FUTURE COHABITATION

In order to demystify and familiarize exhibition-goers with the possibility of future cohabitation with such elements, the exhibition features 11 robots divided into four categories: Coworkers, companions, communicators, and those who help humans.

“These robots already exist and are used in practice. They are not fiction, used to increase efficiency or even prototypes in development,” says curator Zaven Paré, who is a researcher in the technology and robotics segment.

MORE THAN JUST ROBOTS

Rather than just communication devices, the exhibition highlights specimens that exist for company, with an emphasis on non-verbal communication, including emotional expressions.

Designed with artificial intelligence and sophisticated sensors, which allow them to understand and respond to human needs and expressions intuitively, friendly robots have been used in stores, schools, hospitals, nursing homes, and even in everyday life at homes, becoming real personal assistants or even family members.

“I believe that HAL will get a lot of attention, especially from adults. Just by looking at the exoskeleton you can create an instinctive connection, as people envision themselves aging – and this robot can provide important support in the future of each individual,” says Paré.

The exhibit features the specimens aibo (Sony Group Corporation), BIG CLAPPER (BYE BYE WORLD Inc.), Gatebox (Gatebox Inc.), HAL – Hybrid Assistive Limb (CYBERDYNE Inc.), LOVOT (GROOVE X, Inc.), necomimi (NeuroSky Co., Ltd. /neurowear), NICOBO (Panasonic Entertainment & Communication Co., Ltd. | ICD-Lab Toyohashi University of Technology), PARO (National Institute of Advanced Industrial Science and Technology), Pepper (SoftBank Robotics Group Corp.), and Qoobo (Yukai Engineering Inc.).

“Present days in Japan tell us a little about the future around the world, for example, loneliness in the context of population aging. Japan is a laboratory. These robots demonstrate how motivating and interacting can be achieved. They are empathetic robots, with emotional appeal and universal expressions such as clapping or more expressive looks,” remarks Paré.

The exhibition also shows a timeline of the history of robots in Japan and around the world, considering both reality and science fiction. A highlight is the ancestor of robots: The tea-serving automaton Chahakobi Ningyô. Typical of Japan, it appears in popular novels during the Edo period, and is the outcome of technical progress in watchmaking, appearing at the origin of the design of industrial machines.