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A Ropid-tech story
His name is Ropid. He is a little humanoid robot, just 38cm tall, weighing 3.5 pounds, certainly not the type we see in American movies. But, he managed to create ripples of excitement among the audience, especially when he jumped three inches off the ground, obeying the command of Japanese robot creator, Tomotaka Takahashi, senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor of University of Wollongong in Australia.
Speaking at a presentation at the University of Wollongong in Dubai (UOWD) on ‘The Creation of a New Robot Era’, Takahashi produced Ropid as his showpiece, while he described Japanese robot technology, including its cultural and social backgrounds.
Takahashi, who is the CEO of Robo Garage, demonstrated how Ropid responds to voice commands; he can get up, walk, run and jump. His humanoid robots are known for their fluid motions and sleek appearance.
Takahashi, who creates prototype from scratch, without the use of computers, explained the reasons behind making small robots. According to him, smaller robots are less vulnerable to accidents. His ‘Manoi’ robot has sold 1,000 units. Takahashi is now working on a new-concept robot, of which he expects to sell 100,000 pieces.
In the presentation, Takahashi also showed a video presentation on the world’s first female-type robot, which mimics feminine walk and moments. He also demonstrated robots playing football.
Takahashi leads Team Osaka, which competes in various robot competitions and events around the world, such as Robocup (robot soccer). Team Osaka has won the Louis Vuitton Humanoid Cup in 2004, 2005 and 2006.
Speaking about the differences between American and Japanese robots, Takahashi said American robots are usually big, while Japanese like their robots to be friendly and docile. “Today, robots are considered unnecessary. But this was the same for the PC, 15 years ago. Humanoid robots are going to play an increasingly important role in our lives in future,” said Prof. Takahashi.
He is the first robot creator to create a humanoid robot to go to space station as an astronaut’s companion. Introducing the speaker, Isao Kishi, acting Consul-General of Japan, described Takahashi as one of the most prominent robot creators in Japan, and said that robot technology was one of the fields in which Japan played leading roles.
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