Tokyo Weekender - October 2017

sic. Next to the bed you'll find a cute electronic
creature called Churi-chan who can change
the room temperature, turn on the lights and
arrange a wake-up call, but only in Japanese.
Other robots in the hotel include a foot-high
concierge and a mechanical arm that will
store your luggage. There are some humans
working there because robots can't make
beds or take care of security. They also aren't
good at finding lost keys, so facial recognition
technology is used instead. Earlier this year a
second Henn-na Hotel was opened in Maihama,
Chiba, near Tokyo Disney Resort.
PAROLEE MENTORS
While recidivism rates are relatively low in
Japan, the number of repeat offenders among
the elderly remains a real cause for concern.
Many ex-cons are poor and lonely with no
guarantors to check on them, so some might
feel they'd be better off back inside where
they'd be fed and surrounded by people.
There aren't enough social workers to deter
them from committing petty crimes, so last
year the Ministry of Justice turned to Pepper,
the four-foot robot that can analyze body
language and read a person's emotions. It was
placed in a Tokyo halfway house in the hope
that former criminals would share things
with the humanoid that they wouldn't with
humans. It's more cost-effective than employing
regular staff and robots can do 24-hour
shifts without breaks. The problem is that the
parolees are unlikely to ever fully develop an
emotional attachment with the robot.
CARE WORKERS AND COMPANIONS
FOR THE ELDERLY
Japan is experiencing population aging at a
globally unprecedented pace. Around 26 percent
of the nation's citizens are 65 or above,
which is by far the highest proportion in the
world, and by 2025 it's estimated that the
country will face a shortage of around 380,000
caregivers. An influx of foreign workers could
help, but it's still unlikely to be enough. Carebots
are, therefore, seen as a logical solution.
They can provide physical therapy, assist with
bathing, lifting and mobility, and monitor the
whereabouts of the elderly through sensors.
Communication is another particularly
useful tool. Earlier this year a nursing home
in Natori, Miyagi Prefecture began using a
toddler-sized humanoid known as Telenoid
that can capture the voice and movements of
a loved one thousands of miles away using a
microphone and camera. It then replicates
those actions for the person in possession of
the robot. Staff at the facility have noticed
that elderly people, especially those with
dementia, have become more positive and
active when communicating with Telenoid.
BUDDHIST MONKS
Funerals in Japan certainly don't come
cheap. There are all kinds of charges to
factor in, including the price of a Buddhist
priest whose services will usually
cost around ¥240,000. Earlier this year
plastic mold-making company Nissei Eco
Ltd. attempted to create a much cheaper
alternative by charging around ¥50,000 for
Softbank's robot Pepper, which they programmed
to chant sutras from four Buddhist
sects in a computerized voice while tapping
on a drum. It is reminiscent of the German
robot BlessU-2, which can deliver blessings
in five different languages and beams light
from its hands. However, while BlessU-2 was
designed to trigger debate about the future
of the church and the potential of artificial
intelligence, Pepper Priests have been introduced
more as a matter of necessity. The
traditional danka system, in which parishioners
support temples through donations, is
not as stable as it once was, so many monks
are looking for part-time work away from
their usual duties. Pepper is seen as a viable
substitute while they are away, though many
have questioned whether a robot can properly
fulfil religious duties.
THE ACTROID
From Maria in Fritz Lang’s 1928 expressionist
science-fiction drama Metropolis to
C-3PO in Star Wars, robots have performed
prominent roles in movies for decades. Yet,
up to 2015 they have always either been
played by humans or brought to life with
motion capture technology. Things changed
two years ago when Geminoid F co-starred
in Koji Fukada’s flick Sayonara as Leona
(pictured top right), becoming the first actor
humanoid (called an “actroid”) to appear in
a feature-length film. Equipped with motorized
actuators enabling it to copy human expressions,
the wheelchair-bound Leona stays
loyal to its owner Tania, played by American
actress Bryerly Long, following a lethal
nuclear power plant meltdown in Japan. The
robot is controlled by a computer owned
by creator Hiroshi Ishiguro. The story was
adapted from a play by Oriza Hirata, which
also starred Geminoid F and Long. Other
robots to have made a splash in the entertainment
industry include Otonaroid (resembling
a woman) and Kodomoroid (resembling a
child), the world's first android newscasters,
and DMM's Premaid AI robots that dance on
table-tops like J-Pop stars.
FOOT SNIFFERS
Okay, so it's not what you would call a typical
job, but Japan's latest innovative robot
deserves a mention. Hana-chan, a play on
the Japanese word for nose, is a cute robot
dog equipped with an odor detection sensor
for a nose. If your feet don't smell then
Hana will wag its tail; it will bark if they are
slightly malodorous; and if things are really
bad it will keel over. The dog was created by
manufacturers Next Technology, who were
responding to a request from a man desperate
to know if he had a smelly problem. Other
scent-related tech that has recently gone on
the market includes Panasonic's deodorizing
coat hangers, which automatically eliminate
odors and pollen from clothing, and a clip-on
armpit fan devised by gadget maker Thanko.
TOKYO WEEKENDER | OCTOBER 2017 | 27