Robots from JAPAN are already AMONG US!

In 2022, Japan hosted the International Robotics Exhibition, also known as IREX 2022, at the Tokyo Big Site Exhibition Hall. The exhibition featured not only many industrial robots but also a number of interesting novelties in humanoid and bio-inspired robotics. Japan is the world's number one manufacturer of industrial robots, supplying 45 percent of all robots in the world. The export share of Japanese companies increased by 78 percent in 2020, with 136,069 industrial robots shipped.

Kawasaki brought the Collido robot and its friend, also called Friends. According to the company's vision, these robots will support people in dangerous jobs as well as take care of the sick and the elderly. Collido is stronger and more agile, and it can recognise a person even in a pile of rubble. The robot is 179 centimetres tall and weighs 83 kilograms or 183 pounds, giving it a range of motion like an adult male, but it has limits in small and narrow spaces. The robot is exceptionally sturdy and not afraid of falls. It walks and moves like a person, and it can lift up to 60 kilograms or 132 pounds. The Friend's robot is 168 centimetres tall and weighs 54 kilograms or 119 pounds. It can lift up to 10 kilograms and walk at three kilometres per hour or 5 miles per hour. It is powered by batteries and is designed for entertainment, care, and support of people in hospitals and nursing homes.

One of the craziest robots was the robot musician, O'Tamaroid. It played very unusual music for Western countries and also played a very unusual instrument.

One of the most unusual and interesting novelties of IREX is the robot Capricorn from Kawasaki Robotics. It has wheels, legs, a saddle, horns, and a steering wheel. The robot can walk across rough terrain on four legs, and when the road is smooth, it transforms into a wheeled platform. The robot can carry loads of up to 100 kilograms and is also designed to carry people who can control the car with the steering wheel. The robot can stream video from its cameras in its head, and movement is provided in two modes: direct control of a person sitting on top, or remote control. In addition, the robot controls the position of the entire body and will not fall if it is suddenly hit from the side or its leg hits an unstable surface. Developers believe the robot can be used at construction sites and industrial plants to move goods and inspections. It could also transport crops harvested by farmers in the fields.

Kawasaki Heavy Industries also unveiled its autonomous service robot, Gnocchi, which is capable of moving and working in an unstructured human environment. It is safe for humans, can open regular doors, and can easily handle boxes in a warehouse or trays in a restaurant. The robot is equipped with a LiDAR and vision sensor to create a map of the environment, understand its place on it, and notice everything going on around it. Gnocchi can also be switched to remote control mode if the robot gets confused, or there is some mistake. The same remote control can also be used to teach the robot new skills.

Kawada Robotics brought its humanoid robot HRP4 to the exhibition. It is very light and compact, only 39 kilograms or 86 pounds, and at 151 centimetres tall, the robot became a sensation in 2010 and has been used by the company mostly for advertising ever since. The main announcement of the exhibition from the company was the humanoid collaborative robot Next age-Full, which is a continuation of the Next age line of robots that has long been actively implemented in industrial enterprises in Japan. According to the company's representatives, Next age-Full