Japan industry, academia team up to build hulking rescue robots

JAPANESE electronics maker Murata Manufacturing Co., Waseda University and two other companies teamed up to develop hu- manoid search and rescue robots as part of a wider effort to revive Japan’s formerly world-leading robotics sector.
The four entities, including Kyoto-based robot maker Tmsuk Co and technology service company Sre Holdings Corp in Tokyo, said in late June that they plan to develop a robot with all Japan-made components, such as sensors and precision instruments.
The robot is designed to stand 3 metres tall, weigh 300 kilogrammes, walk at around 5 kilometres per hour and lift 100 kg or more. Given its demographic challenges, the companies believe disaster-prone Japan needs to develop such rescue robots.
“We want to build a robot that is much stronger than a human and can move rubble,” Tmsuk Chairman Yoichi Takamoto said at a press conference in late June.
Japan was once a global leader in humanoid robotics, with Waseda University having developed the world’s first full-scale bipedal robot, WABOT-1, in 1973. Honda Motor Co led humanoid robotics technology with ASIMO, whose final model was released in 2011. Hoping to play catchup with US and Chinese manufacturers, the four partners aim to develop a pilot model by the end of 2026 and a mass-production version by March 2029, they said. — Kyodo

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