Biannual International Robot Exhibition Updates: Robots taking over humans?

With the start of the Biannual International Robot Exhibition in Tokyo on December 2, the idea of robots taking over human jobs is a common discussion. In Japan, it's more than a discussion topic; it's a strong possibility. Some even will be able to do the jobs that humans cannot.

The huge exhibition finished over the weekend and brought in 450 companies to show off their latest creations. The exhibits ranged from disaster relief, to helping the elderly, and extreme heavy lifting. 

Two robots were focused on disaster relief as part of a project under the New Energy and Industrial Development (NEDO), reports the Daily Mail. The University of Tokyo's Jaxon, has the dexterity to complete tasks that are normally done with human hands. Jaxon, was able to understand how large an area is and what kind of movements are applicable in that situation. For example after learning that the ceiling was too low, he bent forward, and put both hands on the floor in order to move ahead. He could also move debris in a pathway to clear it, something that can sometimes be dangerous for humans to do in a hazardous environment.

The second, Take Kawada debuted the humanioid HRP-2, a robot that is able to navigate a disaster area, upright on two legs. It can walk and navigate through dangerous and bumpy fields of debris.

Reuters told of Dao Zhou, a 22-year-old student from the University of Cambridge remarked on the HRP-2 saying, "It's really amazing. Walking is really difficult and he can walk very narrowly along that beam and still maintain his balance, and that's really incredible."

Toyota showed off its Human Support Robot, or HSR, a robot to help support bed-bound patients or the elderly. The robot will be able to pick up after humans, get them things, bring them to their bedside, and open curtains. 

There was also a monster robot arm from Fanuc Corp. Used as an industrial robot, the arm can lift a car with extreme ease. The company is focusing on creating industrial lifters that have enough intelligence, as Bloomberg dubbed "deep learning," to find and pick up heavy objects with 90% accuracy.

The 450 participating groups made this year's exhibition the largest yet. And with the continuing development of these kinds of robots, the future of humanity may become augmented by the inclusion of robotic hands.