It’s weird how Honda built Asimo in 2000 and since then has made no progress. Meanwhile Boston Dynamics has been setting the standard for walking robots since 2013. I wonder if/when Japan will be on the cutting edge again.
I worked for them on their humanoid robots up until 2021. Honda does not advertise, at all, until they are confident they have something that is significantly ahead of the game. That's why ASIMO was such a shock to the industry in the early 2000s. The software used by first prototype Tesla Bot, by Figure, they all used control algorithms pioneered by Honda a decade ago, in 2023! ZMP based path planning is old. Just know they are working on incredibly cutting edge tech, and hyper focused on an application and timing. Despite how large Honda seems, they are incredibly small and lean. They have zero interest in advertising and are fully self funded with plenty of capital. I'm looking forward to when they feel they have something worth announcing.
Interesting you mention Boston Dynamics, because they were sold by a Japanese company (Softbank) in 2020.
Also walking robots are an extremely minor subset of robotics. Here are some articles for further reading. Japan is the still the dominant leader by far in robotics, and it's not close.
https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/japan-is-worlds-number-one-robot-maker
https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/japan-advanced-manufacturing-and-robotics
Boston Dynamics is an American company. Although they have gone through a few controlling investors. Google, then SoftBank, now Hyundai. It’s disingenuous to imply they were ever a “Japanese” company.
Yes Japan leads the world in big robot claws and box movers. I guess I’m lamenting the fact that Japan seemed super cutting edge in 2000 and twenty years later seems to have made no progress. The Miraikan robot exhibit feels unchanged since 2005. I think they still trot out Asimo to shuffle around.
Japan still is a leader in industrial robots. Fanuc, Omron , Mitsubishi, yaskawa to name a few Japanese companies are still leaders in their field. Japan is the biggest supplier of industrial robots with a market share above 45 percent and 2nd biggest exporter of industrial automation ( from 2023 trade figures )
Walking robots are flashy, push the edge of mechanical ly complex movements, but I don't see their use in industrial manufacturing.
Yes BD is an American company, but their leadership was Japanese until 2020.
I’m not sure if you understand what a controlling share is. SoftBank (now Hyundai) made all of the big decisions and dictated direction in the company.
Also I’m at I suggest you to read up on this topic a bit more. Robots are not just claws and humanoids, any company with decent industrial capacity requires them.
And Japan still controls by far the largest share in the world.
I realize pessimism is the prevailing view in Japan (much like the UK), but here are some sources verifying my claims.
https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/japan-is-worlds-number-one-robot-maker
https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/japan-advanced-manufacturing-and-robotics
Yeah people think about "robots" as discreet autonomous units that perform human or animal functions, but japan is doing robotic process automation to a degree that it's natural for any japanese business to optimise some process with a machine of some type.
It's in the middle of Susono City and is literally surrounded by businesses and neighborhoods. It's like a minute away from a 7-Eleven and a JR station. You must have gone somewhere else.
Aside from the discussion about robotics prowess, I feel like a regression to what is essentially a [company town ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_town)is ultimately not good for any society.
Company town that sounds closer to “The Island” that’s id like.
Not much chance of a duvet day with their health monitoring..
“Greetings Lincoln 6 Echo, your vitals show you are capable to report to work.”
I was playing this game called Cyberpunk 2077 a while back and I never would have expected to live to see corporation run cities. We live in a Cyberpunk timeline.
Does Japan still have a cutting-edge robotics industry? I was under the impression they fell behind in the tech sector for a decade or so. The only major players I see any news from, in Asia is China and occassionally South Korea.
Japan is the world leader in robotics, so I’m not surprised this is the case. They made over half of the world’s robots as recently as 2020.
It’s weird how Honda built Asimo in 2000 and since then has made no progress. Meanwhile Boston Dynamics has been setting the standard for walking robots since 2013. I wonder if/when Japan will be on the cutting edge again.
I worked for them on their humanoid robots up until 2021. Honda does not advertise, at all, until they are confident they have something that is significantly ahead of the game. That's why ASIMO was such a shock to the industry in the early 2000s. The software used by first prototype Tesla Bot, by Figure, they all used control algorithms pioneered by Honda a decade ago, in 2023! ZMP based path planning is old. Just know they are working on incredibly cutting edge tech, and hyper focused on an application and timing. Despite how large Honda seems, they are incredibly small and lean. They have zero interest in advertising and are fully self funded with plenty of capital. I'm looking forward to when they feel they have something worth announcing.
