EDITOR’S PAGE
FEB/MAR 2007
Sci-fi aficionados may be familiar with the likes of Isaac Asimov, Neal Stephenson and Rudy Rucker, who have envisioned a world populated by robots as intelligent as humans, capable of reproduction, self repair, and encased in human-like forms and tissue, genetically grown from ‘body farms’. Imagine a world where nanobots capable of flight are dispersed in the atmosphere for surveillance and carrying viral strains. These scenarios may seem far-fetched and even unlikely, but based on ongoing research and development in areas such as machine-to-machine, genetic engineering, artificial intelligence and robotics, cannot be ruled out in the distant future. Increasingly, robots are making their presence felt in industry, entertainment and for personal uses. According to Frost and Sullivan’s latest report on the Japanese robotics market, Japan, which has the largest number of robotic installations in the world, is likely to retain this position due to factors such as the country’s negative population growth rate, growing elderly ranks and decreasing workforce of young people that are averse to doing repetitive tasks. As a result, robots are increasingly being considered viable alternatives to humans in areas such as manufacturing where operations can sometimes be monotonous. The use of robots in areas such as nursing and therapeutic applications is also rapidly gaining ground. These factors are likely to drive strong growth of the robotics market. Another factor benefiting the Japanese robotics market is the strong Government support it enjoys. The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry allotted about US$26.0 million for this purpose in 2003. It also contributed around 50 percent of the development costs of around 50 state-of-the-art robots in 2005. Already widely used in the automotive industry, robots are beginning to find increasing use in areas such as pharmaceuticals production and packaging, consumer electronics assembly, machine tooling, and food packaging. Service robots are primarily used in fields such as medicine, nuclear power, aerospace, and entertainment. In Japan, robots are used in marine exploration to carry out unmanned research and detection. Personal robots are being used to aid, and entertain the elderly. Robots are also getting smaller. The increasing demand for miniaturisation is fuelled by breakthroughs such as nanobots, neural networks, and prosthetics, combined with advances in artificial intelligence. Nano-manipulators are used to assemble and position tiny nano-scale components in the life science and semiconductor industries. They are being used in micro-electro-mechanical system (MEMS) applications such as the development of nano-sized motors to clear clogged arteries and the manufacturing of accelerometers used in air bags. Nano-scale cameras are also used to survey the insides of intestines.
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