Issue #15 - Healing Robots in Japan
Featuring an exclusive interview with Yukai Engineering CEO Shunsuke Aoki
Japan started looking for new ways to strengthen semiconductor production this month, amidst low-quality semiconductors likely to be circulating across the country.
In maritime news, Japan Coast Guard announced it will start testing an artificial intelligence (AI)-assisted system next fiscal year to automatically detect and track suspicious foreign vessels.
The Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry said it is seeking out ways to support “femtech” startups, and 1&1 AG and Rakuten have partnered up to build Europe's first fully virtualized mobile network based on new OpenRAN technology.
More than a year after the beginning of the pandemic, Japan is now witnessing a substantial growth in the adoption of pet-like robots, also known as ‘healing’ or therapeutic robots.
This issue of TÉKUNI is about them.
👨💻 TÉKUNI Exclusive - Shunsuke Aoki
Shunsuke Aoki is the CEO of Yukai Engineering, a Tokyo-based startup specialising in developing healing robots.
“I think that the desire to feel another’s presence close by is natural for humans,” he says.
Shunsuke started his career studying software engineering at the University of Tokyo, and co-founding a software company while in school, called TeamLab.
“Around 2007, I started a robotics project with a friend, and in 2011 the company was incorporated and started operating as Yukai Engineering,” Shunsuke says.
When he had just started his business in 2011, he participated in the ‘Necomimi’ project (which was then released in 2012). ‘Necomimi’ received a lot of attention after it was initially introduced on YouTube.
“It was interesting to see how the simple movements of the ‘Necomimi’ ears were able to move people’s hearts, and I began to explore the possibilities of other robots.”
As the cat ear-themed project became a hot topic, Yukai also started paying attention to the tail and started making tail-like prototypes in-house.
“We hold hackathons in-house on a regular basis, and one of the hackathon teams came up with the idea that eventually became the prototype of Qoobo.”
Commenting on how widespread these technologies are in Japan, Shunsuke thinks it will still be some time before they become mainstream.
“Many people have seen our technology as they have been featured on various TV programs; however, the people who have welcomed Qoobo into their homes are mostly those interested in new items and technology.”
As the majority of the population spent more time at home during the pandemic last year, Yukai believed that an increasing number of people were looking for a ‘presence’ to spend time with.
“As we have seen the number of people who own pets and plants increase, we have also seen the number of Qoobo orders increase during the pandemic.”
Specifically, the number of Qoobo series products sold in 2020 was reportedly 196% more than the number sold in 2019.
“Based on our crowdfunding campaign data for our newest version of Qoobo, Petit Qoobo, around 70% of our supporters are women. The robot’s buyers also tend to be in their 20s to 40s.”
Shunsuke also mentioned other healing robots currently deployed in Japan.
“Many high-performance, high-priced robots such as AIBO and LOVOT are on the market. In the case of Qoobo, as the price is more reasonable, many do not consider it a ‘robot.’ It seems they consider it a presence that is simply ‘fluffy, responsive, and cute.’”
Moving forward, Shunsuke believes users will start living together with Qoobo (and other robots) more naturally without really considering them as robots.
“Through our Qoobo series, in addition to our communication robot ‘BOCCO emo,’ ‘kurikit’ educational robotics series, and other various robots, we hope that robots gradually become a familiar presence in the everyday lives of normal consumers both in Japan and overseas.”
❓ Want to find out more about the latest tech news in Japan?
🔗 Here is the newsletter’s link section:
Japan's Digital Agency to launch September 1st - TokyoMate
Tool allows visually impaired athletes to run on their own - NHK
4 firms to tie up in facial recognition for payment - Japan Today
New hydrogen-powered ferry revealed in Japan - H2 View
Japan aims to prevent rare-earth technology drain - NHK
Tokyo station installs an inclined elevator - Sora News
Scientists 3D Print Lab-grown Wagyu Steak - Futurism
This huge Sega arcade in Ikebukuro is closing - TimeOut
Nintendo sees dwindling impact from pandemic - ABC News
Huawei focusing on survival amid U.S. sanctions - Japan Today
Mizuho Bank suffers multiple system failures - Kyodo
Pokémon Stores closing indefinitely due to Covid-19 - TimeOut
Foreign substances found in another Moderna lot - NHK
Drone formations that didn’t make it to the Olympics - TimeOut
New Shinkansen bullet train design revealed - Sora News
Japan’s Volleyball Team Has Blocking Robot - Mashable
Experience Akihabara Station in a VR world - Japan Today
Digital Tech Spawns New Age of Art Collecting - NHK
CyberHuman scans celebrities, create digital twins - Grape
Futuristic public toilet in Shibuya is hands-free - TimeOut
"3D" crosswalk debuts near Kyoto school - Kyodo
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