have come to the same conclusions about humanity as Prof. Ishiguro, but none of them were robotics engineers, and none of them had the ultimate goal of creating robots that were indistinguishable from human beings in attitudes, values and behavior.

 

     The closer the professor gets to this goal the more important it will be for him to program the androids so that they are, in fact, different from human beings—to make sure that they are not programmed to have the human propensity for irrational thinking and destructive behavior.

 

     All of this may appear at first glance to be idle contemplation, but given the astounding advances that Prof. Ishiguro and other Japanese scientists are making in programming robots the eventual appearance of human-like androids is probably inevitable. And at some point, they could look at human beings as cockroaches…and put their foot down!

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Boye Lafayette De Mente is the author of 40-plus books on the business practices, culture and language of Japan, including KATA: The Key to Understanding and Dealing with the Japanese. To see synopses of his books go to: boyedemente.com.

 

Remarkable Changes Add to Ambiance of Life in Japan!

Boyé Lafayette De Mente

Breakthroughs in all areas of life are rapidly remaking the texture and tone of lifestyle options in Japan—breakthroughs not only in material things but in the spirit of living; in fact, in all areas of contemporary culture.

These extraordinary changes may not be so conspicuous to the average Japanese or foreign resident, but they are nevertheless profound and provide insightful previews of what the future holds not only for the Japanese but ultimately for others as well.

Just some of the technological advances in recent months include a tiny device that strips the electrons from atoms releasing ions into the air that not only cleans the air but zaps dangerous airborne germs.

These tiny PCI [plasma-cluster ion] devices are being integrated not only in air purifiers but also into lighting fixtures, in car air-conditioning units; even in toilet seats. Plans are now afoot to include them in refrigerators, washing machines and cell phones. The PCI device can breakdown and eliminate 99.9 percent of a common strain of avian flu in ten minutes.

On the wearing apparel front, clothing manufacturers have joined the magic of chemistry to produce fabrics that have integrated heat-producing elements that help keep wearers warm—and the fabrics look and feel like ordinary clothing material. The implications of this development are staggering.

Dramatic advances in the production of windshields for automobiles now make it possible to clearly project data such as speed, inside and outside temperature, etc., onto windshields—with the first such models to appear in 2009. [The windshields are also more soundproof.]

A newly developed ingredient mixed in with concrete results in the concrete absorbing carbon dioxide rather than emitting it into the air, adding to the efforts to reduce polluting and warming gases. The same technology can also be used to make paper, cosmetics and other products, further reducing industrial pollution.

And closer to the lives of individuals, the extraordinary power of aromatics is being rediscovered in Japan, with amazing results. Japanese have known for ages that incense used for religious ceremonies and other purposes results in a chemical change in the functioning of the brain, relieving stress and producing a tranquil mood.

This aroma renaissance is visible in the proliferation of shops selling aromatic oils and gels to businesspeople in high-stress jobs. Just one example: It has been found that a few drops of Roman chamomile oil on a steamed towel placed by one’s pillow helps people fall asleep quickly and more deeply—and wake up refreshed. 

The Aroma Environment Association of Japan announces that it is now graduating and certifying some 30,000 aromatherapy specialists each year.

Years ago a distressed businessman who couldn’t sleep well discovered that getting up at 4 a.m. each morning and engaging in a variety of exercises resulted in a dramatic improvement in his mental and physical health. He went on to found a “Get up Early Society” that attracted hundreds of thousands of members.

Now, there is a growing “Laugh Your Stress Away” movement, known as “laugh yoga,” that is gaining adherents nationwide. Mental health authorities have confirmed that good, solid belly laughing dramatically reduces tension and makes one feel better all around.

When these new technologies and lifestyle activities are combined with a renewed interest among a growing number of Japanese in such traditional practices as “forest bathing,” visiting hot spring spas, meditating in Buddhist temples, and strolling in the evenings, on weekends and holidays, the future of Japan is not as gloomy as some doomsayers have been forecasting.

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Boye Lafayette De Mente is the author of 40-plus books on the business practices, culture and language of Japan. To see a synopses of his books go to BoyeDeMente.com.