The Next Time You See a Worm, Don’t Step On It…It Might Just Be a Robot
Japan is truly becoming the land of robots. Outpacing every other known country, including that of the United States, robot production and sales have reached an all-time high. As the price-performance continues to grow, the demand for robots to service the public follows suit.
In the wake of SoftBank Group Corp.’s humanoid robot Pepper, Hitachi Ltd. has responded forthright with the introduction of their latest robot model – the Emiew3!
“Hitachi, Ltd. today announced the development of “EMIEW3,” a humanoid robot, and its “remote brain” robotics IT platform. EMIEW3, capable of autonomously approaching customers requiring assistance, was developed to provide necessary services and guidance in stores and public facilities.”
– Hitachi, Ltd.
Photo Credit: Hitachi Ltd.
With the revelation of the first ever model of Emiew back in 2005, Hitachi has been riding the wave of increased robotic production to bring the community an efficient robot with multifaceted functions and services. Thanks to the company’s new “remote brain,” the Emiew3 will contain a robotics IT platform that is connected to cloud-based intelligent processing systems and a remote operating system, allowing the company to monitor and control multiple robots at various locations.
With the application of advanced artificial intelligence technology, the Emiew3 will be able to achieve high activeness, such as high-quality customer and guidance services. With its compact height of 35 inches and weight of 33 lbs, the Emiew3 will be able to overcome flooring differences and keep pace with humans, and will subsequently resume a standing position when knocked over.
FUTURE IMPLICATIONS
The future of robots is a question that is constantly being questioned and answered in the tech hub country of the world, Japan. As every other country plays catch-up, Japan will likely lead the world in providing both a visual and practical application for robots in mass society, ranging in various services. In the next 5 to 10 years, a third of the world’s population will likely have robots in their own homes.
This is a reality of which people are going to have to get used, especially when these very same robots will likely be the very reason why they’re no longer employed. How we address the economic implications of the robot revolution is a question we’ll certainly have to answer, and quick, because the revolution isn’t losing steam – it’s accelerating at an exponential rate.
About the author
B.J. Murphy is the Editor and Social Media Manager of Serious Wonder. He is a futurist, philosopher, activist, author and poet. B.J. is an Affiliate Scholar for the Institute for Ethics and Emerging Technologies (IEET) and an Ambassador for the robotics company Humai.
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