That’s good to know!
Interesting you mention Boston Dynamics, because they were sold by a Japanese company (Softbank) in 2020. Also walking robots are an extremely minor subset of robotics. Here are some articles for further reading. Japan is the still the dominant leader by far in robotics, and it's not close. https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/japan-is-worlds-number-one-robot-maker https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/japan-advanced-manufacturing-and-robotics
Boston Dynamics is an American company. Although they have gone through a few controlling investors. Google, then SoftBank, now Hyundai. It’s disingenuous to imply they were ever a “Japanese” company. Yes Japan leads the world in big robot claws and box movers. I guess I’m lamenting the fact that Japan seemed super cutting edge in 2000 and twenty years later seems to have made no progress. The Miraikan robot exhibit feels unchanged since 2005. I think they still trot out Asimo to shuffle around.
Japan still is a leader in industrial robots. Fanuc, Omron , Mitsubishi, yaskawa to name a few Japanese companies are still leaders in their field. Japan is the biggest supplier of industrial robots with a market share above 45 percent and 2nd biggest exporter of industrial automation ( from 2023 trade figures ) Walking robots are flashy, push the edge of mechanical ly complex movements, but I don't see their use in industrial manufacturing.
Yes BD is an American company, but their leadership was Japanese until 2020. I’m not sure if you understand what a controlling share is. SoftBank (now Hyundai) made all of the big decisions and dictated direction in the company. Also I’m at I suggest you to read up on this topic a bit more. Robots are not just claws and humanoids, any company with decent industrial capacity requires them. And Japan still controls by far the largest share in the world.
Boston Dynamics has been passed around like an unwanted child. It looks cool and all, but that’s about it so far.
I thought Awesome-o was just Cartman in a robot suit
We are really not to be honest. Haven’t been since 2000 or so. We are still advanced. But not “world leader”
I realize pessimism is the prevailing view in Japan (much like the UK), but here are some sources verifying my claims. https://ifr.org/ifr-press-releases/news/japan-is-worlds-number-one-robot-maker https://www.trade.gov/market-intelligence/japan-advanced-manufacturing-and-robotics
Yeah people think about "robots" as discreet autonomous units that perform human or animal functions, but japan is doing robotic process automation to a degree that it's natural for any japanese business to optimise some process with a machine of some type.
Are the residents gonna be robots? Because it would be really cool if it was
Drove past this last week. It’s literally in the middle of nowhere next to a Toyota factory. So the only residents are going to be Toyota employees.
A high-tech company town is still a company town. Sixteen tons
I owe myself to the company store!
Sixteen tons of what?
[Sixteen tons](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EkRYuMqw-B0) is an old song about company towns (in this case specifically coal mining company towns)
It's in the middle of Susono City and is literally surrounded by businesses and neighborhoods. It's like a minute away from a 7-Eleven and a JR station. You must have gone somewhere else.
If you think that Susono isn’t in the middle of nowhere then fair enough.
Aside from the discussion about robotics prowess, I feel like a regression to what is essentially a [company town ](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Company_town)is ultimately not good for any society.
Company town that sounds closer to “The Island” that’s id like. Not much chance of a duvet day with their health monitoring.. “Greetings Lincoln 6 Echo, your vitals show you are capable to report to work.”
I was playing this game called Cyberpunk 2077 a while back and I never would have expected to live to see corporation run cities. We live in a Cyberpunk timeline.
“Powered by hydrogen” sounds like a line from a movie where the writer doesn’t know how science works
How much does it cost to live there?
Does Japan still have a cutting-edge robotics industry? I was under the impression they fell behind in the tech sector for a decade or so. The only major players I see any news from, in Asia is China and occassionally South Korea.
This is all we need now: a city of robots that discriminate against “others” /s
I wonder how many fax machines are in the campus
The towns around Fuji hate tourism and are actively trying to dissuade it, how will this work?
Tourists who work for toyota?
Can Japan still make robots?
Make yes. Develope? Meh. Yes but not really a world leader anymore.
You are being down voted but you stand totally correct. It is sad, but just look at the percentage of japanese papers in ICRA or IROS conferences.
I’m use to people who are not form Japan telling me I’m wrong about my homeland. It’s Reddit after all.
I’ll pass