Japan's Annual Robot Awards

On December 21, 2006, METI (Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry) announced the finalists for the 2006 Robot Award. METI made its selections from four different categories of robots. The categories included service robots (robots which can be used by a single human being), industrial robots, public sector robots (for use by public companies) and small-to-medium sized venture robots (for commercial sale). The annual Robot Award was established to recognize those involved in robotics in Japan. It is meant to encourage future developments of benefit to society within the different sectors.

152 robot applications were submitted to METI for consideration for the 2006 Robot Award. From the applications submitted, METI selected ten finalists.

The finalists from the service robot category included Paro, a seal robot. Unlike the recent dog robot introduced in the United States, which looked like a machine in the shape of a dog, Paro resembles a baby harp seal, furry and white. Sensors, which respond to touch, cover its entire body, causing Paro to move smoothly. Considered safe, durable and user friendly, Paro has been promoted as a pet alternative. 800 seals have already been adopted in Japan. Each robot seal is individually made.

Receiving an Honorable Mention by METI, the meal assistance robot, My Spoon, was designed to help those lacking hands to enjoy meals without human assistance. By lifting the food that has been placed in the tray that is part of My Spoon, My Spoon provides the meal to the user one bite at a time. My Spoon offers three options for operation, manual with joystick control, semi-automatic or fully automatic, depending upon the requirements of the user. Currently available in Japan, the Netherlands and other European locations, My Spoon received Honorable Mention due to the fact that it improved the quality of life for certain individuals, thereby benefiting society as a whole.

The Small-to-Medium Sized Venture Prize was awarded to KHR-2HV, a build-your-own humanoid robot kit. Resembling a mechanical human when assembled, KHR-2HV is capable of performing back flips, cartwheels and other human motion. It contains controls, gears, servos, software and USB connectivity to facilitate additional programming. The suggested retail price is intended to encourage purchase and availability to the general public. Other venture robots that were selected included a squid fishing machine and a scanning laser range finder, for use as a sensor for autonomous mobile robots.

Also resembling a human torso, finalist Motoman-Dia10 is an industrial robot capable of performing human movements. It is intended for factory use. Due to the decrease in Japan's population, Motoman-Dia10 has the potential use of replacing much-needed factory workers. A variation on the design, the Motoman-IA20, is equipped with more snake-like arms, to enable it to operate at worksites with limited space.

The other industrial robot among the finalists is the high-speed reliability verification robot, which uses advanced machine vision technology to perform factory line inspections on items which pass under its gaze. It would reduce operating costs for factories using it due to the fact that it is not necessary to stop the line to make the inspections.

Since Japan is an island country, public sector robot finalist Urashima, a self-contained, deep-sea, battery-operated autonomous underwater vehicle, is ideal for deep water exploration. Prior to introducing manned submarines into an unknown environment, Urashima can be sent to survey possibly dangerous or inaccessible places. Its data could prove invaluable to underwater teams.

Originally designed as a recovery robot to be used after disasters, such as avalanches and rockslides, the public sector robot finalist called tele-operated construction equipment, helps prevent secondary disasters from occurring. In June, 2006, these robots were used in Okinawa at a dangerous mudslide there, preventing the further damage and injury that might otherwise have occurred there.

Grand Prize was awarded to a robotic building cleaning system created by Fuji Heavy Industries and Sumitomo. Capable of working independently or with humans, the robot has the capacity to control elevators, which allows it to move from floor to floor without supervision, in order to clean hallways in buildings, and also to return to its starting location when assigned tasks are completed. The robot is the official cleaning system for ten high-rise buildings in Japan.